1. Klaus Pressel, Infineon Technologies AG, Regensburg, Germany, “Introduction to Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI)” (10 min.)

Abstract: In December 2018 the European Commission approved a project proposal of four EU member states – France, Germany, Italy and the UK – to start an “Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI)” on Microelectronics. It will allow the national governments to spend about €1.8 billion as public support to the project partners for innovative research and development, and investment in first industrial deployment. This presentation will provide a short introduction into the IPCEI project and the five technology fields covered. The project’s overall objective is to enable research and development of innovative technologies and advanced electronics components. The importance of R&D in First Industrial Deployment is for the five technologies is highlighted. Of special importance is R&D along the value chain chip-package-board/system. The mm-wave topics of the MIKON Focus Session is an example where the technology fields TF1 Energy efficient chips, TF2 power devices and TF3 sensors collaborate.

2. Robert Gruenberger, Infineon Technologies AG, Regensburg, Germany, “SiGe Technologies with Cut-Off Frequencies Towards 600 GHz for Future mm-Wave Sensing in Automotive and Industrial Applications” (30 min.)

Abstract: Today’s SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT) in BiCMOS technology environment enable the realization of highly integrated radar sensors for motor vehicles in the range from 76 to 81 GHz at reasonable costs. With fMAX values from 300 to 400 GHz and a fT in the range from 200 to 300 GHz, they form the basis for the wide use of safety-relevant automotive applications such as autonomous emergency brakes, collision avoidance or lane change assist, even in low-cost cars. SiGe HBT BiCMOS technologies therefore led to a strong boost, especially in the development activities for autonomously driving cars. The automotive radar as the first “mass market” for mm-wave technologies and circuits has increased investment in research and development in mm-wave technology considerably. Other, new and emerging mm-wave and THz applications will benefit enormously from this development. The development of SiGe HBT BiCMOS technologies with cut-off frequencies above 500 GHz is about to qualify and start of production. The use of higher operating frequencies and significantly shorter wavelengths enables new and very compact high-performance radar sensors with integrated antennas with high amplification. It offers significantly improved spatial, angular and Doppler (speed) resolution for future autonomous cars, gesture and environment detection in general, personal health monitoring and THz imaging and spectroscopy. The talk gives an overview of the development status of the next-generation 600 GHz SiGe HBT BiCMOS process from Infineon and illustrates the challenges and how they are mastered.

3. Nan Wu, GlobalFoundries Fab One, Dresden, Germany, “22FDX Technology for Fully-Integrated mm-Wave Radar Applications” (30 min.)

Abstract: Silicon CMOS technologies have been advancing over decades, such that they start to enter the millimeter wave realm which has been traditionally dominated by BiCMOS and/or III-V technologies. In particular, Globalfoundries 22FDX® technology is a state-of-the-art planar CMOS technology that provides additional unique benefits from fully-depleted SOI for millimeter-wave and RADAR applications. It provides (1) transistors of fT > 350GHz and fMAX > 390GHz; (2) ultralow parasitic capacitances; and (3) novel back-biasing capability fully-integrated into SoC. In this talk, excellent device figure-of-merits will be presented for millimeter wave and RADAR transceivers. Specific features, such as relaxed-pitch, extended device-isolation from substrate, mmW Inductor, etc., are introduced as millimeter-wave enhancements. Finally, circuit demonstrators will be briefly discussed with a summary of 22FDX® platform outlook.

4. Maciej Wojnowski, Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, “Packaging Trends for mm-Wave Radar and Communication Systems” (30 min.)

Abstract: System-in-package (SiP) is a major trend in integration of microelectronic systems to tackle the increasing needs for more functionality into a smaller volume. SiP leads to heterogeneous integration of integrated circuits along with sensors, microelectromechanical components, passive devices, filters and antennas. Another important trend in packaging is the continuing move toward higher frequencies. 5G high-speed wireless communication, mm-wave radar for autonomous driving and high-resolution mm-wave environment sensing and imaging are just a few examples of applications for future markets. In this talk, we present the latest developments in packaging technologies for mm-wave radar and communication systems. We demonstrate the system integration capabilities of the embedded wafer level ball grid array (eWLB) technology. After introduction of low-loss transmission lines and high-quality planar inductors in thin-film redistribution layers (RDL), we present chip-package-board transitions without external matching networks optimized for use in the 60/70/80 GHz bands. We present the concepts of antenna integration in eWLB and show examples of different antenna structures. To demonstrate the system-in-package integration capabilities of eWLB, we show 60 GHz and 77 GHz eWLB transceiver modules with integrated antennas. The use of vertical interconnections and double-sided RDL extend the integration capabilities to the third dimension. We present ways of realizing vertical interconnections in eWLB using through encapsulate vias (TEV) and novel embedded Z lines (EZL) technology. We show examples of vertical interconnections, embedded passives, RF transitions and 3D antennas realized using the TEV and EZL technology. Finally we present the concept of substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) for eWLB. To combine advantages of planar circuits with rectangular waveguides we present a novel, compact and low-loss transition from chip to SIW in eWLB and to standard WR10 rectangular waveguide.

1. Thomas Brandtner, Infineon Technologies AG, Villach, Austria, “Chip-Package-Board-System Co-Design” (30 min.)

Abstract: Heterogeneous integration leads to significant increase in design complexity. This complexity can be handled properly only by an enhanced design environment and extensive use of electronic design automation (EDA). It turns out that such a design system needs to be based on multi-dimensional modularization: modularization in configuration (like assembly design kits, so-called ADKs), modularization in data exchange and data storage (standardized file formats and data management), and modularization in design environments (even across company boundaries). We have developed a versatile, generic design flow environment, which enables the configuration of several ADKs in addition to a process development kit (PDK) for a complete chip-package-board design project. The content of an ADK has been aligned with the underlying set of EDA tools in the corresponding design flow. It needs to enable and support various steps in chip-package-board co-design:

• Connectivity (schematic) entry
• Concurrent layout design both in fully automated digital place-and-route as well as in full-custom manual style
• Assembly design rule checks (DRC)
• Overall connectivity checks: layout-versus-schematic (LVS) even across chip, package, and board domain
• 3D model generation for subsequent package parasitic extraction and electro-magnetic field simulation

We present a modular full-custom chip-package-board co-design environment based on a versatile backbone idea and a powerful concurrent layout environment, which has been applied successfully to various system-in-package (SiP) designs. We show design methodology challenges and the application of our co-design flow to RF and mmWave designs in fan-out WLP (FOWLP) or laminate BGA and LGA.

2. Jean-Christophe Houdbert, Laurent Dugoujon, STMicroelectronics, Grenoble France, “ST Technologies for mmW and Perspectives, MPW Access within IPCEI on Microelectronics Frame or Collaborative Projects” (30 Min)

Abstract: Consolidation of 4G LTE and 5G networks and emergence of 6G is calling for higher rates wireline and wireless connectivity solutions. This presentation will give an overview of the main high-rate links where mmW capable technologies are required. A review of associated addressable markets will be also discussed with some consequences in terms of Silicon process options. More detailed mmW technology description will be displayed concerning STMicroelectronics proprietary SIGe BiCMOS and CMOS on SOI process flavors giving an industrial answer to mmW challenges. Access to STMicroelectronics mmW capable technologies through Multi-Project Wafer production schemes within IPCEI on Microelectronics or European collaborative projects will be explained. Examples of circuit performances will be presented to illustrate the added-value in terms of speed, noise, power efficiency…Some advanced roadmap information will be disclosed about forthcoming process from STMicroelectronics as well as some insights on collaborative R&D projects in the scope of mmW to contribute in building European vision on mmW industrial future.

3. Jürgen Hasch, Robert Bosch GmbH, Renningen, Germany, “The Rising Wave of Millimeter-Wave Sensing” (30 min.)

Abstract: Millimeter-wave radar provides robust high-resolution distance, velocity, and angle information, as well as small-movement characterization. With the advent of low-cost semiconductor and packaging technologies that allow mass-producing millimeter-wave components, the widespread use of millimeter-wave sensors has started to become reality. Since the first introduction in the automotive area, radar has become a key sensing modality for driver assistance and automated driving. Here, a new generation of sensors and algorithms moves radar sensing from simple detection to classification and mapping. Additionally, new applications in robotics and consumer devices are starting to be realized. Small size, invisible integration, low-cost, and privacy are some of the advantages radars provide here. However, key for widespread adoption is a systems-approach that significantly reduces the application effort by using a single-piece digital-and-analog packaged component. Some obstacles to widespread adoption remain. Technical challenges include how to interpret and apply the sensor information to the given use-case, and low-power operation to make battery-operated devices feasible. On the non-technical side, world-wide harmonized frequency regulation remains a challenge.