WR1.5 Silicon Micromachined Waveguide Components and Active Circuit Integration Methodology

This paper describes the development of silicon micromachined waveguide structures operating in the WR1.5 waveguide band (500-750 GHz). Average waveguide loss of 0.15 dB/mm was measured at 600 GHz. Capabilities of the proposed approach have been shown with the development of a 570-GHz three-pole waveguide bandpass filter that has a 0.9-dB passband loss and a Y-junction coupler operating at 670 GHz. These components have been tested using a novel on-wafer testing method for rapid characterization throughput. A batch process approach for integration of solid-state devices and micromachined waveguide components has also been developed. Further development of this technology will lead to the next generation of terahertz-frequency wafer-level packaging of active circuits.