Slow wave propagation using interconnections for IC technologies

A microstrip slow wave transmission line, based on a periodic structure made with the two metallic levels used in ICs, is described. Using on-wafer measurements, an effective permittivity as high as 20 in a wide microwave frequency range is reported. The transmission line has also been measured to obtain the characteristic impedance and the losses. Using the basic periodic structure theory the propagation constant of this media has been computed and good agreement has been obtained with that of the measurement. This slow wave structure is very promising for use in MMIC because of its very compact design.