A MMIC control chipset for T/R modules - A SiP approach

This paper describes the design and development of S-band GaAs MMIC chipset consisting of a digital phase shifter, a digital attenuator, and a SPDT switch. The MMICs have been designed using a mature 0.5mum InGaAs pHEMT technology. To offer an attractive solution for phased array systems, the chipset has been integrated in a small form factor hermetically sealed metal package with plug and play features. The package design has been carried out in-house and reflects a System in Package (SiP) approach suited for high volume production. The integrated control component offers typically 9dB of insertion loss, a RMS phase error of 1.5 deg and a RMS attenuation error of 0.1 dB. The module features a high isolation of 55 dB between transmit and receive ports. The developed control module has been tested successfully in beam forming systems. The design of the constituent MMICs are presented in the initial sections followed by the description of the SiP module and the performance of the integrated entity.