Integrated LTCC transmitter module at Ku band

A Ku-band transmitter module which is fully integrated in low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) environment is presented in the paper. The module consists of two T/R switches, one phase shifter, one attenuator, one power amplifier and a circulator. Each of them is designed and assembled individually using Ferro´s A6M tapes for the feasibility of the transmitter module. The switch shows a maximum in-band insertion loss of -1.84 dB. The power amplifier shows a measured gain of 30.4 dB and a 1 dB compression output power of 28.2 dBm at 16 GHz. The microstrip circulator exhibits a maximum insertion loss of -0.84 dB at 15.52 GHz. The measured module gives a total gain of 15.4 dB and a ldB compression output power of 22.1 dBm at 16 GHz. This transmitter module has a compact size of 24 × 22 × 1.1 mm³.