On the feasibility of an antenna in package with stacked directors

This paper investigates the feasibility of a gain enhancement technique using stacked directors for antennas in package. A 77-GHz antenna designed for automotive radar applications and a frequency multiplier were integrated in a 6×6mm² embedded wafer level ball grid array (eWLB) package. The frequency multiplier generates the eighteenth harmonic of its input signal and allows the use of a commercial signal source to characterize the antenna. Parasitic directors were etched on a low-loss 2.54mm thick RT/duroid 5880 LZ laminate by means of photolithography and were mounted on the eWLB package. Theoretical analysis and full electromagnetic simulations were verified against the actual measurements of the antenna radiation beam pattern.