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.