Air-Filled SIW interconnections for high performance millimeter-wave circuit and system prototyping and assembly

In this paper, the interconnection between two sections of Air-Filled Substrate Integrated Waveguide (AFSIW) transmission line is presented. AFSIW is of high interest for high performance and low-cost millimeter wave applications. It is based on multilayer Printed Circuit Board (PCB) process. For system prototyping and assembly, it is common to interconnect components and sub-circuits. However, to comply with stringent specifications, especially for space and aeronautical applications, connectors must be avoided as they directly impact the cost, the size and the loss. Also, transition from AFSIW to conventional transmission lines to implement conventional interconnect solutions will not be optimal in term of loss, size and power handling. Instead, in this paper, a direct interconnect between two AFSIW sections is studied. An experimental demonstration of the proposed interconnection shows a 0.29 dB insertion loss.