A Low-Loss Bond-Wire Interconnect Design With More Than 130 GHz Bandwidth Enabling an Ultra-Broadband Heterogeneous System Design

This article presents a low-loss, ultra-broadband, impedance-controlled bond-wire interconnect interface enabling heterogeneous system design with more than 130 GHz bandwidth. The article focuses on the bond-wire interface design, the substrate arrangement, and the bond-loop specification. Moreover, a robustness analysis of the interconnect regarding assembly tolerances is given. Furthermore, an analysis of parasitic radiation at the interconnect discontinuities is carried out. To account for the dielectric properties of the substrate, the alumina of the demonstrator circuit was precisely characterized. The proposed bond-wire interconnect has been verified up to 135 GHz with a de-embedded insertion loss (IL) of less than of 0.6 dB. A measured return loss (RL) of more than 25 dB over a bandwidth of 130 GHz demonstrates a mmW transparent interconnect, setting a new benchmark for bond-wire interconnect design. In addition, the bond-wire interface is easy to assemble, is insensitive to manufacturing tolerances and thermal expansion, and has a minimal space requirement, thereby providing a cost-effective alternative to flip-chip assemblies.