Ultra-Wideband Attenuators on Thin-Film Ceramic for the Next Generation of Test and Measurement Applications up to 140 GHz

This paper presents various ultra-wideband attenuators directly manufactured with thin film techniques on a 4 mil alumina substrate. A 3 dB and 5 dB attenuator was designed and manufactured, allowing higher attenuation values to be achieved with series connection. This is shown by cascading the 3 dB and 5 dB to a series configured 8 dB attenuator. Their excellent return loss of at least 25 dB and low insertion loss variation of less than $\pm 0.25\ \text{dB}$ over the entire frequency band makes it a perfect choice for the next generation of test and measurement applications from DC up to 140 GHz.