On-Chip CMOS Shorted Bow-Tie Antenna Enhanced by 3D Printed Parasitic Resonator Operating Around 246 GHz

This work describes the design process, manufacturing, and measurement of an antenna system consisting of an on-chip feeding element enhanced by 3D printed parasitic resonators operating around 246 GHz. The antennas are intended to be fed by the differential output of a wideband binary phase shift keying (BPSK) transmitter. The state-of-the-art is evaluated, and multiple possible complementary metal-oxide-metal (CMOS) back-end of line (BEOL) antenna structures are identified and compared against each other. The best option, in the form of a shorted bow-tie antenna, is selected. A parasitic resonator structure based on 3D printing and metallization is designed and improved using common mode analysis. The design and optimization process is detailed and explained. The realized designs are measured and compared against a similar concept using metallic resonators on a glass substrate as parasitic resonators. This is the first demonstration of a direct 3D printed structure on a CMOS antenna operating around 246 GHz.