Millimeter Wave Antenna in Package (AiP) Measured in Far-Field by a Vertical Probe Station

The antenna in package (AiP) designed in millimeter wave (mm wave) bands induces the outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) industry as a newcomer to build the capability to test antenna over the air (OTA). According to the features of the mm wave AiP that are small size, highly directional radiation and probe-contacted interface, the OTA environment can be specialized to be a vertical probe station with 85cm distance to keep far field radiation that ensures high dynamic range of system and the wide size of package to be tested. The proposed vertical probe station will be used not only in the early stage of product development, but also in the sampling inspection during high volume mass (HVM) production. In this paper, the mechanical and electrical schematic drawing of the proposed probe station were revealed. And the calibration method of it was also presented. An experimental instance was given to demonstrate the accuracy of the system by comparing the measurements in between it and a standard anechoic chamber. The differences were only 0.3 dB in antenna gain and 0.75 degree in beamwidth.