Low-Cost Transition from Chip to Waveguide for E-band

A chip-to-waveguide transition for E-band that is entirely integrated in a two-layer printed circuit board (PCB) is presented and demonstrated in this paper. No separate waveguide back-short is utilized. Its simple structure with the use of a standard etching process makes it suitable as a low-cost solution for volume production. Transition variants for 71 to 76 GHz and 81 to 86 GHz, which are the designated E-band frequency bands for fixed telecommunication services, have been fabricated and characterized. The transition targeting 71 to 76 GHz demonstrates an insertion loss of 0.4 dB measured from chip to waveguide and a return loss better than 20 dB.