A 2–40 GHz Probe Station Based Setup for On-Wafer Antenna Measurements

A probe station based setup for on-wafer antenna measurements is presented. The setup allows for measurement of return loss and radiation patterns of an on-wafer antenna—henceforth referred to as the antenna under test (AUT), radiating at broadside and fed through a coplanar waveguide (CPW). It eliminates the need for wafer dicing and custom-built test fixtures with coaxial connectors or waveguide flanges by contacting the AUT with a coplanar microwave probe. In addition, the AUT is probed exactly where it will be connected to a transceiver IC later on, obviating de-embedding of the measured data. Sources of measurement errors are related to calibration, insufficient dynamic range, misalignment, forward scattering from nearby objects, and vibrations. The performance of the setup is demonstrated from 2 to 40 GHz through measurement of an on-wafer electrically small slot antenna $(\lambda _{0}/{35}\times \lambda _{0}/{35}, {3.5} \times 3.5~{\rm mm}^{2})$ radiating at 2.45 GHz and an aperture coupled microstrip antenna $({2.4} \times {1.7}~{\rm mm}^{2})$ radiating at 38 GHz.