High-Speed Microelectronics

Project Goals

4-Port Probe Measurements

High-Speed Microelectronics Metrology supports the telecommunications and computing industries through research and development of high-frequency on-wafer metrology. The goal of the project is to develop electrical metrology for new 40 GB/s optical links, 30 to 100 GHz wireless systems, and high-speed microprocessors by establishing accurate on-wafer waveform and frequency-domain metrology to 200 GHz.

Background

The rapid advance in the speed of modern telecommunications and computing systems drives this project. The explosion of optical and wireless telecommunications is fueling the demand for microwave and radio-frequency microelectronics, and advances in the silicon industry continue to drive the size of digital circuits down and their clock rates up to microwave frequencies. Characterizing a microprocessor with a 2 GHz clock rate requires at least 10 GHz of calibrated measurement bandwidth on lossy silicon substrates. Limited available bandwidth is pushing wireless systems into the millimeter-wave region of 30 to 100 GHz. New 40 GB/s optical links require electrical metrology to 200 GHz. However, current commercial sampling oscilloscopes are limited to a 50 GHz bandwidth, and current broadband single-sweep network analyzers are limited to 110 GHz. These extraordinary advances in technology require new high-speed frequency-domain and waveform measurements.

Tasks

High-Speed Measurement

Electrooptic Sampling
Electrical Phase

On-Wafer Measurement Metrology

Metrology for Electronic Packaging

Software
Publications