Microfabricated single crystal silicon transmission lines

Abstract

A novel approach to the transmission of microwave energy is demonstrated on standard (resistivity=1-20 ohm-cm) silicon. The transmission lines consist of pairs of parallel-plate waveguides, each waveguide formed from two deep (150 /spl mu/m) suspended single crystal silicon (SCS) beams. This transmission is achieved through the integration of SCREAM (single crystal reactive etching and metallization) technology adapted for very high aspect ratio structures with thick copper sputter deposition. The integration of these processes allows for the deposition of thick (>.5 /spl mu/m) metal on the sidewalls and attenuation characteristics better than 0.17 dB/mm over the 10-48 GHz frequency range.