Demonstration of reproducible Millimeter-wave SMT Chip Scale Package using Hot-via MMICs and Plastic BGA Encapsulation

This paper presents the successful development of a reproducible broadband Surface Mount Device (SMD) chip scale plastic packaging (CSP) platform based on hot-via technique for millimeter-wave MMICs encapsulation. Low loss package interconnect is demonstrated up to W-band. Significantly, with PCB-to-BGA-to-hot-via RF transitions, packaged E-band amplifier MMICs soldered onto evaluation boards demonstrated 20-dB range gain in the ETSI E-band of 71–86 GHz, in good agreement with initial simulations. To the author's knowledge, this work represents the highest frequency demonstration of any SMT plastic package MMICs in CSP form factor, with remarkable measured performance in the millimetre-wave range.