A Scalable 32–38-GHz Transmitter and Receiver Phased Array With High Radiation Efficiency in UV-LIGA-Based Ceramic Packaging

This article introduces a scalable 32–38-GHz antenna-in-packaging (AiP) phased array design with high radiation efficiency. It integrates transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) functions via RF switches, utilizing four-antenna AiP modules and a four-channel beamforming integrated circuit (BFIC). Al $_{2}$ O $_{3}$ ceramic packaging ensures reliability, gas tightness, and effective heat dissipation. Ultraviolet lithographie, galvanoformung and abformung (UV-LIGA) technology constructs full-metal antennas with air-filled coaxial interconnections to reduce loss. The meandering technique maintains a 0.5 $\uplambda_{0}$ element spacing. A decoupling structure prevents parasitic modes at 35.9 GHz and gold bands mitigate resonance at 34.4 GHz owing to the limitation of the ceramic packaging technology during phased array scans. An 8 $\times$ 8 demonstrator achieves an EIRP of 67.2 dBm and G/T of $-$ 4.1 dB/K at 35 GHz. The phased array scans $\pm$ 50 $^{\circ}$ in E-and H-planes, with a new metric, total radiation efficiency (TRE), measuring over 80% at 35 GHz and over 73% at 32–38 GHz. This design holds promise for Ka-band wireless communication and radar systems.