From Device to Package: Key Enabling Technologies for High-Performance mm-Wave 3DHI Phased Arrays

This talk reviews key enabling technologies for high-performance mm-wave 3D heterogeneously integrated (3DHI) phased arrays, from device to package. Northrop Grumman’s 90nm gallium nitride node (GaN09) MMICs enable both high-output-power, high-efficiency transmit and low-noise-figure receive functions at W-band frequencies. Advanced interconnects — fine-pitch solder-capped copper pillars and gold heterogeneous interconnects — provide low-loss, high-reliability signal paths and compact integration. Wafer-level packaging (WLP) and SiC interposers offer RF routing, thermal management, and electromagnetic isolation in tiled arrays. The presentation concludes with practical demonstrations, illustrating how device, interconnect, and packaging innovations converge to realize next-generation mm-wave phased array performance.