WMF: Challenges and Opportunities in On-Wafer Measurements at mm-Wave Frequencies for Future Applications

Presentation Abstract
Future wireless systems operating beyond 100GHz will enable a wide range of applications such as high data-rate communications, radar sensing and imaging. Such wireless systems are becoming a reality given the rapid increase in the development of RF devices at upper mm-wave and sub-THz frequency range. Accurate on-wafer measurements play an important role in the development of many established and emerging industrial applications. It is key that the performance of the fabricated planar RF circuits must be characterized by performing on-wafer measurements for quality assurance or during product development as a feedback to the design process. However, despite the significant progress made over the last decade in improving the accuracy of on-wafer measurements, several challenges remain to be overcome, particularly as frequencies increase. One of the most challenging aspects of on-wafer measurements is the presence of probe parasitics, multimode propagation and neighborhood effects. These effects occur both in active and passive devices, which are the key components of RF systems. This workshop will review the challenges and opportunities of on-wafer measurements and present fundamental aspects of on-wafer measurements, such as techniques to minimize calibration and measurement errors in the mm-wave range, the on-wafer traceability path, and techniques to improve on-wafer measurement accuracy. The workshop will also emphasize on-wafer calibration and automation for active device characterization and will address the importance of on-wafer measurements from IC designer’s perspective. During this interactive full-day workshop, ten experts from around the world will share their experience and guide you through various aspects of on-wafer measurements. The speakers come from a variety of backgrounds: National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) from the USA, Europe and Asia, instrument manufacturers, industry and academia. The aim of this workshop is therefore to provide an overview of these current research areas and to present future directions in the field of on-wafer measurements.