Performance comparison of silicon substrates for IC-waveguide integration based on a contactless transition at mm-wave frequencies

This paper presents a comparison between different silicon (Si) substrates used in Si-based IC technologies at E-Band (71–86 GHz). A unique low-loss and compact contactless transition from a silicon IC (p-doped substrate) to a metal waveguide is used. The proposed transition incorporates a spatial power combiner to enable direct electromagnetic coupling from an array of patches on the IC to a metal waveguide. This design enables a high-power transition from an IC to a waveguide and/or antenna at millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequencies, where a galvanic contact between the two parts is avoided