New-TechEurope Magazine | OCT 2019

October 2019

16 Achieving First-Spin Success in LTCC Components with Advanced Material Simulation Models 22 Photovoltaic-powered sensors for the “internet of things” 24 The Elegance of a Flyback Controller Without a Dedicated Isolated Feedback Path 26 Scaling the BEOL – a toolbox filled with new processes, boosters and conductors

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About New-Tech Magazines Group Read To Lead ‘New-Tech Magazines’ A world leader in publishing high-tech and electronics, producing top quality publications read by tens of thousands professionals from all over the world especially from Europe, innovative electronics, IoT, microwave, homeland security, aerospace, automotive and technological industries. Our specialized target audiences prefer New-Tech Europe because they know that our publications are a reliable source of the latest information in their respective fields. Our multidimensional editorials, news items, interviews and feature articles provide them with a full, well-rounded picture of the markets in which they operate - an essential asset for every technological leader striving to stay ahead, make the right decisions, and generate the next global innovation. Moreover, as an attractive platform for advertisers from around the world, New-Tech Europe has become a hub for bustling international commercial activity. Here, through ads and other promotional materials, Israeli readers obtain crucial information about developers and manufacturers worldwide, finding the tools, instruments, systems and components they need to facilitate their innovative endeavors. Targeting the needs of both the global and european industries and global advertisers, New-Tech Magazines Group constantly expands and upgrades its services. Over the years, the company has been able to formulate a remarkably effective, multi-medium mix of offerings, combining magazine publications with useful online activities, newsletters and special events and exhibitions.

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8 l New-Tech Magazine Europe

Contents

10 LATEST NEWS 16 Achieving First-Spin Success in LTCC Components with Advanced Material Simulation Models 22 Photovoltaic-powered sensors for the “internet of things” 24 The Elegance of a Flyback Controller Without a Dedicated Isolated Feedback Path 26 Scaling the BEOL – a toolbox filled with new processes, boosters and conductors

16

32 OUT OF THE BOX 34 NEW PRODUCTS 44 INDEX

22

24

26

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New-Tech Magazine Europe l 9

Latest News

Robert Bosch Venture Capital invests in Quantum Computing Startup IonQ

RBVC joins US$ 55m+ round alongside New Enterprise Associates (NEA), GV, Samsung Catalyst Fund, Mubadala Capital and others IonQ’s trapped-ion approach offers the most promise for making reliable, scalable quantum computing a reality RBVC Managing Director Dr. Ingo Ramesohl: “We are excited to work

optimization problems — from helping identify the best delivery routes for shipping companies to helping hardware designers produce more energy-efficient materials and batteries. IonQ’s trapped-ion approach offers the most promise for making reliable, scalable quantum computing a reality. Recently, the company built the largest

with one of the most renowned teams in Quantum Computing.” Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH (RBVC), the corporate venture capital company of the Bosch Group, has participated in an extension of the recent funding of IonQ, which comprises a sum of over 55 million US dollars. The US based start-up develops and commercializes Quantum Computers. “We are excited to work with one of the most renowned teams in Quantum Computing,” says RBVC Managing Director Dr. Ingo Ramesohl. “Commercially useable Quantum Computers could disrupt the way we develop products at Bosch.” IonQ plans on making its computers commercially available via the cloud and developing next-generation systems for programming these machines. The Quantum Computing Race In comparison to digital High Performance Computing, Quantum Computers could exponentially speed up solving e.g. hard

programmable quantum computer to date, demonstrating performance benchmarks that no other quantum computer has been able to match. Excellent Team and Investors In addition to the founding scientific heavy-weights Chris Monroe and Jungsang Kim, IonQ attracted excellent engineering and commercial talent around CEO Peter Chapman. “This investment round marks a key milestone in our effort to make quantum computing commercially viable,” says Peter Chapman. “RBVC is a great addition to our investor base. Big industrial groups like Bosch are front-runners in real life applications for quantum computers.” The early backers New Enterprise Associates (NEA), GV and Amazon are now joined by a broad consortium of financial and industrial investors like Mubadala Capital, Samsung Catalyst Fund and RBVC.

Stronger leadership ensures continued success for Advantech Europe

Impressive growth across Europe has led Advantech Europe to strengthen its leadership with the appointments of Jash Bansidhar as Managing Director and Dirk Finstel as Deputy Managing Director. Under their guidance, the company will continue its successful sector-led model, with Bansidhar and Finstel co-leading and sharing responsibilities for greater synergy and productivity. The move coincides with other significant organizational changes, including enhanced centralisation of key functions.

Alongside his new responsibilities, Finstel retains his role as Chief Technical Officer: leading the expansion of Advantech’s in-house hardware and software IoT skills including intelligent sensors, AI/machine-learning and IoT platform services. Eric Chen, President of General Management Advantech stated that, “Under the leadership of Jash and Dirk, Advantech will further enhance domestic operations in the European market. “At the same time, our Taiwan headquarters will play

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an important role in the supply chain: providing

“This is particularly important at a time when manufacturers are looking to turn their assets into smart factories, and companies are pursuing digital transformation strategies.” “Reshaping the organisation in Europe enables us to meet the changing needs of our customers and markets, while retaining our focus on enhancing

manufacturing, finance, and IT services to fully support business development in Europe. He concludes: “Given this new structure, we believe Advantech will set a new record in both revenues and profit growth in the European market going forward.” Jash Bansidhar concurs: “This new structure enables us to

Photo: Dirk Finstel as Deputy Managing Director (left) and Jash Bansidhar, Managing Director (right) at Advantech Europe.

our technical support and the commitment to our customers to help them mastering the challenges of digitalization,” adds Dirk Finstel.

transform the business. By combining the team’s many competencies efficiently, we ultimately deliver even greater value for our customers.

Volkswagen and NXP Deliver Safety to European Roads with World’s Largest Rollout of Communicating Car Technology

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI), the world’s largest provider of automotive semiconductors1, is pleased to announce the rollout of its life-saving RoadLINK® V2X communication solution in the new Volkswagen Golf. The recently released Golf of the 8th generation is the first volume European car model equipped with V2X, offering a major boost to the deployment of the technology on European roads and beyond. The technology can prevent accidents by having cars communicate with each other, independent of car brands and without the support of cellular infrastructure. “Road safety forms the core of VW’s commitment to its customers. As a high-volume manufacturer we aim to be a pioneer in this space,” said Dr. Johannes Neft, Head of Vehicle Body Development for the Volkswagen brand. “The introduction of V2X, together with traffic infrastructure providers and other vehicle manufacturers, is a major milestone in this direction. Volkswagen includes this technology, which doesn’t involve any user fees, as a standard feature to accelerate V2X penetration in Europe.” “Volkswagen has taken a bold step to seize the road safety initiative through the implementation of V2X,” said Torsten Lehman, senior vice president and general manager of Driver Assistance and Infotainment at NXP. “After proving our technology in more than one million test days globally,

we are pleased that our RoadLINK technology, developed in cooperation with Cohda Wireless, was chosen to enable new levels of safety in Europe’s most popular car model, the new Golf.” NXP and Volkswagen have closely collaborated for high- reliability and performance, as well as for standardization of V2X communication that addresses cybersecurity and privacy protection. V2X in Europe Wi-Fi based V2X is a mature technology that has been tested for more than 10 years. Presently,1000 km of European roads are equipped with V2X technology based on Wi-Fi with 5000 km planned through the end of 2019. Its research and development, testing and standardization has occurred within a strong global eco-system of suppliers and car manufacturers to ensure reliability in diverse road and traffic conditions. Wi-Fi therefore forms the basis of the European standard that has been chosen for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. An additional benefit is its availability independent of paid cellular services. Other developing cellular based technologies can be added complementary to Wi-Fi-based V2X. V2X communication is set to become a critical part

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Latest News

of advanced driving assistance systems and the migration to autonomous cars that communicate with each other and with traffic infrastructure. The unique benefit of Wi-Fi-based V2X is its robust, low latency, real-time communication – regardless of any car brands. It enables awareness and

to warn of hazards and prevent accidents. V2X is a technology that complements other ADAS sensing technologies such as radar, LiDAR and cameras. It helps vehicles to “see” more than a mile ahead and around corners to provide early warning of obstacles, hazards, and road conditions.

communication between cars, road infrastructure like traffic lights or street signs, and other road users such as cyclists and pedestrians. It is a technology that is collaborative, allowing it to “tap into” surrounding sensor data from mutually equipped cars

It has the ability to “see” through objects, delivering more information than that obtained through line of sight only. Its sensing capabilities are unaffected by poor weather conditions.

Ericsson IoT solution powers more efficient solar- powered transport

Ericsson has once again teamed up with Solar Team Eindhoven to harness the power of IoT and solar energy for more sustainable transport solutions. Stella Era is an experimental, solar car capable of traveling a distance of 1800 kilometers in part through more efficient use of solar energy. Equipped with

believe in the role of technology to contribute to a low-carbon society. The development of a solar car is an excellent example of our commitment to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Through our innovative infrastructure solutions and partnerships, we are co-developing cases that can be scaled and inspire any entire industry.”

Ericsson’s Solar Smart parking, Stella Era car drive autonomously to a parking spot with the most sunshine in order to recharge its batteries. It can also share its energy with other electric vehicles that are parked next to it. The Solar Smart parking solution is based on Ericsson’s Connected Vehicle Cloud, a digital service platform that enables vehicle manufacturers to rapidly develop and manage new services for connected vehicles. Stella Era is designed, constructed and driven by Solar Team Eindhoven (STE), a multidisciplinary group of students from the Technical University Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Everth Flores, Country Manager, Ericsson Netherlands, says: “Ericsson supports the Solar Team Eindhoven not only because their innovative program has strong links to our core business of IoT, cloud and mobile broadband, but because we strongly

World Solar Challenge In 2019, Solar Team Eindhoven took home top honors at the World Solar Challenge, a 3000 km race from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia. The recent victory caps off a string of wins during the 2013, 2015, and 2017 competitions. In preparation for the 2017 World Solar Challenge, Ericsson, along with several partners, developed a navigation software solution that supports the driver in taking the most weather efficient route, while observing the charge of the battery. By collecting current weather and traffic data, Solar Navigator gives suggestions for the optimal route, which helps drivers make better decisions on things like speed and charging level, including during the World Solar Challenge race

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Latest News

Siemens announces newmanagement team for Siemens Energy

A key milestone on the way to independence: Siemens Energy presented its new management team to its employees today. In addition to an Executive Board, the company will have an expanded international management team, the Group Management Committee. Once Siemens Energy becomes

Chairman of the Portfolio Companies (POC) of Siemens AG, is a new member of the Siemens Energy management team. Before moving to POC, Jochen Eickholt succeeded, among other things, in getting Siemens Mobility back on track. “I’m genuinely convinced that better outcomes are based on having different perspectives

a legally separate entity, this team will be instrumental in implementing the company’s strategic approach. “Announcing the management team is a further critical step on the way to becoming an independent company and an energy pure play. It will enable Siemens Energy to further develop its management system and then focus fully on the requirements of its customers and markets,” said Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens AG. The members of the future management team have many years of international experience in the industry and in- depth knowledge of the challenges in the company’s businesses and markets as well as of its customers’ needs. A core element of the strategy will continue to be a strong presence and thus close customer proximity in the regions. In addition to his current role as Chief Operations Officer, Tim Holt will be nominated for the position of Labor Director of Siemens Energy. Jochen Eickholt, who is currently

and experience profiles within the team,” said Michael Sen, designated CEO of Siemens Energy. “We’re progressing on our way rapidly and decisively. Siemens Energy will be a leading force in the energy markets and further drive the decarbonization of energy systems worldwide.” Siemens Energy is to be spun off as a publicly listed company by September 2020. Its offerings will address a significant portion of the value chain across the oil and gas, power generation and power transmission segments, including the related service activities. On a pro-forma basis, Siemens Energy generates about €27 billion in revenue and has some 88,000 employees worldwide as well as an order backlog of €70 billion. Today, 20 percent of the world’s energy supply is already based on Siemens technology.

Analog Devices Acquires Test Motors to Expand Condition-Based Monitoring Offerings for Industry 4.0

Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) today announced the acquisition of Test Motors, a company specializing in predictive maintenance of electric motors and generators. Based in Barcelona, Spain, Test Motors offers products and services that detect faults in electric motors before they cause damage to production cycles and advises on how and when to repair them. The acquisition expands ADI’s portfolio of condition-based monitoring solutions capable of identifying equipment faults before downtime and catastrophic failure occur. This acquisition builds on Analog Devices’ 2018 addition of

OtoSense, a startup that developed “sensing interpretation” software able to learn and recognize sounds or vibration and identify potential problems in a factory machine or a car’s engine before they become severe. OtoSense’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform is dedicated to sensing interpretation and enabling the monitoring of any asset, wherever located. Analog Devices plans to combine software from OtoSense with Test Motors’ monitoring capabilities to create solutions that offer an advanced, wholistic snapshot of machine health by capturing a wider breadth of

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Latest News

potential faults. “Machine maintenance

ADI’s

Condition-based

relies heavily on experienced technicians and engineers able to detect and diagnose issues that can lead to unplanned downtime,” said Kevin Carlin, Vice President Automation and Energy Group, Analog Devices. “There are not enough trained professionals, however, to keep up with the

Monitoring Solutions Condition-based monitoring is not about any single technology but instead a system-level solution that requires a combination of technologies and solution considerations. Analog Devices’ technology portfolio enables these solutions with breakthroughs in

demand as the number of machines to maintain rapidly grows. ADI’s condition-based monitoring applications, driven by the acquisitions of Test Motors and OtoSense, will tackle this expert resource challenge by providing customers with a system able to perform complete and early detection of anomalies to avoid unexpected and costly machine downtime.” The Test Motors team will join ADI’s Automation and Energy Group and operate as a key technology group. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. “We are excited to become part of Analog Devices and work with its team of industrial technology experts,” said Emili Valero, Test Motors’ former CEO. “The combining of our technology and expertise will enable us to develop the next generation of condition-based monitoring solutions designed to greatly extend manufacturing equipment life for electrical and non-electrical rotating machines and deliver significant cost savings that benefit both businesses and consumers.”

MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) sensors, flexible signal conditioning and data conversion technologies, processing and communications solutions with the power portfolio to deliver optimized wireless and wired condition-based monitoring solutions. Combining these technologies into a deployable solution requires domain expertise in the form of asset and application insights, mechanical design and attachment considerations, and the ability to convert the information into diagnostic algorithms. About Test Motors Test Motors is a company located in Barcelona, Spain, which is dedicated to developing high-tech solutions for the detection of any type of failure in rotary electric machines of any type. In this way, we allow our customers to save maintenance costs and avoid unforeseen stops in the production process. Visit http://www. testmotors.com/en/

also has a large share of the <20nm – ≥10nm capacity, with roughly half of it being for foundry services and the other half for DRAM production. Trends at the leading edge have been changing and the industry is departing from historical “norms.” The gray area of what constitutes a generation and how to measure the minimum process geometry gets more difficult every year. Therefore, any assumptions made regarding the wafer fab capacity of new process technologies can have a big impact on the forecast for wafer capacity by minimum feature size. Other findings from the Global Wafer Capacity 2019-2023 report include, South Korea remains significantly more leading-edge (i.e., <28nm) focused than the other regions or countries. Given Samsung and SK Hynix’s emphasis on high-density DRAM and flash memory products, it is not a surprise that the Wafer Capacity by Feature Size Shows Rapid Growth at <10nm Leading-edge processes (<28nm) took over as the largest portion in terms of monthly installed capacity available in 2015. By the end of 2019, <28nm capacity is forecast to represent about 49% of the IC industry’s total capacity, based on information in IC Insights’ Global Wafer Capacity 2019-2023 report. At the very leading edge, <10nm processes are now in volume production and are forecast to represent 5% of worldwide capacity in 2019. The share of <10nm capacity is forecast to jump to 25% and become the largest capacity segment by 2023 South Korea (Samsung) and Taiwan (TSMC) are currently the only two regions with fabs processing what are being called <10nm processes. South Korea and Japan both have large shares of capacity in the <20nm – ≥10nm segment, with the vast majority of it being used to produce NAND flash (equivalent feature size) and DRAM, but also some for advanced logic and application processors built with 14nm, 10nm, or 8/7nm technology. Taiwan

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country has the highest concentration of wafer capacity dedicated to the leading-edge processes. When only the most advanced processes (<20nm) are considered, South Korea also has the largest share of its total capacity dedicated to these processes than any other region. For logic-based processes, Taiwan, North America, and South Korea have the highest concentrations at the leading edge.

Current leading-edge (<28nm) capacity in China is completely owned and controlled by foreign companies, namely Samsung, SK Hynix, Intel, and TSMC. Taiwan has the largest shares of capacity in the <65nm – ≥28nm and <0.2µ – ≥65nm technology segments. Nevertheless, the 28nm, 45/40nm, and 65nm generations continue to generate significant business volumes for foundries like TSMC and UMC.

Robert Bosch Venture Capital participates in US $22.5 Million Series B funding round of CelLink

Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH (RBVC), the corporate venture capital company of the Bosch Group, has completed a series B follow-on investment in CelLink Corporation. The start-up is based in San Carlos, California and develops and produces lightweight and low-cost flexible electric circuit technology for power electronics using a proprietary combination of

segment of the consumer electronics industry. However, manufacturers have not been able to address the power electronics market because the fabrication process cannot be scaled to produce large area or highly conductive circuits. CelLink’s ability to manufacture larger and more conductive circuits allows the company to target this rapidly growing market, which includes

manufacturing processes, designs, and materials. “We are excited about CelLink’s progress with its product portfolio since our initial seed investment,” said RBVC Managing Director Dr. Ingo Ramesohl. “The team has developed battery pack applications for electric vehicles and eBikes which are of high relevance for Bosch as the company aims to lead the mass market for electromobility”. The new funding is aimed at ramping up CelLink’s production to meet significant customer demand across the company’s three primary markets of vehicle wiring, battery pack interconnects, and LED lighting. Flexible Electric Circuit Technology CelLink’s circuits use innovative combinations of manufacturing techniques and materials, resulting in simplified wiring designs with optimal electrical and thermal performance. This advancement in flexible circuit technology enables significant reductions in volume and weight over existing wiring technologies. For vehicle wiring, CelLink’s technology can provide up to 70 percent weight reduction and up to 90 percent volume reduction by replacing round wire bundles with flat flexible circuits. These savings have the potential to power widespread adoption across next-generation electrical systems. Addressing New Markets Printed and flexible electric circuits make up a 60 billion dollar market

wiring for vehicles, LED lighting, battery packs, and solar cells. The new round of funding will be used to scale up existing mass production contracts in these primary markets and transition several projects from product development to full-scale production. In the long-term, CelLink believes its technology can scale well beyond the company’s initial markets as its flexible circuits offer an attractive value proposition for several further applications in mobility and beyond. The company has already received strong interest in adapting its technology for use in aerospace and commercial vehicles. A strong team and investor base The latest round of funding will enable CelLink to expand its experienced management team led by serial entrepreneur, CEO Kevin Coakley who previously founded ThinSilicon, which was acquired by China Solar Power. This funding round has also grown CelLink’s base of investors as well as strengthened connections with previous investors like RBVC. “As one of CelLink’s earliest investors, RBVC has been a tremendous resource for our company in critical technical areas such as high-volume manufacturing and high-speed data transmission,” said CelLink CEO Kevin Coakley. “In addition, RBVC has provided valuable introductions to many of our key automotive customers and partners in Europe,” Coakley added.

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Achieving First-Spin Success in LTCC Components with Advanced Material Simulation Models Aaron Vaisman, Ben Kahtan and Camilo Gomez-Duarte, Mini-Circuits LTCC Design Group

Introduction Since the advent of Network Synthesis Theory at the turn of the last century, filter designers have been developing ever more sophisticated solutions to translate polynomial transfer functions into working, physical components. The body of knowledge for lumped components is well established in the famous Big Red Filter Bible, “Microwave Filters, Impedance Matching Networks, and Coupling Structures,” by Matthaei, Young and Jones, and for distributed components in James Hong’s, “Microwave Filters for RF/Microwave Applications.” This knowledge combined with the availability of advanced software tools for filter synthesis and the commercialization of computerized full field solution algorithms such as the Method of Moments (MoM) and the Finite Element Method (FEM) have given designers a powerful toolkit to realize both known and arbitrary topologies.

Even given the maturity of the theory and state of the art in filter synthesis and simulation software, simulation results are still generally taken with a measure of caution. One of the most significant design challenges remains achieving agreement between simulation and working design in a timely fashion. Depending on the technology being used, it’s not unusual for designers to cycle through multiple design and manufacturing spins before results meet the desired performance. This process adds substantial time and cost to the design cycle and directly affects time to revenue. Setting up a truly accurate simulation requires capturing every physical parameter that may affect real-world filter performance. Designers need to consider a daunting variety of factors. Some questions that must be considered include: Has the simulation model been parameterized to account for the

real-world variables and operating conditions that affect the physical implementation? What kind of interpolation should be used between frequency points? Does the 3D model capture the physical manifestation of a given structure? Is the meshing different in different frequency bands? Is skin depth accounted for correctly within the simulation tool for lower frequency bands? Is the substrate dispersive, and if so what are its dispersion curves? Have effective conductivity and the conductor’s surface roughness models been accounted for? Mini-Circuits’ LTCC design group has spent years addressing these questions and many others. The reality of traditional simulations is that in the past, material impacts have not been well enough understood to account for all the real-world effects on performance.

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Therefore, a deeper understanding was necessary to eliminate superfluous manufacturing spins and meet performance requirements on the first try. By combining hundreds of different test structures, extensive material characterization and modelling, novel design workflows, and home-brewed algorithms, Mini-Circuits has been able to transfer the trial and error from production runs at the fab to the simulation phase early in the design process. These innovations have enabled us to consistently achieve first- spin success on LTCC filters and other components beyond 50 GHz. This article will explore some of the specific challenges of simulating LTCC structures. The design workflow will be described and case studies provided to demonstrate first-spin fidelity between simulation and measurement. Finally, extensions will be discussed for other exploratory filter topologies at high frequencies as well as for other products and technologies. Material Characterization and Modelling Mini-Circuits typically combines two common simulation techniques to predict the RF performance of passive devices prior to their fabrication, each with its own pros and cons. The Method of Moments (MoM) technique works by meshing the conductive metallizations within the structure. This method is fast to perform and iterate and is useful for structures with low port count and low ratio of metallization to substrate. It is mostly limited to 2D surfaces, however, and assumes substrates extend infinitely in space, so it doesn’t provide a true substrate truncated 3D model. The Finite Element Method (FEM) of simulation provides a true 3D model that allows us to truncate volumes. This is a frequency based method that works by meshing the substrate structures rather than the conductors.

(a)

(b)

(e)

(d)

(c)

Figure 1: (a) LTCC panel with test coupons. (b) Diagram of measurement setup with RF probes. (c) 3D model of ring resonator (top and bottom layers hidden). (d) Ring resonator: E-Field plot of 1st harmonic. (e) Ring resonator: E-Field plot of 7th harmonic.

performance of the device. Mini-Circuits has gone through the painstaking effort of characterizing the material properties of substrates and conductive elements used in LTCC products up to the millimeter wave range. This required the use of hundreds of test structures, including single- and multi- modal resonator topologies, waveguide resonators, and lumped capacitor and inductor structures among others. A proprietary algorithm was developed just to analyze the volume of test data from our measurement workflow. After two years of intensive effort building and characterizing test coupons and then modelling the measured performance into our simulation tools across broad bandwidths, Mini- Circuits has amassed what we believe is the one of the most advanced understandings of LTCC technology in the industry. Our efforts have included characterization and modelling of the material properties of all elements used not only in our LTCC product line, but also in semiconductor products and other technologies as well. We now have high confidence in our material models which, combined with our suite

FEM simulations better capture the coupling and parasitic effects through the substrate as well as the effects of truncating the 3D structure, all of which are absent in MoM. The drawback is that FEM simulations are typically slower to implement. The FEM approach is more accurate for LTCC filters where the signal travels in a 3D fashion through a monolithic structure. Ideally, the characteristics of that structure would be uniform. However, in reality, LTCC structures consist of multiple layers of ceramic and conductive material with dispersive and anisotropic behavior. A true 3D characterization of the material is therefore required to account for the non-linear behavior of signals traveling through a structure with these properties. While these two approaches are powerful, in the past they were incapable by themselves of achieving close agreement between simulation and measurement, and multiple design spins were still required. This limitation necessitated a deeper understanding of the material structure for its contributions to the real-world

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of design tools and novel design flow, has enabled us to achieve first spin success on component designs up to 50 GHz. This capability is unique in the industry. It enables Mini-Circuits to develop and release standard parts to our catalog at a faster rate, which supports the needs of customers with high volume requirements. It also enables us to develop highly customized solutions for customers in more specialized applications with very fast turnaround. In all cases, it translates to lower development time and cost and faster time to market. Multi-Physics Workflow Our comprehensive material modelling combined with state-of-the-art design and simulation tools has allowed us to innovate a novel, multi-physics simulation workflow. A multi-physics simulation incorporates multiple simulators, each working within a particular domain: electromagnetic, structural, and thermal. The individual simulators use each other’s results as a component of their own simulation setups. For example, electrical simulation results from Ansys’ High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS®) are employed to define spatially-varying heat generation in a thermal simulation. The computed temperature rise is then employed in turn to compute deformation of the model geometry. This initial simulation series often results in performance that does not meet the specified design requirements, so the effects of thermal and mechanical analysis are fed back into the MoM and FEM engines to compensate for the effects of the thermal impact. This iterative process is completed as many times as necessary to achieve the desired performance. In a traditional design cycle, a prototype would be fabricated after the first round of simulations, tested in the lab, and then

Figure 2: Multi-physics workflow incorporating electromagnetic, thermal and structural simulations.

and processed through burn-in test. If the part then burns out at 3W, because LTCC products are monolithic, it wouldn’t’ be practical to find the point of failure through destructive physical analysis. The part would therefore need to be redesigned. By contrast, with a multi-physics simulation workflow, we are able to accurately and reliably evaluate power handling prior to the first build of the device, saving

redesigned and fabricated again. Our workflow moves that trial and error to the front of the design cycle, avoiding multiple rounds of fabrication and testing in the lab. Consider for example a customer requirement for a part that can handle 4W of RF input power. Traditionally, the part would be designed and an evaluation run fabricated. The parts would be soldered to evaluation boards

(b)

(a)

(d)

(c)

Figure 3: Simulations in multi-physics workflow: (a) EM simulation mesh used to determine heat generation as an input to the thermal simulator. (b) FEM thermal/ mechanical simulation mesh. (c) Thermal simulation results showing temperature distribution. (d) Mechanical stresses after physical deformation is computed from the thermal results.

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time, cost, and no small measure of frustration. Advantages of this workflow include: Greater insight into the power handling of a model under diverse operating conditions (DC, RF, and transient) Realistic assessment and optimization of thermal impact on RF performance and reliability Forecasting of mechanical integrity of terminals in the presence of CTE mismatches Optimization of the physical structures to reduce size Examples of Simulation vs. Measurement Figure 4 shows a plot of S21 for an LTCC bandpass filter from a standard simulation model, Mini-Circuits’ advanced material simulation model, and actual measured performance. The pink plot represents the simulation results without the material knowledge we’ve modelled into newer simulations. Note the disparity between this simulation and the measured performance. The red line represents Mini-Circuits’ new simulation workflow incorporating all the material characterization and modelling we’ve conducted. Note that this simulation tracks the measured filter performance very closely across the full measured range. Figure 5 shows additional comparisons between Mini-Circuits’ advanced simulation results and measuredperformanceforadifferent LTCC bandpass filter model. Both S21 and S11 are shown, illustrating highly accurate simulation results for both parameters. These cases are representative of the unique capability to achieve close agreement between simulation results and measured performance after the first run from the fab.

Figure 4: Standard simulation and MCL material simulation vs. measured S21 performance of an LTCC bandpass filter after first spin manufacturing run.

Figure 5: Advanced simulation of S21 and S11 of an LTCC bandpass filter model versus measured performance after first spin.

Extensions The learnings illustrated above were shown for LTCC filter designs utilizing lumped topologies, but the same approach has broad applicability for exploratory filter topologies and other technologies as well. The recent shift to applications at higher and higher frequencies has necessitated exploration of distributed filter topologies. Genesys® offers filter synthesis for some of the known distributed topologies but doesn’t include synthesis and optimization tools for filters derived from Coupled Matrix

Filter Synthesis Theory. At Mini-Circuits’ we’ve taken many concepts from the research literature and created our own algorithm capable of synthesizing arbitrary distributed filter topologies based on our specs. We’ve also created an optimization tool capable of producing simulated S-parameters and optimized dimensions on a full 3D model. We have extended the material simulations used for LTCC components to other technologies in our portfolio including MMIC and stripline architectures. The same capability is

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also a vital element of our active effort to develop advanced packaging solutions for surface-mount components on soft substrate up to 55 GHz. Conclusion Single pass success has long been considered the Holy Grail in design workflows. The physically complex nature of LTCC technology makes it particularly challenging to achieve agreement between simulation and working design on the first try. By using extensive material characterization and modelling together with advanced design tools, proprietary algorithms, and our novel design workflow, our simulations now account for real-world effects on performance to the degree that we can consistently achieve first- spin success in LTCC designs. Our capabilities in this area have helped us accelerate standard and custom parts to reduce customers’ time to market. These innovations have also enabled us to enhance existing LTCC filter designs, reducing size and improving rejection performance. The design capability presented in this article extends to other technologies and innovations in high-frequency packaging solutions. These extensions will be addressed in greater depth in subsequent papers. Inquiries: apps@minicircuits. com This document is provided as an accommodation to Mini-Circuits customers in connection with Mini-Circuits parts only. In that regard, this document is for informational and guideline purposes only. Mini-Circuits assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in this document or for any information contained herein. IMPORTANT NOTICE © 2019 Mini-Circuits

Figure 6: Simulated vs. measured performance of an LTCC combline bandpass filter after first spin.

Mini-Circuits may change this document or the Mini-Circuits parts referenced herein (collectively, the “Materials”) from time to time, without notice. Mini-Circuits makes no commitment to update or correct any of the Materials, and Mini- Circuits shall have no responsibility whatsoever on account of any updates or corrections to the Materials or Mini-Circuits’ failure to do so. Mini-Circuits customers are solely responsible for the products, systems, and applications in which Mini-Circuits parts are incorporated or used. In that regard, customers are responsible for consulting with their own engineers and other appropriate professionals who are familiar with the specific products and systems into which Mini- Circuits’ parts are to be incorporated or used so that the proper selection, installation/integration, use and safeguards are made. Accordingly,

Mini-Circuits assumes no liability therefore. In addition, your use of this document and the information contained herein is subject to Mini- Circuits’ standard terms of use, which are available at Mini-Circuits’ website at https://www.minicircuits. com/homepage/terms_of_use.html. Mini-Circuits and the Mini-Circuits logo are registered trademarks of Scientific Components Corporation d/b/a Mini-Circuits. All other third- party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. A reference to any third-party trademark does not constitute or imply any endorsement, affiliation, sponsorship, or recommendation: (i) by Mini-Circuits of such third-party’s products, services, processes, or other information; or (ii) by any such third-party of Mini-Circuits or its products, services, processes, or other information.

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Rob Matheson, MIT News Office

RFID-based devices work in indoor and outdoor lighting conditions, and communicate at greater distances. By 2025, experts estimate the number of “internet of things” devices — including sensors that gather real- time data about infrastructure and the environment — could rise to 75 billion worldwide. As it stands, however, those sensors require batteries that must be replaced frequently, which can be problematic for long-term monitoring. MIT researchers have designed photovoltaic-powered sensors that could potentially transmit data for years before they need to be replaced. To do so, they mounted thin-film perovskite cells — known for their potential low cost, flexibility, and relative ease of fabrication — as energy-harvesters on inexpensive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. The cells could power the sensors in both bright sunlight and dimmer

indoor conditions. Moreover, the team found the solar power actually gives the sensors a major power boost that enables greater data-transmission distances and the ability to integrate multiple sensors onto a single RFID tag. “In the future, there could be billions of sensors all around us. With that scale, you’ll need a lot of batteries that you’ll have to recharge constantly. But what if you could self-power them using the ambient light? You could deploy them and forget them for months or years at a time,” says Sai Nithin Kantareddy, a PhD student in the MIT Auto-ID Laboratory. “This work is basically building enhanced RFID tags using energy harvesters for a range of applications.” In a pair of papers published in the journals Advanced Functional Materials and IEEE Sensors, MIT Auto-ID Laboratory and MIT Photovoltaics Research Laboratory researchers describe using the sensors to

continuously monitor indoor and outdoor temperatures over several days. The sensors transmitted data continuously at distances five times greater than traditional RFID tags — with no batteries required. Longer data-transmission ranges mean, among other things, that one reader can be used to collect data from multiple sensors simultaneously. Depending on certain factors in their environment, such as moisture and heat, the sensors can be left inside or outside for months or, potentially, years at a time before they degrade enough to require replacement. That can be valuable for any application requiring long-term sensing, indoors and outdoors, including tracking cargo in supply chains, monitoring soil, and monitoring the energy used by equipment in buildings and homes. Joining Kantareddy on the papers are: Department of Mechanical Engineering (MechE) postdoc Ian

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