M542: Electrical Characterizations of Packages for use with GaAs MMIC Amplifiers

A test methodology will be presented which combines the advantage of on-wafer RF probing with a TRL calibration to create a completely de-embeddable, novel "test fixture" capable of electrically characterizing most any style package or device. This scheme has been used to characterize many of the currently available microwave packages in order to identify appropriate packages for our MMIC amplifier products which cover frequencies up to 12 GHz. In addition, the technique has been employed to characterize injection- molded plastic packages and to evaluate nonprobeable MMIC's. Most package vendors have very little microwave design and characterization capability. Their limited characterization efforts typically involve the use of poor fixturing, which obscures the true frequency response of the package. Companies specializing in fixturing, while investing considerable mechanical engineering effort, expend far less on electrical considerations, often producing fixtures inadequate for use at microwave frequencies. Consequently, there is very little microwave performance data available from package vendors.