| This thesis presents the measured performance of an integrated waveguide based on micromachined (001) silicon, and a transition coupling the finite ground coplanar transmission line to such an integrated waveguide at W-band frequencies. Through simple modification of this novel transition structure, extension to submillimeter wave frequencies is reasonable. Such waveguides and transitions may find application in submillimeter wave systems including a novel power combining module proposed herein. As proposed, the module incorporates integrated antennas that are compatible with the current fabrication process, a process that utilizes both wet anisotropic etching as well as deep reactive ion etching of silicon.; Three-dimensional lithography, one of the remaining obstacles to fully exploiting the potential of micromachined structures, is also addressed in this thesis. The ability to simultaneously pattern features on the various facets of micromachined silicon is demonstrated and a novel high frequency electronic packaging architecture using micromachined silicon as a substrate material and electrophoretic deposition of photoresist for patterning is presented. The average loss of a finite ground coplanar transmission line transition into a 110 μm deep micromachined cavity is shown to be less than 0.08 dB in the 2–40 GHz frequency range. This multilevel transition may be employed as part of a package used to provide environmental protection for microelectromechanical switches without severely compromising their high-frequency performance. |
