Model extraction of a paddle in plastic surface-mount RF-IC packages

• Main Author: Sundberg, Garth
• Other Authors: Weisshaar, Andreas
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Integrated circuits > Packaging; Microelectronic packaging
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1957/33163

Plastic packaging is a cost-effective solution for housing RF and microwave integrated circuits in low cost communication devices. While enabling low cost packaging of integrated circuits, plastic packages including the circuit ground patch (paddle) inside the package can have a significant parasitic effect on circuit performance. The purpose of this thesis is to develop accurate broadband models and associated extraction procedures for the paddle in plastic surface-mount RF-IC packages. Availability of package models will help the RF design engineer to include the packaging effects directly during the circuit design phase. In this thesis a new lumped element equivalent circuit model for the ground paddle inside a plastic package is presented. The ground paddle is characterized by planar full-wave electromagnetic simulation as well as by measurement of an equivalent paddle test structure. To de-embed the effects of the measurement probes, several test structures are designed. The equivalent circuit parameters for the paddle in a general symmetric 2n-pin plastic package are extracted from a set of measured or simulated two-port scattering parameters. To illustrate the modeling approach, the response of the paddle model for a four-pin and eight-pin plastic package is shown and found to be in good agreement with the measured and simulated data over a broad frequency range extending beyond 5 GHz. Finally, the extraction of the equivalent circuit model of the paddle through the package lead-frame is demonstrated. === Graduation date: 2000