Antenna from A*STAR boasts 200x WiFi speed bump

Researchers from A*STAR's Institute of Microelectronics (IME) have created what they say is the first compact high performance silicon-based cavity-backed slot (CBS) antenna. According to them, the antenna demonstrated 30 times stronger signal transmission over on-chip antennas at 135GHz. At just 1.6 x 1.2mm, , it is the smallest silicon-based CBS antenna for ready integration with active circuits, the researchers added.

IME's innovation will help realize a wireless communication system with very small form factor and almost two-thirds cheaper than a conventional CBS antenna. The antenna, in combination with other millimeter-wave building blocks, can support wireless speed of 20Gb/s—more than 200 times faster than present day WiFi, to allow ultra-fast point-to-point access to rich media content, relevant to online learning and entertainment.

"The novel use of polymer filling enables >70 percent antenna size shrinkage and a record high gain of 5.68dBi at 135GHz. By filling the antenna cavity with polymer instead of air, we can achieve a flat surface for subsequent processing by standard technology that is amenable to mass production," stated Hu Sanming, a key researcher from IME leading the antenna project.

"The team has also designed a 3D architecture to integrate the antenna with active circuits to form a fully integrated wireless millimeter-wave system-in-package solution with high performance, reduced footprint and low electromagnetic interference," commented Je Minkyu, principal investigator of the integrated circuits and systems laboratory at IME.