Packaging technologies and challenges towards 5G Integration of mm-wave components and silicon ICs

A critical part of 5G communication systems design is the packaging technology, especially of front-end components, which has to support the high-frequency and high-power requirements. This technology plays a crucial role in enabling the miniaturization, integration, and reliability of the components. In this context, this article aims to provide a workflow of the packaging technology design for 5G communication systems within the BEYOND5 project, including its key components, integration challenges, and electromagnetic simulations. The design process of an interposer begins with the selection of material, which is determined by the tolerable losses at high frequencies. After choosing the material, the bump pitch on the front-end chip and the routing complexity on the interposer determines which stack-up will be used. Thermal management is also an important step in the design process, necessary for reliable power dissipation. Furthermore, RF simulations on the selected material are to evaluate the RF performance capabilities of the interposer. As a result, the critical signal traces on the interposer are well matched at 50 Í2 and arranged in order to offer low loss and reduced crosstalk (below -15 dB).