High‐performance bulk and thin‐film microstrip transmission lines on VLSI‐standard Si substrates

Microstrip transmission lines with very low power loss of 0.4 dB/mm at 50 GHz have been fabricated on Si substrates using an optimized ion‐implantation process. These devices have the inherent advantages of smaller chip size and better power performance than CPW lines. Using the same approach, high‐performance thin‐film microstrip lines are also developed, showing a loss of 0.9 dB/mm at 20 GHz. This approach is compatible with existing VLSI backend layout technology.