Planar antennas in LTCC technology with transceiver integration capability for ultra-wideband applications

We present two novel ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas embedded in a low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) package designed to house the UWB transceiver chip. Given their planar topology, circuit integration possibilities, and compact size, a partial ground-plane triangular monopole antenna (PGP-TM) and an antipodal Vivaldi antenna (AVA) are fully characterized. The performance in both the frequency and time domain are presented. The PGP-TM employs parasitic elements for tuning of the antenna's return loss. The PGP-TM antenna's measured 3.5-6.5-GHz bandwidth and omnidirectional pattern with 0-dB gain is suitable for the direct-sequence UWB (DS-UWB) lower subband, while the AVA's measured bandwidth of 3.35 GHz from 6.65 to 10 GHz and 5-dB gain make it suitable for the DS-UWB upper subband. The complete LTCC module containing the PGP-TM measures only 30 mmtimes25 mmtimes1.2 mm, while the AVA module measures 50 mmtimes25 mmtimes1.2 mm. Both LTCC modules can accommodate transceiver electronics because of a specially designed circuit feature. The effects of path loss can be canceled by combining these antennas in a transmission system. These are believed to be the first demonstrations of system-in-package technology for UWB applications