Terahertz Detachable Chip-to-Chip Interconnectors

This study provides a thorough examination of a chip-to-chip interconnect operating in the frequency range of 140 to 220 GHz, commonly referred to as the WR5.1 band. The research indicates that this interconnect has the potential to serve as a prototype for a compact detachable interconnect that can be scaled to frequencies beyond 1 THz. Both the electrical and mechanical characteristics of the interconnect were evaluated in this study.
The proposed design is based on a 15-μm thick silicon substrate and incorporates a self-holding interference taper, which enables a self-aligned mechanical contact with sufficient force to ensure a low contact resistance. In this regard, the assembly force of the interconnect has been measured to range from 70 to 90mN, while the resulting contact resistance ranges from 2.8 to 3.5 Ω. Furthermore, the disassembly force was found to range from 60 to 85 mN. Notably, the interconnect has demonstrated a high degree of durability, with the ability to sustain up to 100 cycles of assembly and disassembly.
The electrical measured results show good return loss across the WR5.1 band and better than 10 dB from 165 to 220 GHz. The measured insertion loss of the prototype chip (including 28 mm of WR5.1 waveguide and 4 mm of rectangular coax) is better than 2 dB across the band.