3D-Printed Dielectric Image Lines towards Chip-to-Chip Interconnects for subTHz-Applications

This paper reports on 3D-printed dielectric image lines for low-loss subTHz applications between 140 and 220 GHz. In contrast to conventional dielectric waveguides, a conductive copper substrate is used to achieve robust routing and increased mechanical stability. For easy integration and characterization of the dielectric image line within a waveguide measurement setup, a low-loss mode-converter for flexible mounting is further designed. The characterized overall system exhibits a broadband match of at least 20 dB over the entire frequency band, with minimal losses of below 0.35 dB/cm. Furthermore, multi-line characterization is performed for de-embedding the propagation parameters α and e̱ṯa̱ of both the dielectric transmission line and the mode-converter, and finally, the influence of discontinuities such as bending radii on the transmission behavior is evaluated. Due to the simplicity of the underlying 3D-printing technology, the proposed concept features extremely low cost and complexity, yet offers high flexibility and outperforms the losses of conventional transmission lines.