Improving silicon integrated antennas by substrate micromachining: A study of etching patterns

One of the main drawbacks of antenna integration on standard CMOS silicon substrates are the low radiation efficiency levels obtained due to the high silicon losses. This paper studies the use of micromachining techniques to remove silicon beneath the antenna as a solution to improve radiation efficiency. Several etching patterns are analyzed for different etching depths through simulations and measurements in order to find out which are the best ones for the micromachining process. Results are verified in two operating scenarios.