Low-cost packaging is priority for millimeter-wave MMICs

Extending MMIC technology to millimeter-wave (MW) frequencies has emerged as a crucial strategy for MMIC suppliers to achieve better profit margins and drive future business growth. Suppliers of millimeter-wave MMICs are suggested to cut their packaging and assembly costs if the technology is to achieve mass-market success. MMICs operating in the MW spectrum enable more information to be encoded in the signal, which make MW solutions ideal for high-bandwidth, high-capacity communications systems. Attention is being paid on the use of laminates and low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) materials for achieving low-cost packaging and assembly.