Abstract

In astronomy, there is a continuous need to develop new instruments with improved characteristics to observe the universe. Current advances in miniaturization and the simultaneous use of different semiconductors allow multi-pixel observations, which will highly reduce the telescope operating costs. Nevertheless, new substrate materials for mm and sub-mm wavelength operation at cryogenic temperatures are required to package the new multi-chip front-end instruments. This study presents our recent progress in characterizing Low-Temperature Cofired Ceramic (LTCC) substrates based on Ferro A6M-E material at room and cryogenic temperatures. The characterization is based on the microstrip resonator method, designing and building a resonant structure (ring) at three different frequencies (80, 90, and 100 GHz). The statistical analysis of the resulting scattering parameters obtains the relative permittivity property of the substrate. The results of this study allow to determine the potential use of LTCC as a substrate to assemble microwave devices and integrate multi-chip receiver modules that will operate as the front-end instrumentation of future astronomic observatories.