This thesis concerns the introduction and development in our laboratory of a multilayer ceramic technology, called LTCC, for RF and microwave packaging. LTCC stands for Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics. As can be understood from its name, the low temperature means that the LTCC circuit is fired below 1000 °C that allows the use of high conductivity materials such as gold and silver. The thesis work starts after the bibliographic study of RF packaging technology, with the choice of LTCC substrate and conductor materials necessary to implement LTCC technology in our laboratory. Then, the LTCC manufacturing process is put in place and validated in order to produce operational LTCC circuits. This process includes the cut of LTCC layers, via hole and cavity creation, via fill for vertical interconnecting, screen printing for horizontal patterns, stacking, lamination and finally the firing to obtain a 3D circuit. Most encountered technological problems are resolved and the fabrication steps are validated. LTCC DESIGN RULES that contain all dimensional values required for future RF packaging designers at the laboratory is elaborated. Next, after the successful establishment of LTCC technology, it is qualified up to 40 GHz using simple RF structures such as transmission lines and planar resonators. Then, a multilayer LTCC package for an MMIC oscillator functioning in the frequency band between 10.6 and 12.6 GHz is proposed, fabricated and finally measured.

<p>Tematika disertacije obuhvata projektovanje, izradu i karakterizaciju pasivnih induktivnih RF komponenti u PCB i LTCC tehnologiji, kao i poboljšanje njihovih performansi. Izvršena je i karakterizacijarazličitih tipova dielektričnih i feritnih&nbsp; LTCC materijala koji su korišćeni za izradu komponenti. Ukupno je projektovano i izrađeno 37 struktura, 14 induktora i 23 transformatora. Na poboljšanje karakteristika projektovanih struktura, koje se ogleda prvenstveno u povećanju induktivnosti zavojaka, uticalo se izradom projektovanih struktura na supstratima izrađenih od različitih materijala, supstratima formiranih od kombinacije materijala različitih karakteristika, redizajnom osnovnih (polaznih) geometrija struktura i optimizcijom parametara LTCC postupka izrade.</p> / <p>Topic of this theases focuses on design, fabrication and characterization of industive passive RF components in PCB and LTCC technology, as well as on improvement of their performances. Characterization of different types ofdielectric and ferrite LTCC materials that were implemented for component fabrication was also performed. In total, 37 structures were designed and fabricated, of those 14 are inductor structures and 23 are transformers. Performance improvement of designed structures that is manifested through increase of inductance value of structures windings implied fabrication of designed components on substrates formed from different materials, or from combination of two or more materials with different properties, redesign of original design and optimization of LTCC fabrication process parameters.</p>

<p>Senzori vlažnosti zemljišta su od ključnog značaja za sisteme za navodnjavanje kojima je moguće uvećati prinose u proseku za 79%. U okviru ove disertacije razvijena su dva senzorska rešenja za merenje vlažnosti zemljišta. Prvi senzor je namenjen određivanju vlažnosti uzoraka zemljišta u neporemećenom stanju. Rešenje je nastalo nadogradnjom standardne opreme za uzorkovanje zemljišta. Za pomenuti senzor konstruisana je kalibraciona kriva kojom je moguće odrediti vlažnost zemljišta sa relativnom greškom ne većom od 2.5%. Drugo senzorsko rešenje je fabrikovano u LTCC tehnologiji, malih je dimenzija i namenjeno je primeni na terenu. Glavna prednost ovog senzora je da na njega ne utiče provodnost zemljišta koja je usko povezana sa tipom zemljišta. Predloženi senzor je testiran na dva uzorka zemljišta različitog hemijskog sastava. Rezultati merenja su pokazali da tip zemljišta nema uticaj na odziv senzora. Ostvarena relativna greška u odnosu na pun merni opseg iznosi 5.36%.</p> / <p>Soil moisture sensors are of great importance for the irrigation systems that<br />are able to increase the yiel on avarage of 79%. Within this thesis two sensor<br />solutions have been developed. The first sensor, which is intended for<br />laboratory use, has been designed by upgrading existing sampling<br />equipment. The constructed calibration curve for this type of sensor that can<br />be used for soil mositure determination with relative error not larger than<br />2.5% with respect to full scale output. The second sensor solution is<br />designed to be used in the field. It is fabricated in LTCC technology and it is<br />charaterized by small overall dimensions. The main advantage of this sensor<br />is that it is immune to the soil electrical conductivity which is closely related to<br />the soil type. Proposed sensor is tested on two soil sample of different<br />chemical composition and the results have shown that the type of soil does<br />not influence the sensor response. The relative error with the respect of full<br />scale output was only 5.36 %.</p>

La demande toujours croissante de connectivité et de débit de données requiert une rupture dans la conception des futurs réseaux de communication et systèmes radio. Plusieurs applications émergentes en bande millimétrique, notamment les réseaux mobiles de cinquième génération (5G) et les communications satellites, exigent des antennes large bande qui assurent une grande couverture angulaire, tout en étant à la fois compactes, facilement intégrables et à bas coût.Cette thèse propose des systèmes antennaires multifaisceaux large bande et à très grande couverture angulaire, appelés «Continuous Transverse Stub Antenna» (CTS), pour réaliser un bon compromis de l’ensemble de ces objectifs. L’architecture de l’antenne comprend un réseau de fentes longues excitées par un réseau d’alimentation en chandelier, basé sur des guides d’onde à plans parallèles. Cette structure est excitée par un formateur de faisceaux quasi-optique co-intégré. La première partie du manuscrit présent des nouveaux modèles numériques qui facilitent la conception de chaque sous-système de l’antenne et permettent l’analyse des performances globales, soit en termes d’adaptation, soit en termes de diagrammes de rayonnement. Ces outils sont exploités pour la conception d’antenne et pour étudier les limites en balayage. La thèse se poursuit en présentant de nouvelles solutions technologiques et de nouveaux design pour intégrer les antennes CTS dans des modules multicouches planaires et à faible profil. La conception et la caractérisation de deux antennes intégrées en technologie LTCC pour des points d’accès 5G à 60 GHz sont discutées. L’une des deux est à faisceau fixe, l’autre est à balayage électronique, avec une couverture de ±40°, de faibles lobes secondaires et un niveau élevé de recoupement des faisceaux. Enfin, nous proposons l’association de radomes polarisants planaires à faible profil aux antennes CTS, pour réaliser des systèmes rayonnants en polarisation circulaire. Une méthodologie systématique pour la conception de polarisateurs à très large bande est présentée, ainsi qu’un design couvrant entièrement la bande Ka pour des applications satellites. / The ever-growing demand for fast and seamless connectivity shows the need of new wireless standards and technologies. Novel broadband, wide-angle scanning antennas achieving an optimal trade-off among size, gain, efficiency and costs are crucial to the development of emerging applications at millimeter waves, such as fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks and satellite communications. In this thesis, multibeam parallel-fed continuous transverse stub (CTS) array antennas are proposed as possible candidates for future mm-wave communications and are developed to tackle these requirements. The antenna architecture comprises an array of long slots, a corporate feed network based on parallel plate waveguides (PPWs) and an integrated quasi-optical beamformer. First, novel numerical models for the analysis of each subsystem and of the overall antenna, are presented, which enable an efficient and modular design of CTS antennas. These tools are exploited to derive design guidelines and assess the scanning performance. Then, novel design and technological solutions for the integration of CTS antennas in flat, low-profile multilayer modules are discussed. The design and characterization of two prototypes in LTCC technology, for 60-GHz mobile access points are presented: a fixed beam array and a switched-beam antenna with a field of view of ±40°, low SLLs and high beam overlap. Finally, planar linear-to-circular polarization converters are proposed to realize circularly polarized CTS antenna systems. A procedure to achieve an ultra-wideband, low-loss polarization conversion is outlined and a design for Ka-band satellite application is presented.