Introduction

Most package vendors have very little microwave design and characterization capability. Their lim ited characterization efforts typically involve the use of poor fixturing, which obscures the true frequency response of the package. Companies specializing in fixturing, while investing considerable mechanical engineering effort, expend far less on electrical considerations, often producing fixtures inadequate for use at microwave frequencies. Consequently, there is very little microwave performance data available from package vendors.

Therefore, to evaluate and identify candidate pack ages for each of the amplifiers in our MMIC ampli fier product line, specific fixturing had to be devel oped for each package style considered. A novel fixturing approach was designed and implemented, which not only eliminates the need for expensive, package specific fixtures, but also overcomes the frequency limitations of traditional connectorized, plunger-style fixtures. Additionally, a rigorous cali bration method was developed which allows complete fixture de-embedding.