Fabrication of air core planar spiral micro-inductors on semi-insulating GaAs substrate with polyimide gap

Abstract

Air core planar spiral micro-inductors with polyimide gaps on semi-insulating GaAs substrate were designed and fabricated at the UP – NIP Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory. Standard fabrication techniques, such as photolithography and metallization, were used to construct the device. DC characterization of the structures confirms that the polyimide gap was successful in insulating the spiral structure from the bottom contacts, thus a suitable replacement for conventional dielectric gaps. This development will provide a good reference for future design of discrete inductive elements and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) at the laboratory.