The development of a low loss wafer probe is essential to improve the accuracy of on-wafer millimeter wave noise purameter and S-parameter measurements. The loss of the probe directly limits the performance of the millimeter wave tuner and post receiver, degrading sytem accuracy. During Phase I of the SBIR, an investigation of air dielectric, coaxial probes will be performed resulting in the design, fabrication and test of a pair of prototype probes. The results will be compared to those of low loss probes using coplaner substrate technology. Technical areas to investigate include impedance tapering, mode suppression, alignment concepts to improve contact repeatability, and prototype fabrication techniques. The definition of accurate methods for probe evaluation will also be addressed.
