Customer Reviews

RF Measurements of Die and Packages (Artech House Microwave Library)

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Microwave wafer probing has been around since the mid-80's and is relatively mature, with commercial products that satisfy most needs. This work attempts to summarize information from manufacturers' applications notes, trade magazines, and professional publications. It provides little (if any) original content. The greatest strength of this book is the extensive list of references.
The content was disappointing however. The book stays at the surface of the subject. When it occasionally attempts depth it is of questionable accuracy. Knowledgeable readers will identify minor quibbles to completely incorrect statements. There are also a few discussions that make no sense, use unusual/confusing terminology, or take the reader down a path to incorrect interpretations of the meaning.
The "packages" content seems to be an afterthought, in some sections the text is written solely as if the book was only about die measurements.
To summarize: This is a useful read even for experienced microwave probers, but read with caution. The content is not authoritative and should be verified prior to trusting.

Those experienced in the microwave industry will tell you that RF testing is a very subtle art and highly sensitive to environment and test conditions. It is far from "mature" as one reviewer puts it. Greater complexity and integration in RF IC's are placing greater demand for complex probe design. It is for these reasons that there are few books that cover this area. Scott Wartenberg's book does a great job in addressing this complex field and offers valuable insight together with a wealth of real bench experience. The latter is very useful for young and seasoned engineers alike. You will find many "nuggets" of wisdom that would aid and correct your RF test methodology.

This is a fine book if you just want a general overview of RF probe. It lacks detail and in-depth coverage. You may find a few helpful things in it but it is far from being a great book on the subject.

Measuring RF characteristics on die as well as packaged devices requires much attention to detail, from the theoretical to the practical application standpoints. Mr. Wartenberg's book takes into account all of these considerations in this well written book that contains many useful equations as well as practical hands-on tips.

This book provides information on RF die and package probing that the entry level as well as experienced RF Design, Test and Product Engineering professional will find useful.

Additionally, this text can be used as both a text and a reference book. It provides many references for the reader to investigate topics in even more detail than the extensive writings provided in this book. A must read for anybody who probes and measures die and/or packages containing RF devices.

This text provides an excellent introduction to many of the important aspects of measuring high speed ICs. Topics include understanding microwave measurements, calibration, practical issues pertaining to microwave and millimeter wave probing, test fixtures and on-wafer characterization. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to enter the field of microwave and millimeter wave IC measurement and characterization.

Additionally, for the many engineers working in high speed optical communications (i.e. OC-192, OC-768 ...) that do not have a microwave background, this book will provide you with insight into how high speed interfaces work and what the important issues are. Many excellent references are given that will help you to probe further into any of the topics presented.