5.

Contact Impedance Characterization of Metallized

Particle Column to Copper Strip in High
Frequency Domains
N. Ben Jemaa, M. Himdi, A. Senouci
University of Rennes1, France
C. Koehler
Tyco Electronics, Germany
Abstract: The number of applications using high frequency bands
up 10 GHz is in constant progression in various domains (highspeed communication, portable phone, radar). This demand has
been widely extended to connectors in automotive applications. In
fact various connectors have been designed and developped in
order to be used over a wide range of frequencies from a few MHz
to several GHz.
Among these connectors, Metallized Particle Interconnects (MPI)
used widely in interconnections (ASICs, PCs, workstations ),
constitute an interesting candidate to be developped for high
frequency connectors, for frequencies up to 18GHz.
In order to simulate the connector, an MPI column was used as a
terminal and compressed between two microstrip lines of copper
(PCB). Signal losses measurements in the frequency band
100MHz to 18GHz are evaluated as a function of compression
force. It was found that the impedance of the system is equivalent
to an RCL circuit. By fitting experimental loss data we have
analyzed each component and have established the impedance
laws.

I. INTROCUCTION
Metallized Particle Interconnects (MPI) have been introduced by
several manufacturers and been used worldwide in a variety of
applications. MPI is a material system designed to address high
density socket and connector requirements. Today's microprocessors
and ASICs continue to increase in both pin count and density. The
MPI product line produces sizes from 24 to 5000+ I/O on 0.5mm and
2.54mm grid spacing. The patented MPI technology provides a highly
conductive interconnect. The proprietary material consists of a high
temperature polymer compound that has been embedded with
metallized particles. The MPI, in general was designed to provide an
electrically and mechanically reliable, low cost interconnection
method without the use of metal pin or solder techniques [1]. Some
investigations have been made on an MPI using a coplanar technique
in the range from 0.05GHz to 2.05GHz [2]. The results reveal the
existence of a low mutual inductance and capacitance
(0.3nH/0.065pF).
A lot of work has been done in this area. Ahn et al [3] have
introduced an electrical model and determined the high frequency
characteristics of a multiple line grid array (MLGA) interposer. Their
model was derived on the basis of S parameter measurements and a
subsequent microwave network analysis. They have measured
different types of MLG interposers with different dielectric insulators
and dimensions and they have shown that by reducing the height of
the MLGA, the effect of parasitic inductance and capacitance
decreases.

W. Ryu et al [4] have developed a high frequency SPICE model of

anisotropic conductive film Flip chip (ACF) interconnections based on
S parameter measurements and a genetic algorithm which is known as
a robust optimisation tool. Two different ACF interconnections were
studied using an Au-coated polymer ball and a Ni-filled ball. The
extracted model of the two ACFs was found to be strongly dependent
on not only the size and the rigidity of the conducting balls but also on
their magnetic permeability. In the same way, the authors [5] have
investigated on a microwave model of an anisotropic conductive film
Flip-Chip interconnection for high frequency applications.
Kwiatkowski et al [6] have presented an improved model of the
microwave contact to analyse the behaviour of an RF
electromechanical coaxial switch and a metal contact RF MEMS
switch. An experimental method was presented to determine the
mapping between the DC contact resistance and RF characteristics in
terms of a scattering parameters matrix. Using this approach the
results of the general contacts theory, derived for DC contacts, are
readily applicable to the analysis of the RF contacts via the
corresponding mapping. Finally based on the well known skin effect,
Lavers et al [7] have related the dependence of constriction resistance
and bulk resistance on signal frequency (60Hzto 1GHz) by
considering circular constriction ranging in diameter from 5 to 50m.
They have conclude that for a selected constriction radius determined
by contact force, constriction resistance decreases with increasing
frequency, while, the total connection resistance comprising the
constriction resistance and the resistance of bulk material, increases
with signal frequency.
This paper is concerned with an MPI, compressed between two
microstrip lines made of copper and used as a terminal. Based on the
insertion losses technique (in the range of 0.1GHz to 18 GHz), the
main objective is to evaluate the impedance and related components
(R,L,C) of the MPI contact system.

II. EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS

The MPI sample is composed of 33 columns with 0.83 x 0.94 mm
of size each one (Fig. 1). The column consists of few conducting
spheres and sheets made with silver embedded in silicon (Fig. 2).
When MPI column is compressed; even with very low forces, it
provides an excellent electrical conduction. Moreover it requires 30g
to 80g of loading to maintain performance and reliability. The test
apparatus (Fig.3) shows one column of MPI extracted from the 33
columns, compressed between two copper microstrip lines, the units
being fed through two coaxial SMA connectors (able to go up18
GHz).

This work Supported from the European CommissionGrowth Program,

Research Project AUTOCON: Integrated Wiring and Interconnecting of
Electrical and Electronic Components for Intelligent Systems.GIRDCT01.

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127

18GHz and in the compression force range from 2g to 60g. The force
results from MPI compression by a motor displacement in the vertical
direction (z) with a low increment (10nm). A calibrated load cell
determined the measured compression force with 0.1g of resolution.
The test apparatus Fig.1 was adjusted to MPI contact resistance
measurements in a DC mode. Contact resistance is measured by a 4
wire technique using a current source (the current is set to 10mA and
500mV for limited voltage) and a micro voltmeter (0.1V). The tests
were conducted under the same conditions described before. The
applied compression force is in the range of 2g to 60g and it increased
in z direction.

Figure 1. Metallized Particle Interconnect (MPI) column in uncompressed

condition

III. RESULTS and DISCUSSION

A. S21 measurement versus frequency
Prior to experimental characterization of the MPI, a calibration
was made to eliminate the HF port input and the two microstrip line
losses. Then the parameters = = = 1 and the measured S21
corresponding to the transmission coefficient for serial impedance is

2Z 0
and the input and output reflection
2 Z0 + Z
Z
=
.
2 Z0 + Z

given by: S 21 = S 12 =

coefficient S 11 = S 22

Fig.4 gives the insertion losses measurement versus frequency

under different compression force values (2g to 60g). It shows that the
insertion losses decrease with the increase of the compression force. It
varies from -1dB for a compression force of 2g to -0.5dB for a
compression force of 60g. Otherwise, above 10GHz the measurements
show a slight decreasing of the insertion loss due to the presence of an
inductive component in the MPI.

Figure 2. SEM photo of MPI cross section: white color is silver

and black color is silicon material

Insertion losses (dB)

Fc Motor displacement in z direction

Load cell
Port 1

Ground plane

HF input

MPI

-1

Copper Microstripline

Glass epoxy substrate

10 60g
6
3
2g

-2

HF output
Port 2

-3

Figure 3. RF test apparatus

-4

0.1

The lines are printed on a glass epoxy substrate where the

characteristics are: 1.6mm of thickness and dielectric constant r =
3.92, the copper metallization thickness being close to 35m. The
microstrip line width is about 3.1mm and corresponds to a line
impedance Z0 = 50. The test apparatus is a circuit with two external
ports, the input port (port 1) and the output port (port 2) for the S
parameters measurement. Using the vector network analyser we
measure the parameters of the scattering matrix [S] [6]:

S=

S 11
S 21

S 12
S 22

S 21 = S 12 =

(1),

where

S 11 =

Z
2 Z0 + Z

and

2Z 0
Z
and S 22 =

2 Z0 + Z
2 Z0 + Z

, and depend only on the line propagation constants and lengths

(1, l1) and (2, l2) [6].The insertion losses measurements
( 20 log S21 )dB were made in the frequency range from 0.1GHz to

0-7803-7862-8/04/$20.00 (C) IEEE.

1
Frequency (GHz)

10

Figure 4. Insertion loss measurement versus frequency for compression forces

(2g to 60g)
B. Impedance Z versus frequency

Knowing the measured magnitude S 21 and the phase , we can

determine the module of the impedance Z. The evolution of
impedance versus frequency is presented in Fig.5.
For frequencies less than 1GHz and low compression forces
(Fc3g), the impedance Z is slightly constant. The MPI impedance in
this case tends to approximate a pure resistance. This means that likely
capacitance and inductance contribution are neglected. For
frequencies up to 1GHz and higher forces compression (Fc3g), the
impedance Z increases. The MPI approximates in this case a pure
inductance and the resistance and capacitance contribution are
neglected.

128

The metallic losses due to the skin effect [7] is the main cause of
connection resistance (including constriction and bulk resistance)
increasing, this explain the shift between the HF and DC curves. In
addition, regarding the heterogeneous structure of the column, the
compression force increases the number of contact spots and particles
involved in the conduction mechanisms. This induces the sharp
decrease of resistance.

2g
3g

6g

1000000

10g-60g

100000

0.1

0.1

1
Frequency (GHz)

10

Figure 5. Impedance Z Vs Frequency

10000
1000
100

C. RLC model

By considering the physical structure and dimensions of the MPI,

we propose a schematic of the equivalent circuit model, Fig. 6. The
MPI impedance Z can be assimilated to an RC parallel circuit in series
with an inductance.
The impedance Z can be expressed by:

j(

R C

1 + (RC )

L )

(2)

100

1.30

20

1.25

18

1.20

16

1.15

14

1.10

Inductance

10

Copper strip

10

1.05
1.00
100

Compression Force (g)

Figure 8. Capacitance and Inductance Vs compression Force

Figure.6. RLC proposed equivalent circuit

Where C, is the contact capacitance given by the sum of the micro

capacitors shown between neighboring particles and the pad, L is the
self inductance which appears between multiple neighboring particles
in contact, the angular frequency and R the equivalent resistance
component which is due to dielectric, metallic and radiation losses. A
de-embedding technique is used to extract each component value
versus force.
Fig.7 relates resistance evolution versus compression force in the
HF and DC domains. It shows that the resistance decreases sharply
with compression force and follow F-1 and F-.2 for the DC and HF
measurements. We can clearly see that the measured resistance
commonly named as contact resistance in the DC mode (Fig 7) is
lower than the equivalent resistance in the HF mode. The difference
can be explained by the fact that in the DC domain, the equivalent
resistance includes the bulk resistance, contact resistance between
particles inside the MPI and the contact resistance of the interfaces
between the MPI and the copper strip. However, in the HF domain,
additional resistance terms coming from the dielectric, metallic and
radiation losses take place.

0-7803-7862-8/04/$20.00 (C) IEEE.

Capacitance

12

22

Capacitance (pF)

1 + (RC )

10
Compression Force (g)

Figure 7.Resistance Vs compression force For HF and DC domains

Z=

F-1

10

In summary, when the compression force exceeds 2g, the

capacitance effect is reduced and becomes negligible at high
frequency domains (>1GHz).

HF measurement
DC measurement

F-2

Inductance(nH)

10

Resistance (m)

Impedance z (Ohm)

100

Fig.8 gives the capacitance values C and the inductance value L

versus compression force. For compression forces less than 3g, the
capacitance, induced by earlier touching of the MPI and the copper
pad, is increased by the gap reduction under compression. But this
enhancement is slow down and stopped by parallel contact resistance
shunt in the interface. Inversely, the inductance values produced by
the MPI mainly display a minor decrease from 1.27nH for a
compression force of 2g to 1.05nH for a compression force of 3g and
remain stable above.
According to Fig.7 and Fig.8, we can conclude that for
compression forces less than 3g, the resistance is very high.
Furthermore the capacitance and the inductance variations are
opposite and significant. For high compression forces, the resistance
decreases until reaching 10m at the maximum loading, so it shunts
the parallel capacitance and the self inductance effect will dominate.

IV. CONCLUSION
Although the MPI requires a nominal compression load of a few
10g, we have investigated this device as a terminal, compressed by a
wide range of forces (2g to 60g) between two high frequency

129

microstrip test lines. Using the insertion losses measurement versus

frequency (in the range of 0.1 to 18 GHz) the impedance law is
developed and analyzed. The results have shown that the impedance Z
of the MPI can be assimilated to a resistance-capacitance parallel cell
with serial inductance. For low frequencies less than 1 GHz, the
resistance component dominates the impedance and the capacitance
and inductance effects are negligible. At a nominal force of 60g, the
contribution of the inductance to the impedance is major.
The origin of the capacitance and inductance revealed by HF
techniques is due to the granular structure of the column. We assume
that charged particles produce capacitance in the interface MPI-pad
while current paths inside the MPI bulk induce the inductance.
Finally the measured equivalent resistance in the HF domain
should include dielectric, metallic and radiation losses. Compared
with that measured in the DC domain, these are very important and
predominant.
From this study we can conclude that the MPI, used under
nominal condition of loading (60g), seems to be unaffected by the
insertion loss and so, it should be the appropriate candidate for HF
applications which can be used widely up 10GHz and up 18GHz if we
add the matching circuit (serial capacitance).

REFERENCES
[1] Metallized
Particle
Interconnect,
Applications
guide,
Tyco/Electronics/MPI; North Attleboro.
[2] Giga Test Labs, Thomas & Betts MPI connector (1mm pitch) final
report, electrical characterization 0.05GHz-2.05GHz, August 1997.
[3] S. Ahn, J. Lee, J. Lee and J. Kim, Over GHz electrical circuit
model of high-density Multiple Line Grid Array (MLGA) Interposer,
IEEE Trans in advanced pack, Vol 26, N 1,pp 90-98 (2003).
[4] W. Ryu, S. Ahn, J. Lee, W. Kim, K. W. Paik and J.Kim, High
frequency SPICE model of anisotropic conductive film Flip-Chip
interconnections based on a genetic algorithm. IEEE Trans on comp
and pack tech, Vol 22, N4,pp 542-545 (2000).
[5] M. J. Yim, W. Ryu, Y. D. Jeon, J. Lee and S. Ahn, Microwave
model of anisotropic conductive film Flip-Chip interconnections for
high frequency applications, IEEE Trans on comp and pack tech, Vol
22, N4,pp 575-581 (1999).
[6] R. Kwiatkowski, M. Vladimirescu, A. Zybura and S. Choi,
Scattering parameter model of low level electrical contacts in Electromechanical microwave switches-a switch manufacturer approach, 48th
IEEE Holm conference on electrical contacts, PP 221-230 (2002).
[7] J. D. Lavers, R. S. Timsit, Constriction resistance at high signal
frequencies, IEEE Trans on comp and pack tech, Vol 25; N 3, pp
446-452 (2002).

0-7803-7862-8/04/$20.00 (C) IEEE.

N. Ben jemaa (IEEE. Member for 11years NO

01629807) received a doctorate es-sciences in physics
from the University of Rennes I France in 1985. He has
25 years of research covering the physics of electrical
contacts. This research has been mainly concerned with
low and medium electrical levels and has dealt with arc
parameters, contact resistance and degradation effects.
His work has been published in more than 80 papers
mainly in the ICEC, Holm, NARMS, IEEE journals
and used in the telecommunication and automobile
fields. He is currently professor of physics and electronics at the University of
Rennes I where he directs the electrical contacts group research.
M. Himdi received a Ph.D. degree in signal processing
and telecommunications from the University of Rennes
I (France) in 1990. He has been an associate Professor
at University of Rennes I since 1991 and a Professor
since 2003. His research activities are in the high
frequency and antennas group of the Institute of
Electronics and Telecommunications, at the University
of Rennes I, where he is working on active and passive
millimeter-wave antennas. His research interests also
include all aspects of theoretical and applied
computational electromagnetics..His principal research focus has been in the
development of new architectures of printed antenna arrays and new 3-D
antenna technologies. He is the author and coauthor of more than 30 journal
papers and more than 100 papers in conference proceedings. He has received
five patents in the area of antennas. He is also the author/coauthor of the book
chapters

130

A. Senouci Electronic engineer from the University of

Sidi Bel Abbes (Algeria) in 1995, he received a Ph.D in
Mechanics from the University of Poitiers (France) in
2001. At present, Post Doctoral Fellow at the
University of Rennes I (France), he works on electrical
contact phenomena for the European project
(AUTOCON).

C. Khler received a diploma degree in

semiconductor electronics from the University of
Chemnitz in 1986. He is a product specialist for
EMEA at Tyco Electronics, responsible for MPI, MID
and ETI product groups.