A Review of High Frequency Passive Component Technologies (Thin-Film, Thick-Film, Discretes & PMC) for RF Design Applications

This article traces the evolution of these technologies and discusses the benefits and trade offs for each. The current level of RF component integration available in existing discrete package sizes is discussed, along with trends to tighter tolerance and ultra-stable parametric performance.

The article concludes with an update on the emergence of higher levels of integration into passive component networks, and how this is now enabling engineers to optimize their RF designs.