MEMSTIC - a new concept in the submillimeter wavelength region

The acronym MEMSTIC is the short form of Multi Element Multi Substrate Tera hertz integrated Circuit and is for a new, for some years developed circuit concept, in which different circuit functions (e.g oscillations producing, filtering or amplifying) are performed by different substrates which are o nly connected by the field of a beam waveguide. In the plain of a substrate many items (10 bis 10(4)) at the same function operate synchronously in ph ase. They are not coupled among themselves but by their antenna elements wi th the electromagnetic field before and behind the substrate. The paper wan ts to give an overview over the background for this concept, over the circu it connection and the possible multi-element components as well as the meas urement problems.