Neikirk, Dean P.1662363792008-08-282008-08-282006http://hdl.handle.net/2152/2909textNew materials have been, and continue to be, introduced in an effort to reduce the impact of interconnect delay on performance. The accurate experimental characterization of on-wafer transmission lines, particularly lines using copper and low-k materials, is critically important to on-going high-speed digital integrated circuit designers. This dissertation aimed to examine the accurate electrical parameter extraction and characterization of on-wafer embedded microstrip transmission line test structures using high frequency measurements up to 40GHz in determining on-going high-speed digital integrated system performance. In particular we aimed to determine the dielectric constant and loss of low-k dielectric materials, as well as the accurate de-embedding network model of pads on interconnect parameter extraction, the impact of finite measurement precision and error propagation in on-wafer microwave measurement, and the impact of probe placement on high frequency on-wafer measurement.electronicengCopyright is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works.Strip transmission lines--TestingStrip transmission lines--MeasurementInterconnects (Integrated circuit technology)--MeasurementDielectric measurementsThesis