Chip, Packaging Issues For Satellite Communications

The CEO of CIH talks about semiconductor and packaging technologies for the Satcom market

By Mark LaPedus

Paolo Fioravanti, chief executive of Circuits Integrated Hellas (CIH), sat down with Semiecosystem to talk about semiconductor and packaging technologies for the satellite communications (Satcom) market.

Based in Athens, Greece, CIH recently rolled out Kythrion, a chipset designed for use in flat panel antenna (FPA) systems. Kythrion is a platform that unifies the transmit, receive and antenna functions within a proprietary 3D antenna-in-package (AiP) and system-in-package (SiP) technology. Generally, an FPA is a low-profile, compact directional antenna with a flat design. Applications include radar, satellite communications and Wi-Fi.

Semiecosystem: Who is Circuits Integrated Hellas (CIH) and what is the company’s charter?

Fioravanti: CIH is a deep-tech semiconductor company headquartered in Athens, Greece, focused on revolutionizing satellite communications. Our charter is to facilitate access to faster, ubiquitous downtime-free communications around the globe. We seek to enable a future where fast, global, always-on connectivity is made possible through smarter, more sustainable satellite hardware.

Semiecosystem: What types of products is CIH developing and selling?

Fioravanti: We have been operating as a design house since incorporation, delivering to Tier-1 and Tier-2 customers around the globe. Currently, we are working on a platform with custom chipsets that tightly integrate RF, analog, and digital circuitry into compact, application-specific packages. By eliminating unnecessary PCB layers and leveraging existing fab infrastructure, we improve thermal performance while reducing overall system complexity.

We also offer flexible business models—selling chips, licensing IP, or providing custom integration—to meet the diverse needs of aerospace and Satcom developers.

Semiecosystem: CIH is developing a product called Kythrion, which is a chipset designed for the Satcom market. The chipset is designed for flat panel antenna (FPA) applications. Can you please briefly describe the Satcom market? And what is an FPA and why is it needed in the Satcom market?

Fioravanti: The satellite communications (Satcom) market supports a wide range of applications, including broadband internet, TV broadcasting, remote sensing, defense communications, and IoT connectivity. Demand for high-speed, low-latency data transmission—especially from low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations—is driving rapid Satcom market growth.

FPAs are thin, possibly lightweight, electronically steerable antennas that can track multiple satellites without moving parts. In Satcom systems, FPAs are essential for enabling seamless, real-time connectivity to fast-moving LEO satellites and for supporting broadband access in hard-to-reach locations. They are a key enabling technology for the next generation of satellite communication services.

According to BIS Research, the global satellite FPA market is projected to grow from $7.28 billion to $32.95 billion by 2034 with a CAGR of 15.04% between 2024-2034.

Image of a Kythrion module Source: CIH

Semiecosystem: Kythrion, the company’s platform, integrates III-V compound semiconductors with silicon in a 3D package, right? Is that a 3D antenna-in-package (AiP) and system-in-package (SiP) design? Can you please describe the architecture in more detail? How does this all work?

Fioravanti: Kythrion is our proprietary 3D AiP/SiP integration platform that vertically stacks III-V compound semiconductors with advanced silicon technologies, enabling unprecedented levels of performance and miniaturization.

Unlike single-technology solutions, Kythrion allows us to cherry-pick the optimal device technologies—gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), silicon germanium (SiGe), fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI), and others—and combine them within a unified 3D package. This is enhanced by our proprietary IP in architecture, interconnect, and thermal management, resulting in compact, high-efficiency modules.

As an example of its capabilities, we are delivering on an antenna that can establish a high-quality satellite LEO link in a 10cm x 10cm form factor (1U), a Ka-band transmit/receive antenna module for flat-panel arrays in Earth observation, LEO satcom, and defense applications (both space and ground). The Ka-band, covering 17.7–31GHz, is ideal for high-throughput links, and Kythrion’s heterogeneous integration makes it possible to realize scalable phased-array systems with superior SWaP-C (size, weight, power, and cost) performance.

Diagram of Kythrion Source: CIH

Semiecosystem: Why do you need an AiP/SiP package for this product? What are some of the issues and/or challenges in developing AiP and SiP packaging technologies for the RF market?

Fioravanti: We need AiP/SiP packaging because 2D planar technologies cannot deliver the required combination of high power, low noise, and small size. In phased arrays, the element spacing at Ka-band is only a few millimeters, roughly the same size as active dies, making it physically impossible to integrate multiple planar commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components in the grid. Even more, planar layouts cannot co-integrate transmit and receive functions within the same aperture without excessive impractical, complex, and possibly problematic PCB implementations.

AiP/SiP overcomes this by vertically stacking III-V devices with silicon, reducing interconnect length, minimizing losses, and enabling true transmit and receive (Tx/Rx) integration in a compact footprint. It also provides better thermal paths and tighter electromagnetic control, both critical at mmWave frequencies.

The challenges are significant: material compatibility, isolation of Tx/Rx in close proximity, yield across heterogeneous dies, and managing thermal density. But despite these, AiP/SiP is the only path to scalable, high-performance phased arrays.

Semiecosystem: What types of compound semiconductor devices are you using for your chipset? What are the main challenges in dealing with III-V compound semiconductor devices in packaging?

Fioravanti: Typically, we use GaAs for low-noise amplification and medium-power stages, and GaN for high-power transmit functions. For higher-frequency applications, especially beyond Ka-band, indium phosphide (InP) is under consideration due to its superior electron mobility.

Key challenges include:

*Thermal management. Operating transmit elements at high power levels generates a lot of heat. Effectively addressing the cooling in a 3D assembly is hard, and is the real main obstacle to size reduction in the transmitter.

*Mechanical fragility. III-V materials are brittle and susceptible to cracking or chipping during manufacturing. Because they expand and contract at different rates than common packaging materials, this can create stress and cause defects over time.

*Electrical performance. We use III-V devices in RF and microwave systems, where packaging must be designed to avoid introducing signal loss or interference.

*Environmental protection. III-V devices are sensitive to moisture and contamination, especially when used in harsh environments like aerospace or defense, requiring robust packaging designed to protect against these conditions.

*Rad-hardness. While III-Vs inherently behave better within LEO orbits, applications for medium Earth orbit (MEO), geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO) and beyond require the Kythrion technology to be rad-hard.

This is why 3D AiP/SiP architectures are so critical—they allow us to leverage the unique strengths of III-V devices while mitigating their weaknesses through careful integration with silicon and advanced packaging materials, achieving the best possible trade-off.

Semiecosystem: How does your FPA solution compare to competitive products?

Fioravanti: Legacy 2D FPAs utilize silicon technologies on printed circuit boards (PCBs). These FPAs are typically heavy (up to 30kg) with hundreds of components in a large footprint, making them costly to manufacture.

By implementing 3D integration to combine the transmit, receive and antenna functions, Kythrion enables a 60% reduction in FPA SWaP-C. Satellites deploying Kythrion not only cost less but also could see their lifetime/mission extended, even by 20%, thanks to the reduction in weight and size of the antenna.

Another benefit and differentiator of Kythrion is its sustainable design. By leveraging existing semiconductor materials and infrastructure, the platform avoids costly capital-intensive retooling and minimizes carbon-intensive manufacturing inputs. Using fewer components leads to a smaller carbon footprint per antenna and fewer physical resources.

2D vs 3D FPA Source: CIH

Semiecosystem: Which foundry vendors and/or OSATs are you using to manufacture your products? When will you ship your products?

Fioravanti: We cannot disclose specific foundry or OSAT partners at this stage, but Kythrion is currently undergoing advanced packaging and stress validation. General release samples will be available in late Q3 2025, with broader availability in Q2 2026.

In parallel, we are already working with select customers to bring additional products incorporating Kythrion technology into manufacturing, tailored to their system requirements and applications.