A new design of multi-bit RF MEMS distributed phase shifters for phase error reduction

MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical-Systems) technology applied to the field of Radio Frequency systems (i.e. RF-MEMS) has emerged in the last 10-15 years as a valuable and viable solution to manufacture low-cost and very high-performance passive components, like variable capacitors, inductors and micro-relays, as well as complex networks, like tunable filters, reconfigurable impedance matching networks and phase shifters, and so on. The availability of such components and their integration within RF systems (e.g. radio transceivers, radars, satellites, etc.) enables boosting the characteristics and performance of telecommunication systems, addressing for instance a significant increase of their reconfigurability. The benefits resulting from the employment of RF-MEMS technology are paramount, being some of them the reduction of hardware redundancy and power consumption, along with the operability of the same RF system according to multiple standards. After framing more in detail the whole context of RF MEMS technology, this paper will provide a brief introduction on a typical RF-MEMS technology platform. Subsequently, some relevant examples of lumped RF MEMS passive elements and complex reconfigurable networks will be reported along with their measured RF performance and characteristics.

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RF MEMS phase shifters for wireless applications

Handbook of Mems for Wireless and Mobile Applications ◽

10.1533/9780857098610.1.136 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 136-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

V. Puyal ◽

Cea Leti ◽

Laas Cnrs ◽

D. Titz

Keyword(s):

Rf Mems ◽

Phase Shifters ◽

Wireless Applications

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MEMS-Enabled Smart Beam-Steering Antennas

Broadband Wireless Access Networks for 4G - Advances in Wireless Technologies and Telecommunication ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-4888-3.ch010 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 183-203

Author(s):

Hadi Mirzajani ◽

Habib Badri Ghavifekr ◽

Esmaeil Najafi Aghdam

Keyword(s):

Microelectromechanical Systems ◽

Rf Mems ◽

Beam Steering ◽

Smart Antennas ◽

Phase Shifters ◽

Rapid Rate ◽

Mems Devices ◽

Batch Fabrication ◽

Mems Technology ◽

Smart Beam

In recent years, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) technology has seen a rapid rate of evolution because of its great potential for advancing new products in a broad range of applications. The RF and microwave devices and components fabricated by this technology offer unsurpassed performance such as near-zero power consumption, high linearity, and cost effectiveness by batch fabrication in respect to their conventional counterparts. This chapter aims to give an in-depth overview of the most recently published methods of designing MEMS-based smart antennas. Before embarking into the different techniques of beam steering, the concept of smart antennas is introduced. Then, some fundamental concepts of MEMS technology such as micromachining technologies (bulk and surface micromachining) are briefly discussed. After that, a number of RF MEMS devices such as switches and phase shifters that have applications in beam steering antennas are introduced and their operating principals are completely explained. Finally, various configurations of MEMS-enabled beam steering antennas are discussed in detail.

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RF-MEMS Monolithic K and Ka Band Multi-State Phase Shifters as Building Blocks for 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) Applications

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20092612 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (9) ◽

pp. 2612 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jacopo Iannacci ◽

Giuseppe Resta ◽

Alvise Bagolini ◽

Flavio Giacomozzi ◽

Elena Bochkova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Internet Of Things ◽

Communication Systems ◽

High Speed ◽

Phase Shifter ◽

Satellite Communication ◽

Rf Mems ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Phase Shifters ◽

Small Cells ◽

Mems Technology

RF-MEMS, i.e., Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) for Radio Frequency (RF) passive components, exhibit interesting characteristics for the upcoming 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios, in which reconfigurable broadband and frequency-agile devices, like high-order switching units, tunable filters, multi-state attenuators, and phase shifters will be necessary to enable mm-Wave services, small cells, and advanced beamforming. In particular, satellite communication systems providing high-speed Internet connectivity utilize the K and Ka bands, which offer larger bandwidth compared to lower frequencies. This paper focuses on two design concepts of multi-state phase shifter designed and manufactured in RF-MEMS technology. The networks feature 4 switchable stages (16 states) and are developed for the K and Ka bands. The proposed phase shifters are realized in a surface micromachining RF-MEMS technology and the experimentally measured parameters are compared with Finite Element Method (FEM) multi-physical electromechanical and RF simulations. The simulated phase shifts at both the operating bands fit well the measured value, despite the measured losses (S21) are larger than 5–7 dB if compared to simulations. However, such a non-ideality has a technological motivation that is explained in the paper and that will be fixed in the manufacturing of future devices.

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9.8 A 28GHz 20.3%-Transmitter-Efficiency 1.5°-Phase-Error Beamforming Front-End IC with Embedded Switches and Dual-Vector Variable-Gain Phase Shifters

2019 IEEE International Solid- State Circuits Conference - (ISSCC) ◽

10.1109/isscc.2019.8662512 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jinseok Park ◽

Seungchan Lee ◽

Dongho Lee ◽

Songcheol Hong

Keyword(s):

Phase Error ◽

Phase Shifters ◽

Variable Gain ◽

Dual Vector ◽

Front End ◽

Vector Variable

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RF-MEMS switches with AlN dielectric and their applications

International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies ◽

10.1017/s175907871100064x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

pp. 509-520 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Montserrat Fernández-Bolaños Badía ◽

Pierre Nicole ◽

Adrian Mihai Ionescu

Keyword(s):

Transmission Lines ◽

Rf Mems ◽

Beam Steering ◽

Phase Shifters ◽

Center Frequency ◽

Mems Switches ◽

Rf Mems Switches ◽

Mems Technology ◽

Bandwidth Tuning ◽

Rf Performance

This paper reports on the potential of RF-MEMS technology based on aluminum nitride capacitive dielectric and nickel-suspended membranes to provide RF circuit functions in reconfigurable front-end radios. The RF performance of capacitive switches, distributed MEMS transmission lines (DMTLs) phase shifters for beam steering and tunable filters, including center frequency and bandwidth tuning of bandpass and band-stop filters are presented. Detailed characterization based on S-parameter data demonstrates very promising figures of merit of all fabricated demonstrators from 5 to 40 GHz.

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