Design and Development of Tunable Comb Line MEMS Filter

This book deals with a relatively new area of radio-frequency (RF) technology based on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS). RF MEMS provides a class of new devices and components which display superior high-frequency performance relative to conventional (usually semiconductor) devices, and which enable new system capabilities. In addition, MEMS devices are designed and fabricated by techniques similar to those of very large-scale integration, and can be manufactured by traditional batch-processing methods. Microwave filters are critical components for electronic warfare, radar and communications systems. But typical tunable filters are bulky, expensive and consume large amounts of power. Radio Frequency MicroElectroMechanicalSystems (RF MEMS) technology provides the possibility of low loss, high linearity filtering in volumes comparable to those of integrated circuits. In this book, the concept is extended to design Radio Frequency (RF) MEMS tunable filters. RF MEMS tunable filters can play an important role in software defined radio architectures by reducing the overall system size and enabling on-chip integration.