Call for papers: Special issue on RF applications of MEMS and micromachining

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 27 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1096-4290
• DOI: 10.1002/mmce.1008

✦ Synopsis

Micromachining is a new paradigm in IC fabrication that has spawned many new developments in a variety of electronic fields. Bulk and surface micromachining techniques are used to create miniature mechanical structures on an integrated circuit called MEMS (microelectromechanical systems). Micromachining and MEMS have created a new generation of small, low power electronic devices, including pressure sensors, accelerometers, IR detectors; and also unique mechanical devices such as gears, wheels, and micromotors on an IC. Fabricating moving mechanical devices with the cost and reproducibility advantages afforded by batch IC processes offers an exciting twist to the established methods for fabricating ICs.

In the past few years, it has become apparent that these innovative techniques can be applied to create RF devices and circuits with significant advantages compared to conventional RF ICs. Micromachined devices and MEMS provide new avenues to create components with lower loss, lower power consumption, and better linearity at RF frequencies and above. Exciting developments in MEMS switches, resonators, inductors, and capacitors have occurred. These, in turn, have enabled demonstrations of ultralow loss phase shifters, tunable microwave filters, and very high-Q transmission lines and resonant filters. These circuits have the potential for creating a significant impact on both commercial and military systems operating at RF and microwave frequencies.

This second special issue (the first was published in July 1999) is devoted exclusively to the design, modeling, development, and application of state-of-the-art MEMS and micromachining technology to RF applications.