Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'RF MEMS and Reconfigurable Antennas'

Reconfigurable antennas are attractive for many military and commercial applications where it is required to have a single antenna that can be dynamically reconfigured to transmit or receive on multiple frequency bands and patterns. RF-MEMS is a promising technology that has the potential to revolutionize RF and microwave system implementation for next generation telecommunication applications. Despite the efforts of top industrial and academic labs, commercialization of RFMEMS switches has lagged expectations. These problems are connected with switch design (high actuation voltage, low restoring force, low power handling), packaging (contamination layers) and actuation control (high impact force, wear, fatique). This Thesis focuses on the design and control of a novel ohmic RF-MEMS switch specified for reconfigurable antennas applications. This new switch design focuses on the failure mechanisms restriction, the simplicity in fabrication, the power handling and consumption, as well as controllability. Finally, significant attention has been paid in the switch’s electromagnetic characteristics. Efficient switch control implies increased reliability. Towards this target three novel control modes are presented. 1) Optimization of a tailored pulse under Taguchi’s statistical method, which produces promising results but is also sensitive to fabrication tolerances. 2) Quantification of resistive damping control mode, which produces better results only during the pull-down phase of the switch while it is possible to be implemented successfully in very stiff devices. 3) The “Hybrid” control mode, which includes both aforementioned techniques, offering outstanding switching control, as well as immunity to fabrication tolerances, allowing an ensemble of switches rendering an antenna reconfigurable, to be used. Another issue that has been addressed throughout this work is the design and optimization of a reconfigurable, in pattern and frequency, three element Yagi-Uda antenna. The optimization of the antenna’s dimensions has been accomplished through the implementation of a novel technique based on Taguchi’s method, capable of systematically searching wider areas, named as “Grid-Taguchi” method.

This project presents a novel copper DC-contact RF-MEMS cantilever switch to operate with microstrip phased array antennas for the main frequency of operation of 12.5GHz. Effective performance, low cost, compact size, and full integration are the main requirements that phased array antennas and RF-MEMS technologies should meet to make an impact on the market. Then, a cost-effective all-monolithically integrated architecture of phased array antenna with RF-MEMS switches on a commercial printed circuit board (PCB) laminate has been developed as a solution. A new manufacturing technique using photolithography processes has been developed for RF-MEMS cantilever switches based on thin copper films (1um-2um) on a PCB to address the cost and full integration requirements. This technique has allowed fabrication of various switches, of which the mechanical and electromagnetic performance have been measured and found to be suitable for operation with phased arrays. The accomplishment of an all-monolithically integrated architecture has been demonstrated by means of simulations, having been able to electronically steer the main beam to different positions with acceptable radiation characteristics at 12.5GHz. Therefore, in this work it has been possible to demonstrate that good performance and cost-effective phased array antennas are potentially viable by monolithically integrating reliable RF-MEMS on commercial PCBs. Having reliable RF-MEMS built on PCB, there is potential to extend the areas of applications of this type of RF-MEMS, not only for phased array antennas but also for other attractive commercial applications. The research carried out in this project, moreover, represents an important contribution for further development of satisfactory RF-MEMS at very low cost for high frequency systems.

This thesis presents the design, fabrication, and measurement of tunable frequency microstrip antennas using RF MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) technology. The integration of RF MEMS components with radiators enable to implement tunable systems due to the adjustable characteristics of RF MEMS components. In the frame of this thesis, different types of structures have been investigated and designed. The first structure consists of a microstrip patch antenna which is loaded with a microstrip stub whose length is controlled by RF MEMS switches. In the other structure, the length of a microstrip patch antenna is changed by connecting a metal plate using RF MEMS switches. The third structure is composed of a microstrip patch antenna and a microstrip stub on which RF MEMS variable capacitors are placed periodically to control the resonant frequency. In order to maintain an easier integration with RF MEMS capacitors, another structure consisting of a microstrip patch antenna and a coplanar waveguide (CPW) stub which is loaded with variable RF MEMS capacitors is designed. The final structure is a dual frequency CPW-fed rectangular slot antenna whose resonant frequencies are shifted by RF MEMS variable capacitors placed on a short circuited stub inserted inwards the antenna. The fabrication of CPW-fed rectangular slot antenna is completed in the MEMS fabrication facilities of METU using RF MEMS process based on electroforming on glass substrate. The measurement results show that RF MEMS components might be a proper solution to obtain tunable frequency antenna structures.

In this thesis 10x10 reconfigurable reflectarray is designed at 26.5 GHz where the change in the progressive phase shift between elements is obtained with RF MEMS switches in the transmission lines of unit elements composed of aperture coupled microstrip patch antenna (ACMPA). The reflectarray is illuminated by a horn antenna, and the reflected beam is designed to switch between broadside and 40°
by considering the position of the horn antenna with respect to the reflectarray. In the design, the transmission line analysis is applied for matching the ACMPA to the free space. The full wave simulation techniques in HFSS are discussed to obtain the phase design curve which is used in determining two sets of transmission line lengths for each element, one for the broadside and the other for switching to the 40°
at 26.5 GHz. The switching between two sets of transmission line lengths is sustained by inserting RF MEMS switches into the transmission lines in each element. Two types of RF MEMS switches, series and shunt configurations, are designed for the switching purpose in the reflectarray. The phase errors due to nonideal phase design curve and type of the RF MEMS switch are reduced. The possible mutual coupling effects of the bias lines used to actuate the RF MEMS switches are also eliminated by the proper design. To show the validity of the design procedure, a prototype of 20x20 reflectarray composed of ACMPA elements is designed at 25GHz and produced using Printed Circuit Board (PCB) technology. The measurement results of the prototype reflectarray show that the main beam can be directed to the 40°
as desired. The process flow for the production of the reconfigurable reflectarray is suggested in terms of integration of the wafer bonding step with the in-house standard surface micromachined RF MEMS process.

Ce mémoire traite de l'étude d'antennes reconfigurables à base de MEMS RF. L'approche retenue est la diversité de diagramme de rayonnement de la station de base et du mobile. Elle peut être particulièrement intéressante dans un environnement indoor (à l'intérieur d'un bâtiment) pour lutter contre les évanouissements provoqués par les réflexions multiples et augmenter la portée des systèmes, ce qui optimise les bilans de liaison améliore les débits de transmission, l'autonomie et permet par ailleurs d'augmenter le nombre d'utilisateurs en diminuant les interférences entre eux. Un état de l'art des solutions d'antennes reconfigurables ainsi qu'une introduction des MEMS RF est présentée. Ces composants présentent à la fois des performances RF très élevées, une linéarité accrue, pour un encombrement, un poids et une consommation de puissance bien plus faible que leurs équivalents à semiconducteurs. Ces avantages deviennent encore plus évidents aux fréquences millimétriques où de nouvelles applications émergent. De plus, ils peuvent être intégrés à des circuits en technologie CMOS sur du silicium ou encore fabriqués sur de nombreux substrats avec l'antenne. Les développements essentiels de cette étude sont la mise en oeuvre d'une méthode de modélisation et d'optimisation de réseaux à éléments parasites afin de former des diagrammes dépointés et l'intégration, via des modèles électriques équivalents, d'interrupteurs microélectromécaniques radiofréquences (MEMS RF) afin de rendre ces antennes reconfigurables en diagramme de rayonnement. Il s'est en effet avéré qu'il était nécessaire de modéliser ces systèmes afin de développer une démarche de conception efficace des réseaux à antennes parasite commutées. Suite à ces efforts de modélisation, des prototypes d'antennes passifs ont été réalisés et mesurés, permettant de valider la méthode de conception. Un prototype actif utilisant des composants MEMS RF a ensuite été développé. Des antennes à formation de faisceaux ont également été développées sur la base de cellules comDosées chacune d'une antenne reconfiaurable constituant un sous réseau d'un réseau Dlus larae
This thesis deals with the study of RF MEMS based reconfigurable antennas. The considered approach is the radiation pattern diversity for mobile and base station. It revea'ls itself an interesting diversity scheme especially in indoor conditions as it enables link budget optimization, and provides a way to reduce fading in multipath environments, raise up data rate and meanwhile the number of users by reducing interferences between them. A state-of-the-art about reconfigurable antennas solutions along with an introduction to RF MEMS is presented. These components show high RF performances, great linearity, along with much reduced power consumption compared to their equivalent solid-state devices. These advantages become even more obvious at millimeterwave frequencies, where new applications are emerging. Ln. Addition, they can be integrated with CMOS circuits on silicon or fabricated with the antenna on various substrates. The main developments in this study are. The implementation of a modeling and optimizing method of parasitic antenna arrays and the integration in these antennas, through equivalent electrical models, of radiofrequency microelectromechanichal (MEMS RF) switches, in order to reconfigure their radiation patterns. It indeed reveals itself necessary to model these systems in order to have a reliable, efficient design of switched parasitic array antennas. Beyond these modeling efforts, passive antenna prototypes haves been realized and measured, validating the whole design method. An active prototype, integrating RF MEMS devices have then be developed. The problem of modeling and integrating these RF MEMS devices in antennas has then been tackled. Beam forming antennas have eventually been developed, based on reconfigurable antenna cells, each forming a subarra of a laraer arrav

This dissertation presents the research on several different projects. The first project is a via-less CPW RF probe pad to microstrip transition; The second, the third, and the fourth one are reconfigurable microwave circuits using RF MEMS switches: an X-band reconfigurable bandstop filter for wireless RF frontends, an X-band reconfigurable impedance tuner for a class-E high efficiency power amplifier using RF MEMS switches, and a reconfigurable self-similar antenna using RF MEMS switches. The first project was developed in order to facilitate the on-wafer measurement for the second and the third project, since both of them are microstrip transmission line based microwave circuits. A thorough study of the via-less CPW RF probe pad to microstrip transition on silicon substrates was performed and general design rules are derived to provide design guidelines. This research work is then expanded to W-band via-less transition up to 110 GHz. The second project is to develop a low power reconfigurable monolithic bandstop filter operating at 8, 10, 13, and 15 GHz with cantilever beam capacitive MEMS switches. The filter contains microstrip lines and radial stubs that provide different reactances at different frequencies. By electrically actuating different MEMS switches, the different reactances from different radial stubs connecting to these switches will be selected, thus, the filter will resonate at different frequencies. The third project is to develop a monolithic reconfigurable impedance tuner at 10 GHz with the cantilever DC contact MEMS switch. The impedance tuner is a two port network based on a 3bit-3bit digital design, and uses 6 radial shunt stubs that can be selected via integrated DC contact MEMS switches. By selecting different states of the switches, there will be a total of 2^6 = 64 states, which means 64 different impedances will be generated at the output port of the tuner. This will provide a sufficient tuning range for the output port of the power amplifier to maximize the power efficiency. The last project is to integrate the DC contact RF MEMS switches with self-similar planar antennas, to provide a reconfigurable antenna system that radiates with similar patterns over a wide range of frequencies.

Dual band (K and Ka) electronically scanning reflectarray with RF MEMS switches is designed, implemented and measured. Unit cell of the reflect array is composed of conductor backed split-ring elements. In order to steer the beam, the phase of the incident circularly polarized wave is controlled by RF MEMS switches that modify the angular orientation of split-rings individually. Reflectarray is designed using unit cell approach with periodic boundary conditions. The antenna is fabricated by using surface micromachining process developed in METU MEMS Center. Radiation patterns of the antenna are measured and compared with the simulations. It has been shown that the reflectarray is capable of beam switching to 35°
in Ka band, 24°
in K band.

This thesis work builds on the concept of reconfiguring the antenna properties (frequency, polarization, radiation pattern) using Radio Frequency (RF) Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS). This is a part of the overall research performed at the RF Micro/Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (uNeMS) Laboratory at Utah State University, which includes design, microfabrication, test, and characterization of uNeMS integrated cognitive wireless communication systems (Appendix A). In the first step, a compact and broadband Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA) is designed with a goal to accommodate reconfigurability at a later stage. Then, a Frequency Reconfigurable Antenna (FRA) is designed using MEMS switches to switch between the Public Safety (PS) bands, 152-162 MHz and 406-512 MHz, while maintaining the integrity of radiation pattern for each band. Finally, robust mechanical designs of the RF MEMS switches accompanied by different analyses have been performed. These analyses are instrumental in obtaining high yield, reliable, robust microfabrication processes including thin film metal deposition and patterning.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006.
John Papapolymerou, Committee Chair ; Joy Laskar, Committee Member ; John Cressler, Committee Member ; Alan Doolittle, Committee Member ; Clifford Henderson, Committee Member.

Els serveis de telecomunicacions i sistemes radar estan migrant a freqüències mil•limètriques (MMW), on es disposa d 'una major amplada de banda i conseqüentment d'una major velocitat de transmissió de dades. Aquesta migració requereix de l'ús de diferents tecnologies amb capacitat d'operar a la banda de freqüències mil•limètriques (30 a 300 Ghz), i més concretament en les bandes Ka (26,5 - 40GHz), V (50 – 75GHz) i W (75 – 110GHz). En moltes aplicacions i sobretot en aquelles on l'antena forma part d'un dispositiu mòbil, es cerca poder utilitzar antenes planes, caracteritzades per tenir unes dimensions reduïdes i un baix cost de fabricació. El conjunt de requeriments es pot resumir en obtenir una antena amb capacitat de reconfigurabilitat i amb un baix nivell de pèrdues en cada una de les bandes de freqüència. Per tal d'afrontar aquests reptes, les dimensions de les antenes mil•limètriques, juntament amb els tipus de materials, toleràncies de fabricació i la capacitat de reconfigurabilitat ens porten a l'ús de processos de microfabricació. L'objectiu d'aquesta tesis doctoral és l'anàlisi dels conceptes mencionats, tipus de materials, geometries de línia de transmissió i interruptors, en el context de les freqüències mil•limètriques, així com la seva aplicació final en dissenys d'antenes compatibles amb els processos de microfabricació. Finalment, com a demostració s'han presentat dissenys específics utilitzables en tres aplicacions a freqüències mil•limètriques: Sistemes de Comunicació per Satèl•lit (SCS) a la banda Ka, Xarxes d'àrea personal inalàmbriques (WPAN) a la banda V i sistemes radar per l'automoció a la banda W. La primera part d'aquesta tesis consisteix en l'anàlisi d'algunes tecnologies circuitals a freqüències mil•limètriques. S'han presentat els materials més utilitzats a altes freqüències (Polytetrafluoroethylene or Teflon (PTFE), Quartz, Benzocyclobuten polymer (BCB) i Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC)) i s'han comparat en termes de permitivitat i tangent de pèrdues. També s'inclou un estudi de pèrdues a altes freqüències en les principals línies de transmissió (microstrip, stripline i CPW). Finalment, es presenta un resum dels interruptors RF-MEMS i es comparen amb els PIN diodes i els FET. En la segona part, es presenten diferents agrupacions d'antenes amb la capacitat de reconfigurar la polarització i la direcció d'apuntament. S'han dissenyat dos elements base reconfigurables en polarització: CPW Patch antena i 4-Qdime antena. La primera antena consisteix en un element singular amb interruptors RF-MEMS, dissenyada per operar a les bandes Ka i V. La segona antena consisteix en una arquitectura composta on la reconfigurabilitat en polarització s'obté mitjançant variant la fase d'alimentació de cada un dels quatre elements lineals. La fase és controlada mitjançant interruptors RF-MEMS ubicats en la xarxa de distribució. L'antena 4-Qdime s'ha dissenyat per operar en les bandes V i W. Ambdós elements base s'han utilitzat posteriorment pel disseny de dues agrupacions d'antenes amb capacitat de reconfigurar l'apuntament del feix principal. La reconfigurabilitat es dur a terme utilitzant desfasadors de fase d'1 bit. La part final de la tesis es centra en les toleràncies de fabricació i en els processo de microfabricació d'agrupacions d'antenes mil•limètriques. Les toleràncies de fabricació s'han estudiat en funció dels error d'amplitud i fase en cada element de l'agrupació, fixant-se en les pèrdues de guany, error d'apuntament, error en l'amplada de feix, errors en el nivell de lòbul secundari i en l'error en la relació axial. El procés de microfabricació de les diferents antenes dissenyades es presenta en detall. Els dissenys de l'antena CPW Patch reconfigurable en polarització i apuntament operant a les bandes Ka i V, s'han fabricat en la sala blanca del Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility (CNF). Posteriorment, s'han caracteritzat l'aïllament i el temps de resposta dels interruptors RF-MEMS, i finalment, el coeficient de reflexió, el diagrama de radiació i la relació axial s'han mesurat a les bandes Ka i V per les antenes configurades en polarització lineal (LP) i circular (CP).
Telecommunication services and radar systems are migrating to Millimeter-wave (MMW) frequencies, where wider bandwidths are available. Such migration requires the use of different technologies with the capability to operate at the MMW frequency band (30 to 300GHz), and more specifically at Ka- (26.5 to 40GHz), V- (50 to 75GHz) and W-band (75 to 110GHz). For many applications and more concretely those where the antenna is part of a mobile device, it is targeted the use of planar antennas for their low profile and low fabrication cost. A wide variety of requirements is translated into a reconfiguration capability and low losses within each application frequency bandwidth. To deal with the mentioned challenges, the MMW antenna dimensions, together with the materials, fabrication tolerances and reconfigurability capability lead to microfabrication processes. The aim of this thesis is the analysis of the mentioned concepts, materials, transmission lines geometries and switches in the MMW frequencies context and their final application in antenna designs compatible with microfabrication. Finally, specific designs are presented as a demonstration for three MMW applications: Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) at Ka-band, Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) at V-band and Automotive Radar at W-band. The first part of this thesis consist to analyze some MMW circuit technologies. The four most used materials at MMW frequencies (Polytetrafluoroethylene or Teflon (PTFE), Quartz, Benzocyclobuten polymer (BCB) and Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC)) have been presented and compared in terms of permittivity (εr) and loss tangent (tanδ). An study of the main transmission lines attenuation (microstrip, stripline and CPW) at high frequencies is included. Finally, an overview of the RF-MEMS switches is presented in comparison with PIN diodes and FETS switches. The second part presents different polarization and beam pointing reconfigurable array antennas. Two polarization-reconfigurable base-elements have been designed: CPW Patch antenna and 4-Qdime antenna. The first consists of a single reconfigurable element with integrated RF-MEMS switches, designed to operate at Ka- and V-band. The second antenna presented in this thesis has a composed architecture where the polarization reconfigurability is obtained by switching the phase feeding for each of the four linear polarized elements in the feed network with RF-MEMS switches. The 4-Qdime antenna has been designed to operate at V- and W-band. The two base-elements have been used to design two beam pointing reconfigurable antenna arrays. Using phased array techniques, beamsteering is computed and implemented with 1-bit discrete phase-shifter. The final part of the thesis is focused into the fabrication tolerances and microfabrication process of Millimeter-wave antenna arrays. The fabrication tolerances have been studied as a function of the amplitude and phase errors presented at each elements array, focusing on the gain loss, beam pointing error, Half-Power Beamwidth (HPBW) error, sidelobe level error and axial ratio error. The microfabrication process for the designed antennas is presented in detail. Polarization- and pointing- reconfigurable CPW Patch antenna operating at Ka- and V- band have been fabricated in a clean-room facility at Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility (CNF). The RF-MEMS switches isolation and time response have been characterized. Finally, the reflection coefficient, radiation pattern and axial ratio have been measured at Ka- and V-band for the fabricated antennas configured in Linear Polarization (LP) and Circular Polarization (CP).

ITC/USA 2005 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-First Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 24-27, 2005 / Riviera Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Reconfigurable patch antenna integrated with RF mircoelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches is presented in this paper. The proposed antenna radiates circularly polarized wave at selectable dual frequencies (4.7 GHz and 7.5GHz) of high frequency ratio (1.6:1). The switches are incorporated into the diagonally-fed square patch for controlling the operation frequency, and a rectangular stub attached to the edge of the patch acts as the perturbation to produce the circular polarization. Gain of proposed antenna is 5 - 6dBi, and axial ratio satisfies 3dB criterion at both operating frequencies. The switches are monolithically integrated on quartz substrate. The antenna can be used in applications requiring frequency diversity of remarkable high frequency ratio.

De nos jours, les antennes sont de plus en plus complexes en raison notamment de la nécessité de réaliser une reconfigurabilité en fréquence et/ou en diagramme. Les réseaux réflecteurs et les surfaces sélectives en fréquence sont des candidats particulièrement intéressants pour couvrir les besoins actuels. Cependant, en raison de leur grande taille et de la complexité géométrique croissante de leurs cellules élémentaires, l‘analyse électromagnétique complète de ces structures rayonnantes nécessite énormément de ressources informatiques (mémoire) et exige des temps de calcul prohibitifs, notamment lorsque des éléments de commande tels que des MEMS-RF sont intégrés au sein des cellules. Les techniques numériques classiques basées sur un maillage (spatial ou spectral) systématique ne parviennent pas à simuler de manière efficace de telles structures multi-échelles et nécessitent souvent des ressources informatiques difficiles d’accès pour le concepteur d'antennes. Une technique originale baptisée « Scale Changing Technique (SCT) » tente de résoudre ce problème en segmentant le réseau en de multiples domaines imbriqués les uns dans les autres et présentant divers niveaux d'échelle. Le multi-pôle par changement d’échelle, appelé « Scale Changing Network (SCN) », modélise le couplage électromagnétique entre deux niveaux d’échelle successifs. Ce multi-pôle peut être calculé en résolvant les équations de Maxwell à partir d’une Formulation par Equations Intégrales. La mise en cascade des multi-pôles par changement d’échelle permet alors le calcul de la matrice impédance (ou admittance) de surface du réseau complet. Cette matrice peut à son tour être utilisée pour simuler la diffusion électromagnétique d’une onde incidente par le réseau. Le calcul des différents multi-pôles par changement d’échelle peut être effectué séparément de sorte que le temps de simulation du réseau complet peut être considérablement réduit en parallélisant le calcul. Par ailleurs, la modification de la géométrie de la structure à une échelle donnée, lors de la phase de conception, nécessite seulement le calcul de deux multi-pôles par changement d’échelle et ne requiert pas une nouvelle simulation de toute la structure. Cette caractéristique fait de la SCT un outil de conception modulaire. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, la SCT a permis de tenir compte de la taille finie des réseaux et de modéliser efficacement les couplages électromagnétiques entre les cellules élémentaires. Des réseaux réflecteurs uniformes et non uniformes ont été simulés par la SCT et les performances numériques de la méthode ont été analysées
Future antenna architectures especially for space applications are becoming more and more complex due to the need of reconfigurability. This reconfigurability is needed in terms of frequency, reliability, radiation pattern and power consumption. In this context, reflectarrays and frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) are particularly the hottest domains of RF design. The accurate analysis of electromagnetic (EM) scattering from such type of complex finite-sized reflectarray antenna structures is of great practical interest. However due to their large electrical size and complex cellular patterns specially when tuning elements such as RF-MEMS are also integrated within the array elements, conventional full-wave EM analysis of such multiscale structures either fail or require enormous amount of computational resources to resolve prohibitively large number of unknowns. Moreover the characterization of large structures would normally require a second step for optimization and fine-tuning of several design parameters, as the initial design procedure assumes several approximations. Therefore a full-wave analysis of the initial design of complete structure is necessary prior to fabrication to ensure that the performance conforms to the design requirements. A modular analysis technique which is capable of incorporating geometrical changes at individual cell-level without the need to rerun the entire simulation is extremely desirable at this stage. An indigenous technique called Scale Changing Technique (SCT) addresses this problem by partitioning the cellular reflectarray geometry in numerous nested domains and subdomains defined at different scale-levels in the array plane. Multi-modal networks, called Scale Changing Networks (SCNs), are then computed to model the electromagnetic interactions between any two successive partitions by method of moments (MoM) based integral equation approach. The cascade of these networks allows the computation of the equivalent surface impedance matrix of the complete array which in turn is utilized to compute far-field radiation patterns. Full-wave analysis of both passive and active (electronically tunable by RF-MEMS) reflectarrays has successfully been performed by the SCT while utilizing very small amount of computational resources as compared to conventional full wave methods. Moreover, to speed up the SCT modeling of the reflectarrays, equivalent electrical circuit models have been extracted and applied for individual design and optimization of the reflectarray phase shifter elements

One of the demands for future wireless communication systems is higher data rates. New applications demand higher data rates and higher data rates give the service providers the possibility to offer new services. To achieve higher data rates the concept of MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) systems has emerged. The basic principle behind MIMO is to use multiple antennas in contrast to the currently deployed systems mostly based on single antenna systems. The handheld devices need to be small and at the same time ver- satile due to the mobility of the user. To improve the overall performance following the MIMO paradigm, several antenna elements may be introduced on each handheld device. Requiring one feed chain per antenna element, this would result in a considerable increase in space, cost, and complexity and makes the implementation of large MIMO systems a difficult task. One way to overcome the setbacks is the use of reconfigurable antennas. For a fixed number of antenna elements in an antenna array, the choice of reconfigurable elements will increase the number of possibilities. The reconfigurability is preferably achieved by integrating switches with the antenna to save space. RF-MEMS (Radio Frequency Microelectromechanical Systems) switches be- long to a relatively new concept with advantages such as having low loss, better bandwidth properties, and demanding low actuation voltage. In this thesis, two different topics are treated related to wireless com- munication. Part I presents four different reconfigurable MEMS integrated antennas for MIMO applications. A frequency reconfigurable meander slot antenna, a polarization reconfigurable PIFA, and a frequency reconfigurable PIFA are presented followed by a pattern reconfigurable monopole array. Sim- ulation and measurement results are presented along with brief discussions on the topic of antenna selection with reconfigurable antenna elements. In addi- tion, channel measurements are presented for the reconfigurable array with an analysis of the impact of the reconfigurable antenna on the wireless channel. Part II presents an estimator for the coupling matrix of an antenna ar- ray with two slightly different approaches. In adaptive antenna arrays, signal processing is used as a basis for decisions. An accurate estimate of the in- coming signal is therefore of importance. As part of that, the modelling of the antenna array is crucial. Otherwise, the estimated signal could be biased and the decision made based on that will deviate from the optimal choice. Assuming ideal behavior by the antenna array when estimating the incoming signal is typically something that leads to results that deviate from the op- timum and reduces the performance. One of the major contributors to the non-ideal behavior is the mutual coupling between the antenna elements of the array. The coupling matrix is introduced and represents the interaction between the different antenna elements of an antenna array, called mutual coupling. To model a non-isotropic behavior, another matrix is introduced representing the element factor. A possible shift relative to the phase center of the array may occur because of difficulties finding the true phase center, which is also modelled with a matrix. The problem discussed in Part II of this thesis is that of finding the coupling matrix using the matrix based model. When the coupling matrix is found, a more accurate estimate of the signal is possible leading to improved performance. The introduction of the element factor and phase center representations improve the accuracy of the coupling matrix estimation, which is seen in the subsequent analysis of the estimator. CRB is derived and discussed in terms of parameter cost.
QC 20100803

In this thesis, two different topics are treated related to wireless communication. Part I presents three different reconfigurable MEMS integrated antennas for MIMO applications. Simulation and measurement results are presented along with brief discussions on the topic of antenna selection with reconfigurable antenna elements. Part II presents an estimator for the coupling matrix of an antenna array with two slightly different approaches. CRB is derived and discussed in terms of parameter cost.

This thesis presents design, fabrication and testing of a number of multi-frequency band microstrip-fed re-configurable microstrip patch antennas. All re-configurable antennas are designed to change from one resonance frequency to another by an electronic control of RF MEMS switches, one at a time. Besides a fixed size slot on the patch, switches are placed in insets for satisfying better input match at each resonance frequency individually. Also some switches are placed into the slot for adding another resonance frequency to change the effective slot-length like effective inset length changing.To actuate the RF MEMS switches in the configured way, DC-stubs are also designed to apply required potential difference between switch ports and the carrier. These stubs exhibit RF-open at switch side to prevent any RF leakage, and DCground on the other side. That RF short-to-open conversion is accomplished together with feed structure
with a taper depending on the feed network selected. All devices introduced here are built by Microwave Research Group in Electrical and Electronics Department, Middle East Technical University. Depending on the sensitivity of structure, some devices are built by RF MEMS group in Microelectronic Production Plant for MEMS (METU &
#8211
MET) during the thesis study. Therefore this study is the continuation of the first national work on fabrication of RF MEMS devices.

Recently, reconfigurable antennas have attracted significant interest due to their high adaptation with changing system requirements and environmental conditions. Reconfigurable antennas have the ability to change their radiation pattern, frequency or polarization independently according to the application requirements. In this thesis, three different reconfigurable antenna structures have been designed
beam-steerable meanderline antenna, dual circularly polarized meanderline antenna and dual-frequency slot-dipole array. Traveling wave meanderline antenna arrays are investigated in detail and a beam-steerable traveling wave meanderline antenna array has been introduced for X-band applications. Beam-steering capability of the antenna array has been achieved by loading the antenna elements with varactor diodes. Theoretical analysis and computer simulations of the proposed antenna have been verified with experimental results. Radiation direction of the 8-element meanderline array can be rotated 10°
by changing the varactor diode&rsquo
s bias voltage from 0V up to 20V. Also, a polarization-agile meanderline antenna array has been designed and simulated. Polarization of the circularly polarized meanderline array can be altered between right hand circularly polarized and left hand circularly polarized by using RF MEMS switches. The third type of reconfigurable antenna investigated in this thesis is a dual frequency slot-dipole array operating at X- and Ka-band. Electrical length of the slot dipoles has been tuned by using RF MEMS switches. Antenna prototypes have been manufactured for &lsquo
on&rsquo
and &lsquo
off&rsquo
states of RF MEMS switches and it has been shown that the operating frequency can be changed between 10 GHz and 15.4 GHz.

Cette thèse démontre la faisabilité de l'utilisation de la technologie Nitrure de Gallium (GaN) dans les systèmes RF / micro-ondes reconfigurables. Les principales caractéristiques de ce type de technologie des semi-conducteurs se résident dans ses capacités de supporter des puissances élevées avec un rendement aussi élevé. En outre, la technologie GaN est un candidat très prometteur pour la réalisation des applications haute puissance/haute fréquence. Le travail de cette thèse est divisé en deux parties principales. La première est consacrée au développement, à l’analyse et à la caractérisation en DC et en RF jusqu'à 20 GHz des circuits actifs réalisés à base de la technologie GaN, tels que les diodes varicap et les commutateurs. Les diodes varicap fabriquées ont été modélisées en petit et grand signal par des équations analytiques contenant des coefficients empiriques ainsi un modèle en circuit a été développé, tandis aux commutateurs, un modèle de circuit en petit signal a été proposé. Ces composants actifs ont été réalisés en utilisant les processus GaN HEMTs de fabrication offerts par le Conseil National de Recherches du Canada (CNRC). La deuxième partie aborde les aspects de l'intégration de ces dispositif actifs GaN et de la conception des circuits reconfigurables proposés, tels que déphaseur reconfigurable, -3dB 90° coupleur hybride reconfigurable, oscillateur accordable en fréquence, commutation de faisceau et accordabilité en fréquence d’un réseau d'antennes patch tout en utilisant ces diodes varicap et commutateur GaN développées au fil de cette thèse. A travers cette thèse, l'utilisation de la technologie GaN pour la conception des designs RF reconfigurables en fréquence pour les applications fonctionnant au-dessous de 10 GHz a été démontrée
This thesis demonstrates the feasibility of using the Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology in reconfigurable RF/microwave systems. The main features of this type of semiconductor technology being its high power with high efficiency. In addition, GaN technology is a very promising candidate for realizing high power/high frequency applications. The thesis work is divided in two main parts. The first one is devoted to active GaN devices, such as varactor diodes and switches, development, analyze and characterization via DC and RF up to 20 GHz. The fabricated varactor were modeled by analytic equations containing empirical coefficients and also a physic circuit model was developed, while for the switches only a small signal physic circuit model was proposed. These GaN devices was manufactured by using the Canadian National Research Council (NRC) GaN HEMTs processes. The second part addresses the integration and design aspects of the reconfigurable proposed circuits, such as tunable phase shifter, reconfigurable 3-dB 90° hybrid coupler, tunable frequency oscillator, beam switching antenna array and matching reconfigurable patch antenna based on these developed GaN varactors and switches devices. The use of GaN on highly efficient reconfigurable designs for broadband RF/microwave applications operating below 10 GHz was demonstrated

This thesis presents the theory, design, fabrication, and measurement results of novel reconfigurable impedance tuner, phase shifter, and vector modulators using the RF MEMS technology. The presented circuits are based on triple stub topology, and it is shown both theoretically and experimentally in this thesis that it is possible to control the insertion phase and amplitude of the input signal simultaneously using this topology. The presented circuits are implemented using an in-house, surface micromachining fabrication process developed at METU, namely METU RF MEMS Fabrication Process, which is implemented using six masks on quartz substrates. The RF MEMS impedance tuner is designed to operate in 6-20 GHz frequency band, and it covers the Smith Chart with 1331 impedance points. The measurement results of 729 impedance points of the fabricated impedance tuner show that a wide Smith Chart coverage is obtained in the entire band. The RF MEMS phase shifter is designed to cover 0-360 degrees range 10 degree steps at 15 GHz center frequency. The measurement results of the fabricated phase shifter show that the average phase error is 1.7 degrees, the average insertion loss is -3.1 dB, and the average return loss is -19.3 dB for the measured 21 phase states. The phase shifter can also work up to 30 GHz and 40 GHz with average insertion losses of -5 dB and -8 dB, respectively. The designed RF MEMS vector modulator operates in 22.5-27.5 GHz band, and it has 3 amplitude and 8 phase states. The measurement results of the fabricated vector modulator show that the amplitude error is 0.5 dB, the phase error is 4 degrees, and the return loss is -15 dB on average among the 24 measured states at each of 22.5, 25, and 27.5 GHz frequencies.

For this thesis, the use of Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) as a system-level substrate and packaging material is investigated. Early in the research, recipes for fabricating on LCP were developed. With this knowledge, RF components were able to be fabricated. These devices include filters, antennas, phase shifters, and RF MEMS switches. To investigate the potential of using LCP as a system-level material, packaging properties and robustness were tested. This research demonstrated that LCP could be used to package something as small and delicate as an individual switch or as large as a 4-inch wafer. In addition, it was shown that MEMS switches could survive well over a hundred million cycles. This demonstrated that LCP could be used to create reliable, high performance systems. The culmination of this research was used to create two variations of a communication module. The first device was fabricated on one layer and a multi-layer approach was taken for the other device. These modules needed to be low-cost, low-loss, flexible, and capable of beam steering. This technology can be used for communication, sensing, detection, and surveillance for a broad scope of applications. To this date, they are by far the most sophisticated SOP on LCP ever achieved. This technology can be further developed to include more functionality, smaller size, and even better performance.

L'émergence d'applications aux fréquences millimétriques et sub-millimétriques a conduit à une augmentation significative du nombre d'utilisateurs du spectre de fréquence et, par conséquent, des contraintes sur les performances des dispositifs en termes de pertes, de bande passante, de réjection hors bande, notamment pour les filtres. Afin d'adapter ces systèmes à plusieurs standards tout en réduisant les coûts de production, on assiste à la multiplication de fonctions reconfigurables en fréquence. Nos travaux ont consisté à déterminer la technologie la mieux adaptée à la réalisation de filtres reconfigurables en bande millimétrique. Les topologies proposées, ainsi que leurs synthèses associées, autorisent une excursion en fréquence importante tout en conservant un bon niveau d'adaptation. La pertinence des concepts proposés est illustrée par la réalisation d'un résonateur accordable de la bande W (94 GHz) à la bande V (60 GHz) à partir de MEMS RF répondant à des critères de performances et de fiabilité
The emergence of applications in millimetre- and sub-millimetre-frequency range led to a significant increase in the number of users of the frequency spectrum and, therefore, in the constraints on the devices performances in terms of losses, bandwidth and out-of-band rejection, especially for filters. Since the systems have to meet for several standards requirements while reducing costs of production, we are attending to the multiplication for frequency reconfigurable functions. Our studies consist of determining the best technology suited to the implementation of reconfigurable filters in millimetre-wave. The proposed topologies as well as their associated synthesis allow an important frequency excursion while maintaining a good matching level. The relevance of the proposed concepts is illustrated by the realization of a tuneable resonator between W-band (94 GHz) and V-band (60 GHz) using RF MEMS fulfilling the performance and reliability criteria

L'émergence d'applications aux fréquences millimétriques et sub-millimétriques a conduit à une augmentation significative du nombre d'utilisateurs du spectre de fréquence et, par conséquent, des contraintes sur les performances des dispositifs en termes de pertes, de bande passante, de réjection hors bande, notamment pour les filtres. Afin d'adapter ces systèmes à plusieurs standards tout en réduisant les coûts de production, on assiste à la multiplication de fonctions reconfigurables en fréquence. Nos travaux ont consisté à déterminer la technologie la mieux adaptée à la réalisation de filtres reconfigurables en bande millimétrique. Les topologies proposées, ainsi que leurs synthèses associées, autorisent une excursion en fréquence importante tout en conservant un bon niveau d'adaptation. La pertinence des concepts proposés est illustrée par la réalisation d'un résonateur accordable de la bande W (94 GHz) à la bande V (60 GHz) à partir de MEMS RF répondant à des critères de performances et de fiabilité.

Cette thèse présente la conception, réalisation et mesure d’un réseau d’antennes reconfigurable dans la bande 3,4-3,8 GHz. Le réseau actif est composé de 16 dipôles à double polarisation qui peuvent rayonner un faisceau pouvant dépointer dans un plan sur un secteur angulaire de ±45°. Grâce à l’utilisation d’un générateur de signaux arbitraires, deux faisceaux pointant dans deux directions peuvent être rayonnés simultanément à deux fréquences différentes et reconfigurés à souhait. Ce réseau peut être vu comme un candidat pour de futurs systèmes de communication terrestre. Deux opérateurs mobiles pourraient alors partager le même réseau d’antennes. Les étapes de la conception du réseau sont détaillées progressivement, de l’élément unitaire, vers le réseau passif, puis reconfigurable par paquets, pour finir par le réseau complètement reconfigurable. La conception du réseau a eu pour ligne directrice la réduction de consommation d’énergie. Ainsi, des outils de synthèse ont été développés pour exploiter au mieux les caractéristiques de consommation des amplificateurs utilisés. De nombreux résultats de mesure valident les performances en rayonnement du réseau à chaque étape intermédiaire. De plus, ils montrent la réduction de consommation d’énergie réalisée et valident ainsi expérimentalement l’intérêt pratique des outils de synthèse développés
This thesis is dedicated to the design, manufacturing and characterization of a reconfigurable antenna array in the 3.4-3.8 GHz band. The active array is composed of 16 dual polarized dipoles that are able to radiate a beam steerable from ± 45° in a plane. Thanks to an arbitrary waveform generator, two beams can be radiated in two directions at two different frequencies simultaneously and can be reconfigured at will. This array can be seen as a candidate for future terrestrial communication systems. Two mobile network operators could then share the same antenna array. The steps of the array design are detailed showing the progression from the single antenna, to the passive array, the reconfigurable array by cluster to finish with the fully reconfigurable array. The array design has been driven by the reduction of the energy consumption. For that purpose, array synthesis tools have been developed to leverage at best the consumption characteristics of amplifiers. A number of measurement results validate experimentally the array radiation performances at each step of the design. Moreover, they demonstrate the achieved reduction of energy consumption and thus validate experimentally the practical interest of the developed synthesis tools

A comprehensive study of the High-pass/Low-pass topology has been performed, increasing the understanding of error sources arising from bit layout issues and fabrication tolerances. This included a detailed analysis of error sources in monolithic microwave phase shifters due to device size limitations, inductor parasitics, loading effects, and non-ideal switches. Each component utilized in the implementation of a monolithic high-low pass phase shifter was analyzed, with its influence on phase behavior shown in detail. An emphasis was placed on the net impact on absolute phase variation, which is critical to the system performance of a phased array radar system. The design of the individual phase shifter filter sections, and the influence of bit ordering on overall performance was also addressed. A variety of X-band four- and five-bit phase shifters were fabricated in a 200 GHz SiGe HBT BiCMOS technology platform, and further served to validate the analysis and design methodology. The SiGe phase shifter can be successfully incorporated into a single-chip T/R module forming a system-on-a-chip (SoC). Reduction in the physical size of transmission lines was shown to be a possibility with spinel magnetic nanoparticle films. The signal transmission properties of phase lines treated with nanoparticle thin films were examined, showing the potential for significant size reduction in both delay line and High-pass/Low-pass phase topologies. Wide-band, low-loss, and near-hermetic packaging techniques for RF MEMS devices were presented. A thermal compression bonding technique compatible with standard IC fabrication techniques was shown, that uses a low temperature thermal compression bonding method that avoids plastic deformations of the MEMS membrane. Ultimately, a system-on-a-package (SoP) approach was demonstrated that utilized packaged RF MEMS switches to maintain the performance of the SiGe phase shifter with much lower loss. The extremely competitive performance of the MEMS-based High-pass/Low-pass phase shifter, despite the lack of the extensive toolkits and commercial fabrication facilities employed with the active-based SiGe phase shifters, confirms both the effectiveness of the detailed phase error analysis presented in this work and the robust nature of the High-pass/Low-pass topology.

A system packaging level approach on liquid crystal polymer (LCP) was proposed for low cost, lightweight, and compact wireless communication systems. Via technology was explored for V-band W-band transitions and an active cooling system that are essential for compact multilayer integration. RF MEMS switches were fabricated and integrated at the component level to enable multi-functional devices with optimal performance. A pattern reconfigurable antenna for MIMO applications and 3D phase shifters for phased array antennas that use RF MEMS switches were presented. In addition, a lightweight expandable array was designed and measured with up to 256 elements on multilayer LCP integrated at the system level. Furthermore, a 60 GHz multilayer transceiver front end device with simultaneous transmit and receive was designed and measured for low cost 60 GHz applications. The wide variety of multilayer LCP applications integrated at the system level shows a promising future for the next generation low cost lightweight wireless communication systems.

Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse sont une contribution à l'étude d'antennes reconfigurables à base de MEMS en intégration hétérogène 3D pour les systèmes de communication millimétriques. Ces travaux de thèse s'inscrivent dans le cadre d'un projet ANR nommé SIPCOM (Intégration hétérogène 3D (System-In-Package) pour objets communicants en gamme millimétrique), qui concerne l'intégration hétérogène d'un microsystème intelligent communicant à 60GHz. Au cours de ce manuscrit, nous proposons la réalisation d'antennes sur membrane selon 3 technologies. Dans un premier temps, une nouvelle technologie simple et bas coût basée sur un empilement de FR4 et de Pyralux ainsi qu'un nouveau concept d'antenne patch sur membrane alimentée par un guide d'onde intégré via une fente de couplage sont présentés. Dans un second temps, ce nouveau concept d'antenne a été adapté afin de pouvoir l'intégrer au module SiP réalisé en technologie Silicium / BCB. Enfin, la troisième technologie basée sur des substrats de quartz permet de démontrer la faisabilité d'une antenne à balayage électronique pour laquelle chaque excitateur est intégré dans le design d'un déphaseur à base de MEMS permettant de s'affranchir des interconnexions par bonding entre le déphaseur et la partie antennaire.

This thesis presents various integrated antenna solutions for different types of systems and applications, e.g. wireless sensors, broadband handsets, advanced base stations, MEMS-based reconfigurable front-ends, automotive anti-collision radars, and large area electronics. For wireless sensor applications, a T-matched dipole is proposed and integrated in an electrically small body-worn sensor node. Measurement techniques are developed to characterize the port impedance and radiation properties. Possibilities and limitations of the planar inverted cone antenna (PICA) for small handsets are studied experimentally. Printed slot-type and folded PICAs are demonstrated for UWB handheld terminals. Both monolithic and hybrid integration are applied for electrically steerable array antennas. Compact phase shifters within a traveling wave array antenna architecture, on single layer substrate, is investigated for the first time. Radio frequency MEMS switches are utilized to improve the performance of reconfigurable antennas at higher frequencies. Using monolithic integration, a 20 GHz switched beam antenna based on MEMS switches is implemented and evaluated. Compared to similar work published previously, complete experimental results are here for the first time reported. Moreover, a hybrid approach is used for a 24 GHz switched beam traveling wave array antenna. A MEMS router is fabricated on silicon substrate for switching two array antennas on a LTCC chip. A concept of nano-wire based substrate integrated waveguides (SIW) is proposed for millimeter-wave applications. Antenna prototypes based on this concept are successfully demonstrated for automotive radar applications. W-band body-worn nonlinear harmonic radar reflectors are proposed as a means to improve automotive radar functionality. Passive, semi-passive and active nonlinear reflectors consisting of array antennas and nonlinear circuitry on flex foils are investigated. A new stretchable RF electronics concept for large area electronics is demonstrated. It incorporates liquid metal into microstructured elastic channels. The prototypes exhibit high stretchability, foldability, and twistability, with maintained electrical properties.
wisenet

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: B, page: 6612. Adviser: Jennifer T. Bernhard. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 150-158) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Ce mémoire traite de l'étude d'antennes reconfigurables à base de MEMS RF. L'approche
retenue est la diversité de diagramme de rayonnement de la station de base et du mobile. Elle
peut être particulièrement intéressante dans un environnement indoor (à l'intérieur d'un bâtiment)
pour lutter contre les évanouissements provoqués par les réflexions multiples et augmenter la
portée des systèmes, ce qui optimise les bilans de liaison améliore les débits de transmission,
l'autonomie et permet par ailleurs d'augmenter le nombre d'utilisateurs en diminuant les
interférences entre eux.
Un état de l'art des solutions d'antennes reconfigurables ainsi qu'une introduction des MEMS RF
est présentée. Ces composants présentent à la fois des performances RF très élevées, une
linéarité accrue, pour un encombrement, un poids et une consommation de puissance bien plus
faible que leurs équivalents à semi-conducteurs. Ces avantages deviennent encore plus évidents
aux fréquences millimétriques où de nouvelles applications émergent. De plus, ils peuvent être
intégrés à des circuits en technologie CMOS sur du silicium ou encore fabriqués sur de nombreux
substrats avec l'antenne.
Les développements essentiels de cette étude sont la mise en oeuvre d'une méthode de
modélisation et d'optimisation de réseaux à éléments parasites afin de former des diagrammes
dépointés et l'intégration, via des modèles électriques équivalents, d'interrupteurs
microélectromécaniques radiofréquences (MEMS RF) afin de rendre ces antennes
reconfigurables en diagramme de rayonnement.
Il s'est en effet avéré qu'il était nécessaire de modéliser ces systèmes afin de développer une
démarche de conception efficace des réseaux à antennes parasites commutées. Suite à ces
efforts de modélisation, des prototypes d'antennes passifs ont été réalisés et mesurés,
permettant de valider la méthode de conception. Un prototype actif utilisant des composants
MEMS RF a ensuite été développé. Des antennes à formation de faisceaux ont également été
développées sur la base de cellules composées chacune d'une antenne reconfigurable
constituant un sous réseau d'un réseau plus large.

Reconfigurable impedance matching networks are an integral part of multiband radio-frequency (RF) transceivers. They are used to compensate for the input/output impedance variations between the different blocks caused by switching the frequency band of operation or by adjusting the output power level. Various tuning techniques have been developed to construct tunable impedance matching networks employing solid-state p-i-n diodes and varactors. At millimeter-wave frequencies, the increased loss due to the low quality factor of the solid-state devices becomes an important issue. Another drawback of the solid-state tuning elements is the increased nonlinearity and noise at higher RF power levels. The objective of the research described in this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of using RF microelectromechanical systems (RF-MEMS) technology to develop reconfigurable impedance matching networks. Different types of tunable impedance matching networks with improved impedance tuning range, power handling capability, and lower insertion loss have been developed. Another objective is to investigate the realization of a fully integrated one-chip solution by integrating MEMS devices in standard processes used for RF integrated circuits (RFICs). A new CMOS-MEMS post-processing technique has been developed that allows the integration of tunable RF MEMS devices with vertical actuation within a CMOS chip. Various types of CMOS-MEMS components used as tuning elements in reconfigurable RF transceivers have been developed. These include tunable parallel-plate capacitors that outperform the available CMOS solid-state varactors in terms of quality factor and linearity. A tunable microwave band-pass filter has been demonstrated by employing the proposed RF MEMS tunable capacitors. For the first time, CMOS-MEMS capacitive type switches for microwave and millimeter-wave applications have been developed using TSMC 0.35-µm CMOS process employing the proposed CMOS-MEMS integration technique. The switch demonstrates an excellent RF performance from 10-20 GHz. Novel MEMS-based reconfigurable impedance matching networks integrated in standard CMOS technologies are also presented. An 8-bit reconfigurable impedance matching network based on the distributed MEMS transmission line (DMTL) concept operating at 13-24 GHz is presented. The network is implemented using standard 0.35-µm CMOS technology and employs a novel suspended slow-wave structure on a silicon substrate. To our knowledge, this is the first implementation of a DMTL tunable MEMS impedance matching network using a standard CMOS technology. A reconfigurable amplifier chip for WLAN applications operating at 5.2 GHz is also designed and implemented. The amplifier achieves maximum power gain under variable load and source impedance conditions by using the integrated RF-MEMS impedance matching networks. This is the first single-chip implementation of a reconfigurable amplifier using high-Q MEMS impedance matching networks. The monolithic CMOS implementation of the proposed RF MEMS impedance matching networks enables the development of future low-cost single-chip RF multiband transceivers with improved performance and functionality.

碩士
國立暨南國際大學
電機工程學系
101
In this thesis, we fabricate MEMS antennas on ceramic substrate. The electromagnetic simulation software (HFSS) was used to simulate the performance and optimize the design of MEMS antennas. The antennas were fabricated by sputter, electroplating, photolithography, and etching. The performace of antenna was measured. As the results, the central frequency, bandwidth, and return loss of simulation antenna are about 1.95GHz, 110MHz and -37.3dB; the corresponding values of antenna fabricated on ceramic substrate are about 2.01GHz, 210MHz, and -14.2dB. This process will be suitable for the future MEMS antenna on ceramic substrate.

No
5th Generation mobile networks (5G) and mobile communications technologies beyond 2020 will need to be energy aware so as to support services that are likely to be intelligent and bandwidth hungry, as well as to support multi-mode operation (LTE, LTE+, HSDPA, 3G among others) in a HetNet environment. This imposes stringent design requirements on the RF transceiver, a key consumer of power in networks today. This chapter will investigate the key RF subsystems forming part of the 5G RF transceiver, where energy efficiency and full radio flexibility are at the forefront of system design. In particular, we target advanced designs on antenna systems, RF power amplifiers and the challenges facing cross-talk in MIMO architectures.