MEMS for wireless communications: from RF-MEMS components to RF-MEMS-SiP

Abstract

Wireless communication has led to an explosive growth of emerging consumer and military applications of radio frequency (RF), microwave and millimeter wave circuits and systems. Future personal (hand-held) and ground communications systems as well as communications satellites necessitate the use of highly integrated RF front-ends, featuring small size, low weight, high performance and low cost. Continuing chip scaling has contributed to the extent that off-chip, bulky passive RF components, such as high-Q inductors, ceramic and SAW filters, varactor diodes and discrete PIN diode switches, have become limiting. Micro-machining or MEMS technology is now rapidly emerging as an enabling technology to yield a new generation of high-performance RF-MEMS passives to replace these off-chip passives in wireless communication (sub)systems. This paper reviews the progress in RF-MEMS from a device and integration perspective. The worldwide state-of-the-art of RF-MEMS devices including switches, variable capacitors, resonators and filters are described. Next, it is stipulated how integration of RF-MEMS passives with other passives (as inductors, LC filters, SAW devices, couplers and power dividers) and, active circuitry (ASICs, RFICs) can lead to the so-called RF-MEMS system-in-a-package (RF-MEMS-SiP) modules. The evolution of the RF-MEMS-SiP technology is illustrated using IMEC's microwave multi-layer thin-film MCM-D technology which today already serves as a technology platform for RF-SiP.