Vibrating RF MEMS overview: Applications to wireless communications

Micromechanical RF filters and reference oscillators based on recently demonstrated vibrating on-chip micromechanical resonators with Q's > 10,000 at 1.5 GHz, are described as an attractive solution to the increasing count of RF components (e.g., filters) expected to be needed by future multi-band wireless devices. With Q's this high in on-chip abundance, such devices might also enable a paradigm-shift in transceiver design where the advantages of high-Q are emphasized, rather than suppressed, resulting in enhanced robustness and power savings. An overview of the latest in vibrating RF MEMS technology is presented with an addendum on remaining issues to be addressed for insertion into tomorrow's handsets.