RF MEMS – Device and Applications Studies

Jeffrey DeNatale, Ph.D.
MEMS Department
Rockwell Scientific Company
Thousand Oaks, California
[email protected]

ABSTRACT:
MEMS technology offers the potential for dramatic performance impacts in a broad range of RF communications and radar applications. These benefits are derived from the attractive properties of the MEMS devices relative to semiconductor-based alternatives, and may include insertion loss, power consumption, linearity, and bandwidth. Ongoing work at RSC in RF MEMS technology will be presented, focussing on RF switch and tunable capacitor devices. The device structures and their operational characteristics will be presented, along with examples of their integration into communications and radar circuits. The importance of key implementation issues, including packaging and reliability, will be discussed.

Jeffrey DeNatale: Manager, MEMS Dept., Rockwell Scientific Company. B.S., M.S., Ph.D. (Materials Science and Engineering), University of California, Davis (Highest Honors). Since joining RSC since 1986, Dr. DeNatale has been involved in a broad spectrum of advanced R&D programs, including advanced optical thin film materials, nonlinear optical thin films, polycrystalline diamond thin films, high temperature superconductors, and the first-ever demonstration of nonlinear thin films of the rare-earth nickelate family. Since 1997, Dr. DeNatale has led the MEMS group at RSC, directing a broad range of development activities. These include projects in RF MEMS, industrial microsensors, optical MEMS, microassembly technologies, and micro thermal management devices. Dr DeNatale holds 3 US patents (4 pending) and has co-authored over 65 publications.