An X-band to Ku-band RF MEMS switched coplanar strip filter

Radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) are key enabling technologies for miniature reconfigurable circuits such as microwave filters. We present a two-pole monolithic RF MEMS switched filter, fabricated on GaAs, that employs surface-micromachined capacitors to present a variable capacitance to a coupled coplanar strip filter, thereby switching the filter center frequency 37% between 10.7 GHz and 15.5 GHz with voltages of 20 and 0 V, respectively. This 15% bandwidth filter occupies a chip area of 2.2 /spl times/1.5 mm and demonstrates less than 2-dB of loss, making it promising for numerous applications within these critical frequency bands.