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Microstrip Patch Antenna Populates CPW Stub With MEMS Capacitors

July 13, 2007

Using radio-frequency microelectromechanical-systems (MEMS) technology, a tunable frequency microstrip patch antenna has been developed. It consists of a patch antenna loaded with a coplanar-waveguide (CPW) loading section, which is attached to the antenna via a microstrip-to-CW transition. To provide reconfigurability in the antenna's resonant frequency, MEMS bridges act as a variable capacitor placed on the CPW stub. The MEMS capacitors are electrostatically actuated with a low tuning voltage in the range of 0 to 11.9 V. As the actuation voltage is increased over that range, the antenna resonant frequency can be continuously shifted from 16.05 GHz down to 15.75 GHz. This patch antenna was developed by Emre Erdil, Kagan Topalli, Mehmet Unlu, Ozlem Aydin Civi, and Tayfun Akin with support from the Middle East Technical University's Microelectronics Facilities. See "Frequency Tunable Microstrip Patch Antenna Using RF MEMS Technology," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, April 2007, p. 1193.

About the Author

Nancy Friedrich | RF Product Marketing Manager for Aerospace Defense, Keysight Technologies

Nancy Friedrich is RF Product Marketing Manager for Aerospace Defense at Keysight Technologies. Nancy Friedrich started a career in engineering media about two decades ago with a stint editing copy and writing news for Electronic Design. A few years later, she began writing full time as technology editor at Wireless Systems Design. In 2005, Nancy was named editor-in-chief of Microwaves & RF, a position she held (along with other positions as group content head) until 2018. Nancy then moved to a position at UBM, where she was editor-in-chief of Design News and content director for tradeshows including DesignCon, ESC, and the Smart Manufacturing shows.