Keywords
Citation
Rigelsford, J. (2002), "Tunable-trimmable MEMS capacitor", Assembly Automation, Vol. 22 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2002.03322aad.014
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2002, MCB UP Limited
Tunable-trimmable MEMS capacitor
Tunable-trimmable MEMS capacitor
Keywords: MEMS, Rockwell
Applicant: Rockwell Science Center LLC, Thousand Oaks, CanadaPatent number: US5,959,516Publication date: 28 September 1999Title: Tunable-Trimmable Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) Capacitor
A high Q MEMS capacitor that can be continuously tuned with a large tuning ratio or reversibly trimmed using an electrostatic force is described. The tuneable capacitor comprises a substrate, a control capacitor, a signal capacitor, and a non-conductive mechanical coupler. It has a master/slave structure in which a control voltage is applied to the master (control) capacitor to set the capacitance of the slave (signal) capacitor to which an RF signal is applied via a suspended mechanical coupler. The master-slave structure reduces tuning error by reducing the signal capacitor's surface area and increasing its spring constant, and may eliminate the need for discrete blocking inductors by electrically isolating the control and signal capacitors. The trimmable capacitor provides an electrostatic actuator that selectively engages a stopper with teeth on a tuneable capacitor structure to fix the trimmed capacitance.
Jonathan Rigelsford