Tunable, Low Mass, Low Loss, Millimeter Wave, MEMS RF Filters

AESOP proposes to design and manufacture robust, miniaturized, broadly tunable mm-wave bandpass filters for space applications. The mm-wave tunable filters will have an unloaded Q of up to 1500 and the potential for multi-octave tuning ranges, for example from 6 to 18 Ghz, although any tuning range up to the limitations of the packaging, interconnections and actuator can be constructed. Aesop, Inc.’s tunable filters already represent a significant improvement over the state of the art in MEMS tunable filter technology, combining resonator Q’s of 1500 and higher, multi-octave tuning ranges, small size, low power requirements and low mass. Phase II will develop a packaged tunable filter, based on our Phase I design, which tunes over the range 8.0 – 18.0 GHz, as well as a sophisticated filter controller. Combined, these will create a market-leading product that dramatically exceeds the performance of YIG-tuned filters in terms of form factor, power consumption and RF power handling.