SBIR Phase I: GOLDFINGER -- A Highly Integrated Technology for the Fabrication of Radio Frequency Micro Electro Mechanical Systems Devices

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase 1 Project will develop a highly integrated Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology that will combine SUMMiT V, the world's most advanced surface micromachining technology, with innovative thick metal films to produce Radio Frequency (RF) devices of unmatched performance, cost and reliability. Advanced polysilicon MEMS technologies like the SUMMiT V technology have the mechanical sophistication to achieve wide tuning range at low operating voltage, but the series resistance of polysilicon precludes creation of devices with suitable quality factor, or Q. The selective thick film metallization of SUMMiT V structures will be employed to design RF MEMS devices with both very low series resistance and high quality factors. This integrated technology, named GOLDFINGER, will be demonstrated in the design and manufacture of a high performance tunable capacitor with low actuation voltage (200). Tunable capacitors with such performance do not exist today, and the successful realization of this device will enable reductions in size, cost, and power consumption in the next generation of mobile phone handsets. The GOLDFINGER technology will enable the building of tunable capacitors with unmatched performance. The tunable capacitor market is estimated to be approximately $120M in size: 400M handsets annually, with 2 tunable capacitors per handset at approximately $0.15 each. The GOLDFINGER technology will also enable the development of other RF MEMS devices as well. For example, the GOLDFINGER technology can be used to make next generation inductors and resonators. The total RF MEMS market is predicted to reach >$1.0 billion by 2007, with RF MEMS being utilized in a wide range of applications. Satellite communication, auto electronics, RFID tags, adjustable antennas, LANs, base stations, radar systems, and other wireless products are just some of the market segments that would benefit from high performance RF MEMS devices