Tunable-trimmable micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) capacitor
US5959516A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 8, 1998 |
| Grant date | Sep 28, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 8, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03J2200/10
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A high Q MEMS capacitor that can be continuously tuned with a large tuning ratio or reversibly trimmed using an electrostatic force. The tunable capacitor 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 tunable capacitor structure to fix the trimmed capacitance.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.