Subject: Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) for RF Communications
Sponsor: IEEE Communications Society, Washington-N. Virginia Chapter
Date: 20 November 1997
Time: 11:45A Registration (bring your own brown bag lunch)
12:00N Presentation (60 minutes)
Location: George Washington University, Academic Center Room T-640, Electrical Engineering (EE) Department (22nd and "I" Street, NW - Washington, DC) One block from the Foggy Bottom Metro Station Parking is available across from the Academic Center
Presenter: Rick Ridgley, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Information Systems Office (ISO)

For decades, radio frequency (RF) performance (based on size, weight, power consumption, and cost) has been determined by discrete analog components such as inductors, varactor diodes, capacitors, and resistors. Now, through a mix of advanced technologies, digital wideband multi-channel radios with unparalled performance can be built. A combination of new analog IC's (RF MEMS), advanced low power A/D's, 3-dimensional die stacking (of 4 channel decimating down convertors, 3d 4 meg DRAMs and low power DSPs) within hybrid MCM's.

A radio employing these technologies combines a MEMS based tunable RF filters and software reprogrammable DSP's to provide extremely flexibility with exceptional performance and low cost. DARPA is developing new approaches to integrated circuit Radio Frequency (RF) electronics using MEMS technology. Specifically targeted will be various RF filters covering 1 to 2800 MHz, an area of intense military and civilian interest. The innovations associated with this program include: ·

The use of MEMS technology to create new radio circuit elements enabling miniature, low cost, integrated circuit multiband multimode software reprogrammable radios. The development of arrays of discretely switched MEMS capacitors to provide highly linear, tunable RF circuits. The development of MEMS inductors with performance that is 10 times more efficient than is currently possible with conventional technology. The integration of these elements with MEMS RF switches to create frequency agile, high performance, integrated circuit RF filters.

Rick Ridgley received his BS PhySc from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland in 1977; received his MSM Management Degree from Frostburg State College, Frostburg, Maryland; and performed PHD work in Information Technology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia in the mid 1980's. He is currently Deputy Program Manager for Airborne Communications Node, a high altitude unmanned air vehicle (UAV) carrying a sophisticated reprogrammable multi-band multi-mode communication system, and Speakeasy, a multi-band multi-channel radio system. Since 1996, Mr. Ridgley has sponsored advanced R&D in RF technologies for the next generation of communication systems.

Please fax any questions you would like to have covered in the presentation to Rick Ridgley at (703) 696-2203 or via email to rridgley@darpa.mil

Prepared by/Contact: Dr. C. Leslie Golliday, Jr., Chair, IEEE Communications Society Washington/N. Virginia Chapter, 703-845-2352