RECONFIGURABLE PATCH-ANTENNA BASED ON A VERY LOW COMPLEXITY RF-MEMS TECHNOLOGY ON SILICON
C. M. SIEGEL, W. GAUTIER, V. ZIEGLER, U. PRECHTEL, H. SCHUMACHER

Abstract. In this paper, a monolithically integrated frequency reconfigurable patch antenna on silicon is demonstrated. The antenna element is fabricated in a lowcomplexity RF-MEMS technology, which allows to change the operation frequency of the antenna by 10 % around 35 GHz. The antenna consists of an aluminium patch with upward bended edges due to an intrinsic stress gradient in the metal. By switching these parts of the antenna down onto the substrate, its electrical length is changed and thus its operation frequency is varied. With this approach, no additional devices, like switches or diodes, are necessary to realize such a frequency-agile antenna. The antenna switching can be used for switching between receive and transmit case on different frequencies, or to increase the limited bandwidth of a patch antenna on silicon, depending on the design of the switchable part. In the same low complexity technology tunable filters, switches and phase shifters were already realized. Thus all passive components in a receive-transmit module can be realized in one technology.