Title :
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuators for antenna reconfigurability
Author :
Simons, R.N. ; Donghoon Chun ; Katehi, L.P.B.
Author_Institution :
NASA Glenn Res. Center, Dynacs Eng. Co. Inc., Cleveland, OH, USA
Abstract :
A novel microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuator for patch antenna reconfiguration is presented for the first time. A key feature is the capability of multi-band operation without greatly increasing the antenna element dimensions. Experimental results demonstrate that the center frequency can be reconfigured from few hundred MHz to few GHz away from the nominal operating frequency.
Keywords :
microactuators; microstrip antennas; multibeam antennas; MEMS actuators; antenna element dimensions; antenna reconfigurability; center frequency; multi-band operation; nominal operating frequency; patch antenna reconfiguration; Actuators; Antenna arrays; Electrostatics; Frequency; Microelectromechanical systems; Micromechanical devices; Patch antennas; Phased arrays; Structural beams; Substrates;
Conference_Titel :
Microwave Symposium Digest, 2001 IEEE MTT-S International
Conference_Location :
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-6538-0
DOI :
10.1109/MWSYM.2001.966874