Tunable 3-D MEMS components for reconfigurable RF front-ends

The implementation of a fully reconfigurable Cognitive Radio (CR) system relies heavily on the availability of high-quality reconfigurable RF components. This paper gives a review of the recent progress made in realizing high-performance tunable RF MEMS components for reconfigurable RF front-ends. The concept of the highly-tunable high-Q evanescent-mode tunable resonator is first discussed. Several practical considerations, such as power handling, noise and vibration perturbations are subsequently considered. These high performance tunable RF components are expected to make a significant impact on the development of reconfigurable RF systems.