Tunable monolithic inductor and capacitor (LC) circuits for use in miniature wireless transceivers will be developed using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Smaller, higher performing, and less-costly integrated systems are the goal of wireless personal communication systems (PCS). Advances in nanofabrication technology are enabling the creation of complex mechanical structures such as inductors (L), and tunable capacitors (C) that can be monolithically integrated on silicon and thus reduce the number of off-chip discrete elements. A copper-encapsulated polysilicon spiral inductor suspended over a cavity in silicon has been fabricated and achieved a quality factor (Q) of 36 at 5 GHz. Through this new fabrication technology of integrated polysilicon and bulk silicon micromachining, other high-performance rf (radio-frequency) elements will be developed. Among them are parallel-plate variable capacitors tuned by microactuators, transformers, and tunable LC filter circuits. The fabrication and microactuator technologies to be developed will have far reaching benefit to the MEMS and nanotechnology community by enabling new classes of devices in areas beyond wireless communications.
The success of the MEMS field depends not only on new enabling technologies, but also on the education and training of a pool of skilled engineers and researchers. As MEMS open new markets, and with the growing efforts in nanotechnology, a critical need for MEMS-trained engineers will develop. The MEMS curriculum development will involve refinement of the senior-level undergraduate MEMS course; establishment of a new MEMS project design course; and the building of MEMS instructional infrastructure, specifically an Instructional Laboratory for MEMS characterization, simulation and design that will facilitate cross-disciplinary exchange. The interdisciplinary nature of MEMS makes it an ideal environment for the training of a new generation of students who will receive exposure to a broad range of concepts
