The Sky's the Limit: A Switchable RF-MEMS Filter Design for Wireless Avionics Intracommunication

Abstract

The switchable RF-microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) filter described in this article was presented as part of the student design competitions at the 2016 IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) International Microwave Symposium held in San Francisco in May 2016. The goal of this competition, sponsored by Technical Committee MTT-21, was to design a switchable filter to separate the industrial, scientific, and medical (i.e., ISM) band (2.4-2.5 GHz) from the wireless avionics intracommunication (WAIC) band (4.2-4.4 GHz). The upcoming availability of the 4.2-4.4 GHz band for WAIC to implement wireless connectivity inside passenger aircraft cabins provided the main motivation for this design, and the filter footprint was the most important requirement.