Will RF MEMS live up their promise?

RF MEMS components first appeared in 2002 in the form of bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators for mobile phone applications. In the meantime, other RF MEMS products have become commercially available, including switches, inductors and micro-mechanical resonators. Although currently, the RF MEMS market is limited, RF MEMS components are expected to satisfy future requirements for telecommunications systems in terms of improved performance, ease of reconfiguration and miniaturisation. This papers presents the status of the RF MEMS industry, an overview of applications and the markets for the 2004-2009 time periods