A Plastic W-Band MEMS Phase Shifter

A plastic, W-band MEMS phase shifter realized in a WR-10 waveguide architecture with built-in deformable diaphragms has been successfully demonstrated. A prototype device has been fabricated based on a two-cavity Iris filter design with two 1.6mm in diameter deformable membranes on one side. Experimental results show that a total phase shift of 110μ at 95GHz has been achieved under membrane deformation from -50μm to +150μm with corresponding insertion loss of 2.9dB and 3.48dB, respectively. This concept and approach could potentially open up a new class of opportunities in low-cost plastic components for millimeter-wave systems, including electronically scanned radar.