A novel MEMS-based tunable dielectric resonator filter

This paper presents the design and implementation of a new class of high-Q tunable dielectric resonator (DR) filters based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches. The use of MEMS switches results in the compact implementation of the proposed filter with near to zero DC power consumption for tuning and high tuning speed. The filter consists of two disk shape dielectric resonators with circular holes created in the center of each resonator. An initial prototype of the filter is assembled. The filter operates in TME mode at a center frequency of 4.8 GHz with a bandwidth of 21 MHz. Measurement results of this prototype demonstrate a tuning range of 160 MHz while the quality factor ranges from 1200-510 over the tuning range. The proposed tuning approach is applicable to other modes of dielectric resonator filters.