A programmable MEMS bandpass filter

A programmable microelectromechanical (MEMS) filter based on using coupled microresonators is developed. The resonators are interconnected by a square-truss coupling spring. An external control voltage is used to create electrostatic forces that effectively can vary spring constants so as to obtain a bandpass filter whose center frequency and bandwidth are programmable. The basic operation, theoretical modeling and design methodology are developed for a two-resonator programmable MEMS filter. The programmable frequency ranges of both the individual resonators and the two-resonator filter are demonstrated by a 3-D FEA simulation with IntelliSuite software.