A Reconfigurable Microwave Equalizer With Different Maximum Attenuations Based on RF MEMS Switches

The design, fabrication, and measurements of a novel reconfigurable microwave equalizer based on RF micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) switches for adjusting the maximum attenuations of microwave signals are presented in this letter. The reconfigurable equalizer is driven by four lateral dc-contact RF MEMS switches, which can select the different attenuation resistances and obtain various maximum attenuations compared with the traditional microwave equalizer with fixed maximum attenuation. The proposed reconfigurable equalizer is fabricated by MetalMUMPs process. The experimental results show that the reconfigurable equalizer can realize four maximum attenuations of 7, 6.6, 5.9, and 5.6 dB by the actuation of RF MEMS switches, the reflection losses are all below -16 dB at the frequency range from 17 to 19 GHz, the experimental results agree well with the theory.