SBIR/STTR
Cryogenic MEMS Technology for Sensing Applications, Phase I
Project Introduction
The development of cryogenic microwave components, such as focal plane polarization modulators, first requires an RF MEMS switching technology that operates effectively at cryogenic temperatures. The approach of this project is to explore the performance of capacitive MEMS switching technology at low temperatures. MEMS capacitive switches represent an alternative to ohmic contact switches, where the RF impedance of the device is not dependent on metal-metal contacts. These MEMS switches operate with much lower effective series resistance (generally ~ 0.25 ohms) and do not have the issues associated with dry contact switching. This technology also has the advantage of operating very well at millimeter-wave frequencies and higher, where many of the most demanding performance limitations exist. This technology has seen significant investment through DARPA and the DOD, and is directly applicable to high-performance microwave components needed in several of the upcoming NASA missions.
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Anticipated Benefits
Potential NASA Commercial Applications: One of the dominant applications of RF MEMS being pursued today is that of tunable or reconfigurable filters in the microwave and millimeter-wave frequency ranges. High performance waveguide filters are a staple of satellite and earth-based communications systems. Unfortunately, those high-performance filters are large, heavy, and expensive (each one is hand crafted). One excellent application of MEMS technology is making those filter tunable, so that a single filter can be reconfigured or adapted to changing requirements and usage. One excellent application of tunable filters is in cellular base station applications. Currently, transmitter head at cell phone sites have fixed channel filters which on occasion need to be changed out do to changing requirements in base station coverage or services. This requires manual replacement of filters, a significant logistics issue for both manpower and inventory to keep the 100,000+ US cell phone sites updated. A tunable filter would enable remote retuning of filters to save significant expense. The development of this cryogenic switch technology would be compatible with the superconducting filter technology and offer some very interesting product capabilities for tunable, superconducting filters.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Goddard Space Flight Center
(GSFC)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Greenbelt, MD |
| MEMtronics Corporation | Supporting Organization | Industry | Plano, TX |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Maryland
-
Texas
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Organizational Responsibility
Responsible Mission Directorate:
- Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
Lead Center / Facility:
- Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
Responsible Program:
- SBIR/STTR
Project Management
Program Director:
Program Manager:
Principal Investigator:
- Chuck Goldsmith
Project Duration
Start: Feb 2011
End: Sep 2011
Technology Maturity (TRL)
| Start: | 1 |
| Current: | 3 |
| Estimated End: | 3 |
Applied Research
Development
Demo & Test
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