A research team at the University of California, San Diego has developed RF MEMS metal-contact switches that could be used in medical equipment including MRIs, satellites, and electronic instrumentation including spectrum analyzers and signal sources.
UCSD's Chirag Patel with the MEMS Metal Contact Switch
Chirag Patel, electrical engineering postdoctoral student from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering won the Rudee Outstanding Poster Award at Research Expo 2011 for this research work. Patel is affiliated to the laboratory of Professor Gabriel M. Rebeiz, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.
The devices direct electrical signals utilizing electrostatic fields. The switches are nano-sized, lightweight, reliable and cost- effective, allowing their easy implementation in satellite systems that need space and weight efficient components. They are power efficient and could be applied in challenging RF environments including switching networks used for automated test equipment, base stations, and even future cell phones.
The team led by Patel and Rebeiz intends to use the device in multiple high frequency circuit configurations.
Source: http://www.ucsd.edu