TUTORIAL

Presented in two parts is an overview ofRF/microwave MEMS technology. Partone begins with a brief discussion of RF/microwave system requirements, and then introduces the enabling potentialities of the MEMS arsenal to meet these require-ments. In particular, MEMS fabrication techniques are ad-dressed, and funda-mental components, including inductors, varactors, resonators and transmission lines, as well as the design/ CAD paradigm, are described. Part two, to be published later, will expose the revolutionary possibilities afforded by MEMS in systems integration and novel archi-tectures. In particular, the projected impact of MEMS in RF/microwave, from that resulting from direct component replacement to that enabled by circuit applications, including typi-cal front-end circuits, will be addressed