MEMS BASED TUNABLE X-BAND FILTER TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM DARPA is considering soliciting proposals for the development of designs, technologies, fabrication and packaging techniques that can be applied to the production of miniature, low-cost Micro-Electro-Mechanical Switch (MEMS) based, tunable/switchable X-band filters. Both tunable/switchable band reject and tunable/switchable band pass filters are required. Potential applications are those that allow an X-band radar system to operate in a quasi-CW mode by transmitting signals in one frequency band while simultaneously listening on other frequency bands. This will permit the radar to perform multiple functions (modes) simultaneously using different frequency bands for each. These filters are to be tunable/switchable over an operational bandwidth of 9-11 GHz (8-12 Ghz goal), and shall have an instantaneous bandwidth of 100 -200 MHz. By tunable/switchable it is meant that the filters are designed to be tuned, or switched, to perform over a finite number of distinct sub-bands within the total operational bandwidth. Each sub-band is to have the required instantaneous bandwidth specified above. The number of sub-bands should be not less than 5 over the full operating frequency range. In addition, there should be a "bypass option" that permits full operational band performance. These filters are to be designed as "absorptive" filters rather than "reflective". Hence, they should present a low input VSWR over the entire operating frequency band, regardless of the particular band to which they have been tuned/switched. To ensure that any MEMS filter solicitation will properly address the desired application(s) and also represent devices that can be manufactured using standard integrated circuit manufacturing techniques, DARPA is soliciting comments on the draft specifications for these filters. These specifications address both the band pass and band reject filters and have been chosen to meet the requirements for a notional quasi-CW multi-mode radar system. The draft specifications for comment may be viewed at www.darpa.mil/SPO/solicitations/MEMfilter/comments.htm . This site contains both the draft specifications and a notional transmit/receive (T/R) module concept showing how the filters could be employed and integrated. All comments should be sent electronically to MEMfilter@darpa.mil. Comments may be submitted at any time between the publication date of this announcement and the closing date. Closing Date: 5:00 p.m. (local time) 14 April 2000. WEB: click here to view the draft specifications for comment, http://www.darpa.mil/SPO/solicitations/MEMfilter/comments.htm. E-MAIL: click here to submit comments electronically, MEMfilter@darpa.mil.. Posted 03/28/00 (W-SN438765).

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