The Microwave MEMS Platform for Wideband Software Controlled communication platform is an integrated and synergetic project for a wide range of applications.

MEMS Technology is revolutionizing wireless communication and intelligent networking: MEMS technology and components provide tuning and switching, thus enabling design of multiband radio without compromising on the performance of narrow band radio. Hence, efficient and reconfigurable multiband radios can be envisioned with lower dimensions, weight and cost and yet high performance.

the NECTAR platform and hardware is expected to become a new and essential “system in package” building block, enabling superior wireless access and facilitating intelligent networking for communications and the management of smart device information.

These are the targets of call ICT-2007.3.6: Micro/nanosystems and specifically “Smart systems for communications and data management”.

A research group from Technion – Israel Institue of Technoloy, Headed by Prof. Y Nemirovsky is seeking to advance a collborative FP7 project under this call.
The innovative technological aspects of the NECTAR project are: (i) combining off- the- shelf active components with MEMS passive components on alumina motherboard (hybrid integration) to create functional modules and “system in package” radio, (ii) applying a collective package for hermetic sealing of the module and (iii) calibrating and compensating manufacturing variations by software. This approach allows taking advantage of the MEMS merits and handling the technological limitations of expensive packaging of single MEMS devices and MEMS manufacturing tolerances.
The key modules to be developed are: up and down converters and synthesizers, including VCOs, mixers, amplifiers (LNAs as well as power) and filters. The active devices are to be interconnected to off-chip passive MEMS devices (switches, varactors, inductors, phase shifters and filters). The alumina mother board provides the platform for the system in package where all the devices and modules are vertically integrated upon and then embedded in a single package providing hermetic sealing.

It is the synergistic development of technologies and RF architectures that will enable us to achieve superior performance while constraining costs and achieving multifunctionality and agility. The vertical integration and on alumina packaging of heterogeneous dies and components is the future in high frequency circuit design and circuit architecture. It leads to the development of novel RF/Microwave front-end transceiver architectures that are highly compact, low-cost and exhibiting high-performance.

The required partners are in particular for WP1 and WP2. However, additional partners in overlapping and complementary fields will be welcomed. A partner focusing on synthesizers is also welcomed.

WP1 Project Management and Coordination
Coordination and Management of the project.

WP2 RF MEMS Devices and Components 
- switches
- varactors
- inductors
- RF bumps for vertical integration
- packaging
- testing 

WP3 - Microwave MEMS Modules:
- Filters
- Phase Shifters
- RF MEMS Manufacturing Micro-, Nano- Technologies

WP4 - RF MEMS Components
- MEMS Manufacturing Micro-, Nano- Technologies
- RF MEMS Switches
- RF MEMS Varactors
- Technology of system in package

WP5 - System architecture
- overall design of broad band radio
- detailed design of transmitter
- detailed design of transiever

WP6 - System architecture and interconnects
- Design of system in package
- Design and modeling of transmission line interconnects
- Silicon carrier

Our group already includes: Singapore Technologies, Rafael Israel, IBM.

WP1 - Project Management and Coordination
Coordination and Management of the project.

WP2 - RF MEMS Devices and Components
- switches
- varactors
- inductors
- RF bumps for vertical integration
- packaging
- testing