FOR 1522:  Multi-physical Synthesis and Integration of Complex Radio Frequency Circuits - MUSIK

• Subject Area: Computer Science, Systems and Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2012 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 169536409

The key constituents of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are mechanically flexible devices on the micrometre scale, where the mechanical motions can be excited and detected by electrical signals. The Research Unit aims at including the basic functions of MEMS at high frequencies, such as amplifying, controlling, oscillating and switching, into the design of complex radio frequency (RF) circuits. Through the combination of micro-electronic and micro-mechanic properties at device, circuit and system levels, a novel circuit technology "RF micromechatronics" is made accessible. As a consequence, the research focus on RF-MEMS is steered from the technology and single-device levels to an application-oriented system level, e.g., for mobile communications. Resulting from the cooperation of researchers from different scientific disciplines, a core approach of the Research Unit is the multi-physical modelling and simulation, which explicitly accounts for the coupled electric and mechanic properties of MEMS in relation to their mathematical description as well as the physically different effects of electronic and mechanic functions, including their unwanted and wanted parasictics. This fundamental approach is accompanied by a substrate technology tailored to the simultaneous implementation of micro-electronic and micro-mechanic devices, namely by merging silicon and ceramic technologies into a novel compound substrate (SiCer). Only this approach, originally investigated at the IMN MicroNano® at Ilmenau University of Technology, enables a consequent implementation of micro-electromechanical RF circuit technology. The following objectives are jointly addressed, investigated in complementary sub-projects and verified respectively demonstrated jointly: Model and system design and system analysis of complex RF circuits; integrated micro-electronic-micro-electromechanic RF components and circuits; system simulation and integration analysis of non-ideal RF MEMS; simulations and tests crossing multiple abstraction levels; micro-mechanic and micro-electronic integration in SiCer substrate technology; demonstration of the approach in terms of selected subsystems.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• Connection of functional blocks and RF system integration (Applicant Hein, Matthias )
• Coordination Funds (Applicant Hein, Matthias )
• Model- and System Design (Applicant Sommer, Ralf )
• Multiphysical circuit design based on microacoustic RF-MEMS components (Applicant Hagelauer, Amelie )
• RF frontend functional block (Applicant Hein, Matthias )
• RF-MEMScomponents, M-systems and hybrid integration (Applicant Hoffmann, Martin )
• SiCer-Technology for RF-MEMS (Applicant Müller, Jens )
• System Simulation and Integration Analysis of Non-ideal RF MEMS (Applicant Fischer, Georg )
• Test and Simulation (Applicant Schäffel, Christoph )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Matthias Hein