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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
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Design and Characterization Methodology for Efficient Wide Range Tunable MEMS Filters
Published on: February 4, 2018
Bandwidth-tunable add-drop filters based on micro-electro-mechanical-system actuated silicon microtoroidal resonators
1Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. jinyao@berkeley.edu
Optics Letters
|September 3, 2009
Summary
This study presents a novel micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) tunable filter. It achieves the widest bandwidth tuning range yet for resonator filters, controlled by voltage.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
Background:
- Resonator-based filters are crucial for optical and RF signal processing.
- Achieving wide bandwidth tunability in these filters remains a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a bandwidth-tunable filter using a MEMS-actuated silicon microtoroidal resonator.
- To explore the potential of MEMS technology for advanced filter applications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a single-crystalline silicon microtoroidal resonator.
- Integration with a micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) actuator for voltage control.
- Characterization of filter performance, including bandwidth and extinction ratio.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a bandwidth-tunable filter with voltage control.
- Achieved a tuning range from 2.8 to 78.4 GHz, the largest reported for resonator-based filters.
- Obtained a 21.8 dB extinction ratio, suitable for dynamic add-drop filtering.
Conclusions:
- MEMS-actuated microtoroidal resonators offer a promising platform for wide-bandwidth tunable filters.
- This technology enables significant advancements in dynamic filtering applications.
- The demonstrated tuning range surpasses previous reports, highlighting the potential of this approach.
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