Development of High-Performance and High-Reliability NEMS Switches for Smart Antenna Structures

Project Information

NEMSMART

Grant agreement ID: 249196

Project closed

Start date 1 March 2010

End date 28 February 2014

Funded under

• Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Total cost € 100 000,00

EU contribution € 100 000,00

Coordinated by

BILKENT UNIVERSITESI VAKIF
Türkiye

Objective

This project focuses on the development of high-reliability low-contact force DC-contact, i.e. metal-to-metal contact RF-NEMS (Radio Frequency Nanoelectromechanical System) switches, which are the main building blocks of key enabling component of the next-generation cognitive wireless communications systems, i.e. the interface between the transceiver and the free space; namely NEMS-integrated multifunctional reconfigurable antenna (MRA). An MRA combines multiple functions into a single antenna with the capability of dynamically altering its radiation, polarization, and frequency characteristics. The reconfigurability in performance properties is achieved by morphing the physical structure of the MRA through DC-contact RF-NEMS switches. The major objective of this project is to significantly improve the reliability of DC-contact RF-NEMS switches with high RF-power handling capabilities. To this end, we will optimize the mechanical switch design using novel architectures, investigate different electric contact metallurgies, employ nanoparticle-based lubricants, and develop new nanofabrication processes optimized for avoiding two primary failure mechanisms: stiction and increased contact resistance. The targeted actuation voltage and the switching speed are less than 10 Volts and faster than 100 nano-seconds, respectively. Hot-switched life cycle tests for various RF-power levels will be performed, with the goal of achieving more than 108 hot-switched cycles at 1-Watt RF-power. The proposed high-reliability NEMS switches, once successfully developed, can be easily integrated into antenna architectures to realize MRAs, thereby resulting a major breakthrough in antenna design and implementation since the invention of legacy antennas by Marconi and Hertz.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.

• engineering and technology › electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering › information engineering › telecommunications › radio technology › radio frequency
• engineering and technology › mechanical engineering › tribology › lubrication
• engineering and technology › nanotechnology › nano-processes
• engineering and technology › nanotechnology › nanoelectromechanical systems
• engineering and technology › materials engineering › metallurgy

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Programme(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Topic(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG - Marie Curie Action: "Reintegration Grants"

Call for proposal

FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

MC-IRG - International Re-integration Grants (IRG)

Coordinator

BILKENT UNIVERSITESI VAKIF

• EU contribution: € 100 000,00
• Address: ESKISEHIR YOLU 8 KM ; 06800 Bilkent Ankara ; Türkiye
• Region: Batı Anadolu › Ankara › Ankara
• Activity type: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Total cost: No data