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US 6,954,348 B1Granted
Tunable MEMS capacitor
AssigneeMEMX, Inc.
InventorM. Steven Rodgers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Various embodiments of tunable capacitors are disclosed. One embodiment is in the form of a tunable capacitor (368) having a pair of stationary capacitor electrodes (392) that are fixed to and disposed the same distance above a substrate (388) in the vertical dimension. A tuning element (416) is suspended above the substrate (388) by an elevation system (460) that accommodates movement of the tuning element (416) in the vertical dimension. Changing the capacitance of the tunable capacitor (368) is accomplished by moving the tuning element (416) in the vertical dimension.
Claims31
A tunable capacitor, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a first capacitor electrode spaced above said substrate a first distance in a first dimension, wherein said first capacitor electrode is maintained in a fixed position relative to said substrate;
- a second capacitor electrode spaced above said substrate said first distance in said first dimension, wherein said second capacitor electrode is maintained in a fixed position relative to said substrate, wherein said first and second capacitor electrodes are coplanar and are spaced in a second dimension that is orthogonal to said first dimension;
- and
- a tuning element in a position in said second dimension that is between a position of said first capacitor electrode in said second dimension and a position of said second capacitor electrode in said second dimension, and further that is movable in said first dimension.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.