KTH has developed a new MEMS phase-shifter concept, based on a moving dielectric block on-top of a micromachined transmission line. This concept has proven to have better RF performane in terms of phase-shift per loss and reflections over the whole W-band, as compared to the conventional RF MEMS phase-shifter concepts (distributed MEMS transmission-line, DMTL, and MEMS switched true-time delay lines, TTD). Thus, it presents currently (2010) the world's best W-band phase shifter.
Furthermore, this concept has by far increased power handling capability, as no thin metallic bridges, limiting the power dissipation in the device, are employed.
The research work won the Best Paper Award at the IEEE European Microwave Integrated Circuit Conference 2009, Rome, Italy, and two Graduate Fellowships of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technique Society (MTT-S) in 2010.