Low-loss micromachined filters for millimeter-wave communication systems

High-performance planar micromachined filters at 37 and 60 GHz are presented. The filters consist of a 3.5% bandwidth two-pole Chebyshev filter with transmission zeros at 37 GHz, 2.7% and 4.3% bandwidth four- and five-pole Chebyshev filters at 60 GHz, and an 8% bandwidth elliptic filter at 60 GHz. Silicon micromachining techniques combined with micropackaging have been applied to allow for very high-Q resonators resulting in low-loss filters. The 37-GHz two-pole filter exhibits a 2.3-dB port-to-port insertion loss. The 2.7% and 4.3% four- and five-pole Chebyshev filters at 60 GHz exhibit 2.8- and 3.4-dB insertion loss, and the 8% elliptic filter exhibits a 1.5-dB insertion loss. These values show a large reduction of insertion loss compared to conventional planar techniques, and can be used for planar low-cost millimeter-wave wireless communication systems.