NEED FOR ROBUST RF MEMS FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS

INTRODUCTION Generally speaking, space has not been considered so far as a key player in new technologies. It is more a fast follower, the reason being the long and costly qualification programs which are directly linked to the combination of long life time (15 years for GEO satellites) and operation in harsh environment. Nevertheless the satellite industry could experience in the coming years, its biggest evolution since it joined the ranks of commerce. Thanks to increasing constraints on performance, cost and development cycles, it is possible that space industry could be at the cutting edge of the major technical evolution which is taking place in electronic industry. In some cases this evolution is going jointly with another low volume high added value industry : the military industry. In this paper, we will present and discuss Alcatel Space view in RF MEMS emerging technologies that may impact future telecom payload.