Microfabrica Inc. has successfully delivered to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) a series of RF and microwave devices based on Microfabrica's EFAB technology and enabled by its 4 inch wafer processing facility.

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AFRL engineers at the Antenna Technology Unit conceived and designed the devices that included filters, couplers, inductors and variable capacitors. These demonstrated the suitability of EFAB technology for numerous RF applications for military use at the 10 GHz-100 GHz frequency range.

The microwave and RF devices were built under the supervision of research physicists for AFRL's Antenna Technology Unit. The Antenna Technology Unit research physicists are responsible for investigating emerging technologies that could potentially improve the front-end of antenna systems, and they chose to test the EFAB process based on its flexibility for microdevice manufacturing. To date, the results have matched the initial simulations in every case.

"Air Force Research Labs' experience of achieving working devices on the first try is a testament to the advantages of EFAB technology," said Vacit Arat, president and CEO of Microfabrica. "We expect that the intuitive path from concept to product realization for such devices will inspire innovation, and accelerate the introduction of advanced microwave systems based on the EFAB process."

"The ability to create intricate 3-D metal structures with micron precision proved to be exactly what microwave designers needed to make a leap in performance, size and cost," continued Arat. "With EFAB technology, the RF engineer has a powerful new tool for thinking out-of-the-box and developing entirely new RF components and systems, with unprecedented levels of performance and functionality."