MEMS Switch Enabled Spatiotemporally Modulated Isolators

Abstract

This work reports the simulation, design, and implementation of a compact MEMS switch based spatiotemporally modulated (STM) bandpass filtering isolator to improve self-interference cancellation (SIC) in underwater acoustic communication networks. Conventional ferrite circulators are unavailable in ultrasonic frequency ranges limiting SIC to techniques such as spatial cancellation and adaptive digital cancellation. This study details a sub-megahertz electronic non-magnetic filtering isolator. High power-handling, compact, and reliable MEMS switches enable the periodically time varying filter circuit to be non-reciprocal. A printed circuit board (PCB) implementation shows strong agreement with spectral admittance matrix simulations with a maximum measured isolation of 15.99 dB. In conjunction with digital SIC methods, this isolator can enable in-band full duplex underwater communication, environmental sensing, and imaging.