This project was selected as EU Descartes Prize finalist

Press release of European Commission
"Scientific Excellence for Society"  

The MEMSWAVE partners at the Dscartes Prise Award Ceremony. From left to right: F. Giacomozzi (Italy); B. Szentpali (Hungary); A. Muller (Romania); G. Konstantinidis (Greece); V.F. Mitin (Ukraine).
5 December 2002, European Patent Office, Munich, Germany

INCO-COPERNICUS Project # 977131

Project duration:  October 1998 – October 2001

Supported by the EU in the framework of the INCO-COPERNICUS program. This Project joined together nine groups of scientists from West- and Central/East-European research centres and universities with complementary activities in the field of semiconductor technology, microsystems and microwave devices.

The new topic for the European scientific community, the development of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) for radio-frequency applications, is the major objective of this Project.

Another objective of the Project is to develop a new generation of microwave and millimetre wave circuits using new modelling and design concepts, as well as advanced silicon and III-V semiconductor compounds micromachining.

The Project contributes to micromachining technology transfer from laboratory experiments to wide industrial use, with the micromachined passive components and co-integration of MEMS with IC’s, as well as with innovative radio frequency transducers in the microwave and millimetre wave areas. New micromachining techniques for fabrication of the dielectric and semiconductor membranes, as well as the active (IMPATT diodes, switching and varactor diodes) and passive (millimetre wave antennae and filtre structures) micromachined elements, were developed.

The final task of the MEMSWAVE Project is the design and manufacturing of transmitting and receiving micromachined integrated modules in the millimetre wave range (38 GHz), as well as receiving micromachined modules for 77 GHz.

 The main application areas for the MEMSWAVE products: 

local “point-to-point” and “point-to-multipoint” distribution systems
satellite communication systems
mobile radio communication systems equipped with the broad-band satellite communication
    lines intended for the millimetre wavelength range
automotive collision-avoidance radars
radar alarm systems

 Project participants and contact persons:

Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies (IMT), Bucharest, Romania – Coordinating Institution

        Prof. Dr. Dan Dascalu

        Dr. Alexandru Muller

CNR-PSM-M2T, Rome, Italy

        Dr. Romolo Marcelli

Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy

        Dr. Flavio Giacomozzi

ITC-IRST, Trento, Italy

       Dr. Giancarlo Bartolucci

FORTH, Heraklion, Greece

      Dr. George Constantinidis

University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden

      Dr. Klas Hjort

HAS-RITPMS, Budapest, Hungary

      Dr. Bela Szentpali

Institute of Semiconductor Physics (ISP) of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine

      Prof. Dr. Raisa Konakova

Research & Production Company MicroSensor Ltd (MicroSensor), Kiev, Ukraine

      Dr. Vadim Mitin