Dec. 4, 2006 — XCOM Wireless Inc., a Signal Hill, Calif., developer of radio frequency (RF) products, announced it selected Innovative Micro Technology (IMT), a Santa Barbara, Calif., MEMS contract manufacturer, to manufacture die for its RF MEMS relay product.

XCOM and IMT said they have implemented an effective wafer manufacturing process to produce RF relay die with high performance, reliability, and environmental ruggedness. XCOM is sampling its RF MEMS relay product for size-constrained and performance-critical applications in automated test equipment (ATE), RF test equipment, civilian radios, and military radios.

“We are supplying qualified products to support the continued growth of ATE and RF test equipment,” said Dan Hyman, CEO of XCOM, in a prepared statement. These, he said, will lay a foundation for the company’s future products intended for high-end antenna applications and multi-mode, multi-standard consumer handsets.

Hyman said XCOM has been delivering samples that demonstrate excellent repeatability, high bandwidth, and strong performance, and that the company would use IMT as it moves into production.

Above, an array of XCOM RF MEMS die.

XCOM’s RF MEMS relays are intended for a diverse set of applications where low loss, high isolation, and high bandwidth are required. The company’s relay incorporates the benefits of a metal-to-metal contact, similar to conventional mechanical relays, while providing the miniature, surface-mount footprint of a solid-state relay. Applications include switching and signal routing in ATE and RF test equipment; and tunable filters, antennas, and matching networks for civilian and military radios and radar systems.