Prospects of Micro/Nanotechnologies (MEMS/NEMS) in the Emerging Scenario of 6G with Focus on RF-MEMS

The emerging scenarios of 6G and, on a longer term, of Future Networks (FN) will pose challenges that cannot be addressed relying on standard design and development approaches. The network is expected to turn into a system of systems, implementing self-management and self-evolutionary capacities, especially at the edge. This work sketches a prominent role for Micro and Nanotechnologies (MEMS/NEMS) in making visions of 6G and FN possible. A comprehensive description of 6G/FN is developed, along with a reformulation of the concept of Hardware (HW), capitalizing on MEMS/NEMS technologies. Finally, RF-MEMS technology (MEMS for Radio Frequency passives) is reported as an example of 6G/FN enabling solution.