RF MEMS Switch on Poly-Silicon Substrate

The improvements of the design and the compatibility with silicon IC of RF MEMS switch are presented.The compatibility with silicon IC is realized by dielectric isolation technology,and the decrease of the pull voltage of the switch is done by etching some holes on the metal membrane.The preliminary test results are as follows: C off and C on are 0 32pF,6pF,respectively;the pull down voltage is about 25V.The package of the RF MEMS switch is done by micro stripline,and the isolation and the insertion loss are 35dB,2dB,respectively at 1 5GHz;the switching speed is about 3μs by oscilloscope.

A novel low-loss four-bit bandpass filter using RF MEMS switches

This paper details the design and simulation of a novel low-loss four-bit reconfigurable bandpass filter that integrates microelectromechanical system(MEMS)switches and comb resonators.A T-shaped reconfigurable resonator is reconfigured in a'one resonator,multiple MEMS switches'configuration and used to gate the load capacitances of comb resonators so that a multiple-frequency filtering function is realized within the 7-16 GHz frequency range.In addition,the insertion loss of the filter is less than 1.99 dB,the out-of-band rejection is more than 18.30 dB,and the group delay is less than 0.25 ns.On the other hand,the size of this novel filter is only 4.4 mm×2.5 mm×0.4 mm.Our results indicate that this MEMS reconfigurable filter,which can switch 16 central frequency bands through eight switches,achieves a low insertion loss compared to those of traditional MEMS filters.In addition,the advantages of small size are obtained while achieving high integration.

Sensitivity analysis of pull-in voltage for RF MEMS switch based on modified couple stress theory

An approximate analytical model for calculating the pull-in voltage of a stepped cantilever-type radio frequency （RF） micro electro-mechanical system （MEMS） switch is developed based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam and a modified couple stress theory, and is validated by comparison with the finite element results. The sensitivity functions of the pull-in voltage to the designed parameters are derived based on the proposed model. The sensitivity investigation shows that the pull-in voltage sensitivities increase/decrease nonlinearly with the increases in the designed parameters. For the stepped cantilever beam, there exists a nonzero optimal dimensionless length ratio, where the pull-in voltage is insensitive. The optimal value of the dimensionless length ratio only depends on the dimensionless width ratio, and can be obtained by solving a nonlinear equation. The determination of the designed parameters is discussed, and some recommendations are made for the RF MEMS switch optimization.

Thermal Effects and RF Power Handling of DC～5GHz MEMS Switch

A DC to 5GHz series MEMS switch is designed and fabricated for wireless communication applications,and thermal effect and power handling of the series switch are discussed.The switch is made on glass substrate,and gold platinum contact is used to get a stable and little insert loss.From DC to 5GHz,0 6dB insertion loss,30dB isolation,and 30μs delay are demonstrated.Thermal effect of the switch is tested in 85℃ and -55℃ atmosphere separately.From DC to 4GHz,the insert loss of the switch increases 0 2dB in 85℃ and 0 4dB in -55℃,while the isolation holds the same value as that in room temperature.To measure the power handling capability of the switch,we applied a continuous RF power increasing from 10dBm to 35 1dBm with the step of 1 0dBm across the switch at 4GHz.The switch keeps working and shows a decrease of the insert loss for 0 1～0 6dB.The maximum continuous power handling (35 1dBm,about 3 24W) is higer than the reported value of shunt switch (about 420mW),which implies series switches have much better power handling capability.

Effect of Inertial Shock on RF MEMS Capacitive Switches Property in Low Vacuum

The influence of outside inertial shock combined with RF signal voltages on the properties of a shunt capacitive MEMS switch encapsulated in a low vacuum environment is analyzed considering the damping of the air around the MEMS switch membrane. An analytical expression that approximately computes the displacement induced by outside shock is obtained. According to the expression, the minimum required mechanical stiffness constant of an MEMS switch beam in some maximum tolerated insertion loss condition and some external inertial shock environment or the insertion loss induced by external inertial shock can also be obtained. The influence is also illustrated with an RF MEMS capacitive switch example,which shows that outside environment factors have to be taken into account when designing RF MEMS capacitive switches working in low vacuum. While encapsulating RF MEMS switches in low vacuum diminishes the air damping and improves the switch speed and operation voltage,the performances of a switch is incident to being influenced by outside environment. This study is very useful for the optimized design of RF MEMS capacitive switches working in low vacuum.