Closed form expressions for RF MEMS switch actuation and release time

Closed form expressions for RF MEMS switch actuation and release times are derived. The expressions account for the mechanical and electrical parameters and are valid for V . 1.15 V_P and Q > 0.1 where V is the actuation voltage, V_P is the pull-in voltage, and Q is the mechanical quality factor.     

RF MEMS开关

由于能耗低、隔离度好、工作频带宽,MEMS开关在RF领域得到了广泛的应用。本文着重介绍了RF MEMS开关的基本参数、分类以及典型制造工艺和设计时考虑因素等一些基本的概念。     

Analysis and optimization of two movable plates RF MEMS switch for simultaneous improvement in actuation voltage and switching time

An attempt to overcome the existing limitations of RF MEMS switch like high actuation voltage and low switching time simultaneously has been addressed by introducing the concept of moving bottom plate (CPW central line).The performance characteristics of such MEMS switch with two movable plates has been analyzed by setting up the continuity equation of both the plates and solving it analytically with valid approximations. It is seen that for all practical cases such two movable plate designs can be represented by a single movable plate with equivalent membrane parameters. It is observed that a simultaneous reduction of both the actuation voltage and switching time around 20% is possible by optimizing the dimensions. Alternatively a maximum reduction of 30% in the actuation voltage is possible keeping the switching time unaltered and the switching time can be reduced by 50% keeping the switching voltage unaltered. Closed form expressions for the actuation voltage and switching time are obtained which are seen to match with the numerical results.     

RF MEMS waveguide switch

This paper presents a novel concept for an RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) waveguide switch. The proposed switch employs a ridge waveguide integrated with MEMS rotary actuators based on a thermal plastic deformation approach. The switch promises to be useful in high-power applications, as well as in millimeter-wave applications. Two switch implementations are presented: one with a waveguide interface and the other with a coplanar-waveguide interface for wide-band applications. Electromagnetic simulation results are presented showing the ultimate potential of the proposed concept. Both switch implementations have been fabricated and tested. The achievable measured results are very encouraging and demonstrate the feasibility of such novel types of MEMS switches. The power-handling capability of the switch is also investigated both theoretically and experimentally.     

Piezoelectrically actuated RF MEMS DC contact switches with low voltage operation

In this paper, fully integrated radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches with piezoelectric actuation have been proposed, designed, fabricated, and characterized. At a very low operation voltage of 2.5V, reliable and reproducible operation of the fabricated switch was obtained. The proposed RF MEMS switch is comprised of a piezoelectric cantilever actuator with a floated contact electrode and isolated CPW transmission line suspended above the silicon substrate. The measured insertion loss and isolation of the fabricated piezoelectric switch are -0.22 dB and -42dB at a frequency of 2GHz, respectively.     

A new MEMS based variable capacitor with wide tunability,high linearity and low actuation voltage

We have proposed a new RF MEMS variable capacitor to achieve high linearity, wide tunability and low actuation voltage. The idea is based on increasing the linear region in the gap between the plates of the capacitor. It is done by adding a fixed-fixed beam below the fixed-free beam. The fixed-free beam is one plate of the capacitor. The voltage is applied to the fixed-free beam. In the vicinity of the pull-in voltage, the fixed-free beam losses its equivalent stiffness. The fixed-fixed beam is located in the vicinity of pull in situation of the fixed-free beam. This condition increases the equivalent stiffness of the fixed-free beam and allows the beam to continue moving down linearly and consequently increases the maximum capacitance of the structure. Geometrical and material property effects of the second beam on the linearity, tunability and voltage are investigated. The governing nonlinear equation for static deflection of the beam based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory has been presented.     

一种X频段RF MEMS开关的设计与仿真

设计了一种可用于X频段的射频微机电系统(RF-MEMS)的开关。它通过上电极中心以及两端的螺旋结构提高了等效电感值,减小了谐振频率,从而在较低的频段下实现了较好的隔离度。采用阻抗匹配改善开关结构的射频性能。利用Ansoft HFSS软件仿真分析了开关关键结构参数对电磁性能的影响,包括绝缘介质层厚度k,上电极与下电极之间空气层厚度o、上电极宽度w和上电极间距m,总结了各参数对电磁性能的影响趋势,确定了各参数的最优取值。在整个X频段,开关开态时的插入损耗小于0.83 d B(绝对值,下同);关态时的隔离度大于18.5d B。在中心频率10 GHz的插入损耗为0.57 d B,隔离度为30.65 d B。     

A low-loss single-pole six-throw switch based on compact RF MEMS switches

A low-loss single-pole six-throw (SP6T) switch using very compact metal-contact RF microelectromechanical system (MEMS) series switches is presented. The metal-contact MEMS switch has an extremely compact active area of 0.4 mm /spl times/ 0.3 mm, thus permitting the formation of an SP6T MEMS switch into the RF switch with a total area of 1 mm/sup 2/. The MEMS switch shows an effective spring constant of 746 N/m and an actuation time of 8.0 /spl mu/s. It has an isolation loss from -64.4 to -30.6dB and an insertion loss of 0.08-0.19 dB at 0.5-20 GHz. Furthermore, in order to evaluate RF performances of the SP6T MEMS switch, as well as those of the single-pole single-throw RF MEMS series switch, we have performed small-signal modeling based on a parameter-extraction method. Accurate agreement between the measured and modeled RF performances demonstrates the validity of the small-signal model. The SP6T switch performed well with an isolation loss from -62.4 to -39.1dB and an insertion loss of 0.19-0.70 dB from dc to 6 GHz between the input port and each output port.     

一种串联RFMEMS开关的隔离度补偿措施

提出了采用陷波电路结构来补偿串联RFMEMS开关断开时的耦合电容,提高其隔离度的一种方法。理论分析显示,采用这种方法,在2～5GHz的频率范围内,可以使开关的隔离度最多提高15郾6dB,而插入损耗只受到0郾07dB的影响。     

A low loss RF MEMS Ku-band integrated switched filter bank

A switched Ku-band filter bank has been developed using two single-pole triple-throw (SP3T) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switching networks, and three fixed three-pole end-coupled bandpass filters. A tuning range of 17.7% from 14.9 to 17.8 GHz was achieved with a fractional bandwidth of 7.7 /spl plusmn/2.9%, and mid-band insertion loss ranging from 1.7 to 2.0 dB.     

An easy to control all-metal in-line-series ohmic RF MEMS switch

The analysis, design and simulation of a novel easy to control all-metal in-line-series ohmic RF MEMS switch is presented, for applications where the operating frequency ranges from DC to 4 GHz. The proposed switch, due to its unique shape and size, assures high isolation and great linearity fulfilling the necessary requirements as concerns loss, power handling and power consumption. Simplicity has been set as the key success factor implying robustness and high fabrication yield. On the other hand, the specially designed cantilever-shape (hammerhead) allows distributed actuation force ensuring high controllability as well as reliability making the presented RF MEMS switch one of its kind.     

Analysis of RF MEMS switch packaging Process for yield improvement

Radio frequency microelectro-mechanical systems (RF MEMS) switches offer significant performance advantages in high-frequency RF applications. The switches are actuated by electrostatic force when voltage was applied to the electrodes. Such devices provide high isolation when open and low contact resistance when closed. However, during the packaging process, there are various possible failure modes that may affect the switch yield and performance. The RF MEMS switches were first placed in a package and went through lid seal at 320degC. The assembled packages were then attached to a printed circuit board at 220degC. During the process, some switches failed due to electrical shorting. Interestingly, more failures were observed at the lower temperature of 220degC rather than 320degC. The failure mode was associated with the shorting bar and the cantilever design. Finite element simulations and simplified analytical solutions were used to understand the mechanics driving the behaviors. Simulation results have shown excellent agreement with experimental observations and measurements. Various solutions in package configurations were explored to overcome the hurdles in MEMS packaging and achieve better yield and performance     

Thermal solutions for discrete and wafer-level RF MEMS switch packages

In discrete radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) packages, MEMS devices were fabricated on silicon or gallium arsenide (GaAs) chips. The chips were then attached to substrates with die attach materials. In wafer-level MEMS packages, the switches were manufactured directly on substrates. For both types of packages, when the switches close, a contact resistance of approximately 1 /spl Omega/ exists at the contact area. As a result, during switch operations, a considerable amount of heat is generated in the minuscule contact area. The power density at the contact area could be up to 1000 times higher than that of typical power amplifiers. The high power density may overheat the contact area, therefore affect switch performance and jeopardize long-term switch reliabilities. In this paper, thermal analysis has been performed to study the heat dissipation at the switch contact area. The goal is to control the "hot spots" and lower the maximum junction temperature at the contact area. A variety of chip materials, including Silicon, GaAs have been evaluated for the discrete packages. For each chip material, the effect of die attach materials has been considered. For the wafer-level packages, various substrate materials, such as ceramic, glass, and low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) have been studied. Thermal experiments have been conducted to measure the temperature at the contact area and its vicinity as a function of dc and RF powers. Several solutions in material selection and package configurations have been explored to enable the use of MEMS with chips or substrates with relatively poor thermal conductivity. For discrete MEMS packages, placing the die inside a copper cavity on the substrate provides significant heat dissipation. For wafer-level packages, thin diamond coatings on the substrate could reduce the hot-spot temperature considerably.     

Fast photoconductive optoelectronic broadband switch with low control voltage

Optoelectronic switching with a gallium arsenide field-effect transistor used as a photoconductive detector is demonstrated. On-state to off-state isolation ratios of 65 dB from 500 kHz to 1.3 GHz, and switching times less than 10 ns, are observed. Gating voltage is of the order of 3?10 V.     

Performance of RF MEMS switches at low temperatures

The actuation voltage of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) metal switches was investigated at temperatures ranging from 10 to 290 K. The investigation shows a 50% increase in the actuation voltage at low temperature. A comparison has been made using a published model and showed similar increment of actuation voltage at low temperature     

On the investigation of a reliable actuation control method for ohmic RF MEMS switches

Efficient control of RF MEMS switches is a very important issue as it is correlated to main failure mechanisms/modes such as the impact force and bouncing phenomena, which degrade their dynamic performance and longevity. This paper presents the control of specific ohmic RF MEMS switches under three different actuation modes, a tailored pulse optimization method based on Taguchi's technique (voltage mode actuation control), resistive damping (charge mode actuation control) and finally the Hybrid actuation mode, which is a combination of the tailored pulse, the resistive damping and Taguchi's optimization technique. Coventorware simulations indicate that under optimized Tailored pulse and Hybrid actuation modes, the impact velocity is reduced by around 90%, the initial impact force by around 75% and the maximum bouncing displacement during the release phase by around 95%, while the switching speed is increased by around 20% compared with the step pulse control mode. The resistive damping control mode is inappropriate for this type of switch and only partial improvement during the pull-down phase has been achieved. Finally, a comparison between Hybrid and optimized tailored modes shows that Hybrid actuation mode excels with better switching characteristics and most importantly offers immunity to manufacturing and operation tolerances.     

Electromagnetic modelling of conductor-backed CPW based RF MEMS capacitive shunt switch

This article will detail the creation of an electromagnetic model of an RF MEMS capacitive shunt switch using the conductor-backed CPW configuration. Full-wave S-parameter analysis has been carried out to extract the S-parameter of the switches for different variants. The modelling also covers the effect of the tapering of the RF signal line as well as the permittivity variation on the switch parameters. Further, the ground metallisation effect because of the CB-CPW configuration on the switch parameters has been modelled and compared with the standard topology. A scalable lumped circuit model for the proposed topology has been generated which can be easily incorporated in the circuit simulator. The topology demonstrated can achieve frequency downscaling without increasing the size and complexity of the circuit. Comparison of modelled and full wave simulated results shows good agreement.     

Power amplifier/low noise amplifier RF switch

Front-end RF switches commonly use PIN diodes as the switching element. A novel RF switch using the existing front-end power amplifier and low noise amplifier to give better performance with reduced component count and lower cost is demonstrated