Analysis of a novel RF MEMS switch using different meander techniques

In this paper, two types of RF MEMS switches namely step structure and Normal beam structure are designed and analyzed using different meander techniques. Three techniques namely plus, zigzag and three-square meander were used to lower the pull-in voltage. The actuating beam is designed with the rectangular perforations affects the performance of a switch by lowering the pull-in voltage, switching speed and results in better isolation. In this paper a comparative analysis is done for all three meander techniques with and without perforations on the beam. Total six structures have been designed with the combination three meanders and two different beam structures. The proposed stepdown structure exhibits high performance characteristics with a very low pull-in voltage of 1.2 V having an airgap of 0.8 µm between the actuation electrodes. The gold is used as beam material and HfO₂ as the dielectric material such that the upstate and downstate capacitance is seen as 1.02 fF and 49 fF. The FEM analysis is done to calculate the spring constant and thereby the pull-in voltage and behavior of the switch is studied with various parameters. The switch with a step structure and three-square meander configuration has shown best performance of all by requiring a pull-in voltage of 1.2 V and lower switching time of 0.2 µs. The proposed switch also exhibits good RF performance characteristics with an insertion loss below − 0.07 dB and return loss below − 60 dB over the frequency range of 1–40 GHz. At 28 GHz a high isolation of − 68 dB is exhibited.

     

Design and analysis of a RF MEMS shunt switch using U-shaped meanders for low actuation voltage

This paper presents the design and simulation of RF MEMS switch using uniform U-Shaped meanders. High isolation and low insertion loss are the main performance parameters enhanced by considering the inductive sections on the design and developing high capacitance using HfO₂ as a dielectric medium. The inductive sections in the design help maintain the device at resonance. The proposed uniform U-shaped meanders lower the spring constant and reduce the Pull-in-voltage of the switch. The performance characteristics are observed by simulating the proposed switch in the electromechanics environment using the COMSOL FEM tool. The switch exhibits a low Pull-in-voltage of 5.2 V with a very low switching time of 23.1 µs. Total capacitance of 42.19 fF is formed during upstate which provides a low insertion loss of less than 0.1 dB. Capacitance of 19.11 pF during downstate provides high isolation of − 42.11 dB.

     

Broadband radio frequency MEMS series contact switch with low insertion loss

A new radio frequency (RF) micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) single cantilever series contact switch is designed as a low-insertion-loss and low-power electronic component that is intended to provide integrated control of the opening and closing signals of other MEMS devices operating over a wide frequency range (DC–60 GHz). The MEMS switching element consists of an A-type top electrode that is fixed onto coplanar waveguide lines through anchor points to reduce the insertion loss in the on-state of the device. The air gap between the top electrode and the actuation electrode of the designed MEMS switch is optimized to improve the isolation characteristics of the switch. In addition, the switching voltage required is approximately 24 V. The simulation results presented here show that the insertion loss of the switch in the on-state is less than 0.71 dB, while the minimum isolation is 20.69 dB in the off-state at 60 GHz. The proposed RF MEMS switch will be useful for communication devices and test instruments used in broadband applications.

     

Design and consideration of wafer level micropackaging for distributed RF MEMS phase shifters

A novel packaging structure which is performed using wafer level micropackaging on the thin silicon substrate as the distributed RF MEMS phase shifters wafer with vertical feedthrough is presented. The influences of proposed structure on RF performances of distributed RF MEMS phase shifters are investigated using microwave studio (CST). Simulation results show that the insertion loss (S₂₁) and return loss (S₁₁) of packaged MEMS phase shifters are −0.4–1.84 dB and under −10 dB at 1–50 GHz, respectively. Especially, the phase shifts have well linear relation at the range 1–48 GHz. At the same time, this indicated that the proposed pacakaging structure for the RF MEMS phase shifter can provide the maximum amount of linear phase shift with the minimum amount of insertion loss and return loss of less than −10 dB.     

A low voltage vertical comb RF MEMS switch

Design and simulations of a novel RF MEMS switch is reported as a solution to many RF wireless applications. A new comb structure for RF MEMS switch is proposed for low voltage and high frequency operations. Isolation degree and actuation voltage, both improved by the new structure. The mechanical and electromagnetic simulation results show better performance for this new switch compared to parallel plate switch. The simulation is done by the intellisuit and HFSS softwares. The Simulation results show that the actuation voltage is decreased by 13% and the linearity of the switch displacement with respect to the actuation voltage is improved by 22% compared to the parallel plate structure. The HFSS simulation results indicate an insertion loss better than 0.33 dB at 50 GHz and isolation greater than 13.4 dB at 50 GHz.     

RF-MEMS for 5G applications: a reconfigurable 8-bit power attenuator working up to 110 GHz. Part 1: design concept,technology and working principles

RF-MEMS technology is indicated as a key enabling solution to realise the high-performance and highly-reconfigurable passive components that future 5G communication standards will demand for. In this work, a novel design concept of an 8-bit reconfigurable power attenuator manufactured in the RF-MEMS technology available at the CMM-FBK, in Italy, is tested and discussed. In the current Part 1 of the contribution, the RF-MEMS power attenuator design concept is discussed. The device features electrostatically controlled MEMS ohmic switches, in order to select/deselect resistive loads (both in series and shunt configuration) that attenuate the RF signal, and comprises eight cascaded stages (i.e. 8-bit), thus implementing 256 different network configurations. In Part 2 of the article, fabricated samples are measured (S-parameters) from 10 MHz to 110 GHz in a wide range of different configurations, and modelled/simulated in with a Finite Element Method software tool. Despite the attenuator complexity, the simulation approach leads to accurate prediction of the experimental behaviour. The device exhibits attenuation levels (S21) in the range from − 10 to − 60 dB, up to 110 GHz. In particular, the S21 shows flatness from 15 dB down to 3–5 dB, from 10 MHz to 50 GHz, while less linear traces up to 110 GHz. A comprehensive discussion is developed around the voltage standing wave ratio, employed as quality indicator for the attenuation levels. Finally, margins of improvement at design level are also discussed, in order to overcome the limitations of the presented RF-MEMS device.

     

RF-MEMS for 5G applications: a reconfigurable 8-bit power attenuator working up to 110 GHz. Part 2—Experimental characterisation of the RF behaviour

RF-MEMS technology is indicated as a key enabling solution to realise the high-performance and highly-reconfigurable passive components that future 5G communication standards will demand for. In this work, divided in the previous Part 1 and the current Part 2, a novel design concept of an 8-bit reconfigurable power attenuator manufactured in the RF-MEMS technology available at the CMM-FBK, in Italy, is presented, tested and discussed. As reported in Part 1, the device features electrostatically controlled MEMS ohmic switches, in order to select/deselect resistive loads (both in series and shunt configuration) that attenuate the RF signal, and comprises eight cascaded stages (i.e. 8-bit), thus implementing 256 different network configurations. In the current Part 2, fabricated samples are measured (S-parameters) from 10 MHz to 110 GHz in a wide range of different configurations, and modelled/simulated in a full 3D Finite Element Method (FEM) environment. Despite the attenuator complexity, the simulation approach leads to accurate prediction of the experimental behaviour. The device exhibits attenuation levels (S21) in the range from − 10 to − 60 dB, up to 110 GHz. In particular, the S21 shows flatness from 15 down to 3–5 dB, from 10 MHz to 50 GHz, while less linear traces up to 110 GHz. A comprehensive discussion is developed around the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), employed as quality indicator for the attenuation levels. Finally, margins of improvement at design level are also discussed, in order to overcome the limitations of the presented RF-MEMS device.

     

Performance analysis of RF MEMS capacitive switch with non uniform meandering technique

This Paper reports on investigation of High C_on C_off ratio Capacitive Shunt RF MEMS Switch and detailed comparison between uniform three meander beam with non-uniform single meander beam RF MEMS switch. RF MEMS Switches are designed for operation in the range 5–40 GHz. Pull in analysis is performed with gold as a beam material. Simulation reveals that use of high K dielectric material can drastically improve the capacitance ratio of switch. For the same geometry, pull in voltage is 2.45 V for HfO₂, 2.7 V for Si₃N₄ and Capacitive Ratio of the switch with Si₃N₄ is 83.75 and Capacitive Ratio with HfO₂ is 223 at 2g₀ (air gap) and 0.8 μm thickness of beam. The Radio Frequency performance of RF MEMS switch is obtained by scattering parameters (insertion loss, Return loss and isolation) which are mainly dominated by down to up capacitance ratio and MEMS bridge geometries. RF analysis shows that insertion loss as low as ?0.4 dB at 20 GHz and isolation as high as 80 dB at 20 GHz can be achieved. Investigation of three uniform meander Design and non-uniform single meander design reveals that use of non-uniform design reduces the design complexity and saves substrate area still maintaining almost same device performance. S-parameter analysis is carried out to compare device performance for both structures. DC analysis of the proposed switch is carried out using Coventorware and RF analysis is performed in MATLAB.     

Insertion loss characteristics of passive devices fabricated on anodized aluminum oxide layers formed on Si substrates

We report on the high-frequency insertion loss behaviors of a passive device patterned on a new type of insulating layer that consists of nanoporous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) on a Si substrate. The transmission line loss and characteristics of simple capacitors were characterized by a series of RF measurements. The insertion loss of the transmission line on the hybrid insulating layer consisting of AAO and silicon dioxide (SiO₂) was smaller than that on the SiO₂ single insulating layer. This hybrid insulating layer approach appears to be promising for the development of integrated passive devices that require an insertion loss of the order of ?0.621 dB up to 20 GHz. A simple MIM capacitor manufactured on the hybrid insulating layer operated very well in the RF range.     

A low power fully differential RF receiver front-end for 2.4 GHz wireless sensor networks

In this paper, a novel merged LNA-mixer denoted as LNMA is proposed. The proposed LNMA consisting of a folded cascode LNA using improved derivative superposition technique and folded double-balanced subthreshold mixer using capacitor cross-coupled common-gate transconductor and it is integrated with on-chip LC voltage controlled oscillator (LC-VCO). In LNMA, a diode and power clamp based on-chip ESD protection circuit is used to tolerate ESD current of human-body-model specifications. To evaluate its performance, it is implemented in 0.18-µm MMRF CMOS process with 1-V supply, studied through post layout simulation and compared the results with other reported works. It achieves higher conversion gain of 27 dB, lower noise figure of 9.5 dB, lower input return loss (S11) of − 20 dB, higher third-order input intercept point (IIP₃) of – 16 dBm and higher IIP₂ of + 29.9 dBm compared to the works reported in the literature. The on-chip oscillator has the lower phase noise of – 114 dBc/Hz. The proposed LNMA and the LC-VCO achieves the power consumptions of 1.6 and 1.72 mW, respectively at 1-V power supply.

     

Conductivity modulation of interstitially chemisorbed Manganese atom on Graphene for nanoelectronic application

In this study, electronic properties of Manganese atom doped Graphene are studied using Atomistix Tool Kit-Virtual NanoLab (ATK-VNL), QuantumWise simulation package. All the calculations are done using density functional theory. The doping of Manganese atom creates a small band gap and this gap increases with increasing doping concentrations. Chemical potential measurements exhibit a rise in the values for pristine Graphene is − 10.48 to − 9.91 eV for single doped atom to − 9.87 eV for double doped Manganese atom to − 9.57 eV for triple atom doped Manganese. Total energy calculated for pristine, one, two and three Manganese atom doped Graphenes are as − 4506.6, − 4599.5, − 4691.97 and − 4789.31 eV, respectively. Optical spectrum plots also support the aforementioned characteristics deviation in the pristine Graphene. Transmission spectrum is also varied for pristine Graphene in comparison to one, two and three Manganese atom doped nanosheets. Density of states calculations also illustrates the rise in the values for the number of states occupied by electrons for pristine Graphene, one to three Manganese atom doped nanosheet, respectively. The flow of current reduces with increasing number of impure atoms. Understanding the effect of Manganese as dopant at different lattice sites of 2D-Graphene helps in designing conductivity tunable Graphene based electro-mechanical devices and sensors for myriad nanoelectronic applications.

     

Design of SAW sensor for longitudinal strain measurement with improved sensitivity

This paper presents the design of a highly sensitive surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based sensor with novel structure for the longitudinal strain measurement. The sensor utilizes thin lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) diaphragm as the sensing element rather than the bulk substrate. The application of the diaphragm effectively decreases the cross-sectional area of the strain sensitive element, and meanwhile reduces the resistance between the sensor and the specimen. The newly designed strain sensor is to operate around a frequency of 50 MHz. The insertion loss of − 12 dB and quality factor of 63 are obtained analytically from impulse-response model. The sensor performance with tensile testing of the steel beam is predicted by the finite element method. The prestressed eigenfrequency analysis is conducted with the COMSOL commercial software. The simulation shows the resonance frequency of the sensor shifts linearly with the strain induced in the testing beam. For the SAW sensor with traditional configuration applying 1 mm thick substrate, the strain sensitivity is obtained as 0.41 ppm/με. For the sensor with the novel design employing thin diaphragm with the thickness of 200 μm, the strain sensitivity is increased to 0.83 ppm/με. With the availability of the bulk micromachining of LiNbO₃, the application of the piezoelectric diaphragm as sensing element in SAW strain sensor can be an alternative way to enhance the sensor sensitivity.

     

A 0.6 V 117 nW high performance energy efficient system-on-chip (SoC) CMOS temperature sensor in 0.18 µm CMOS for aerospace applications

This research article presents and describes a novel design with improved performance low power consumption threshold voltage based CMOS thermal sensor for aerospace applications. The proposed temperature sensor utilizes the change in behavior of threshold voltage of MOSFET with variation in temperature. The challenge while designing the temperature sensor was to achieve the linearize output voltage with respect to change in temperature. Process corner analysis has been done to check the robustness of the circuit while performance analysis and sensitivity of the temperature sensor have been verified in the occurrence of parasitic. The proposed temperature sensor is featured with low power consumption, less power supply voltage utilization, high performance and sensitivity with inaccuracy as low as possible. The presented temperature sensor utilizes an active area of 18 µm × 9.85 µm with 117 nW power consumption. An improved linear performance with an inaccuracy of merely − 0.01 to + 0.47 °C over a wide temperature range of − 20 to + 120 °C is presented here. The sensitivity of proposed temperature sensor is found to be as high as 0.77 mV/°C. The proposed temperature sensor is realized and tested in Cadence virtuoso mixed signal design atmosphere using 0.18 µm CMOS technology and further investigated with support of tool from Mentor graphics. The engaged area of pad-limited chip is measured to be 0.96 mm².

     

A low‐profile dual port UWB‐MIMO/diversity antenna with band rejection ability

A band notched ultra‐wideband (UWB) antenna is presented in this article as a good prospect for multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO)/diversity application. The proposed MIMO antenna is constituted of two modified rectangle‐shaped patch antenna elements. A stepped stub is extended from the modified ground plane as a decoupling element between the radiators to realize a good isolation level between them. A band rejection response is obtained by connecting an open resonant stub to each of the radiators. The simulated prototype is fabricated and tested for verification. Results reveal that the proposed prototype provides a 10 dB return loss bandwidth from 3.08 to 10.98 GHz with band notch characteristics from 4.98 to 5.96 GHz, and a good port isolation level (S₂₁ ≤ 20). Diversity performances are ensured in terms of total active reflection coefficient, envelope correlation coefficient (<0.013 except notch band), diversity gain (≈9.51 dB), mean effective gain ratio (≈1), and channel capacity loss (≤0.35 bps/HZ except notch band). It evidences that the presented band notched UWB antenna can be a good prospective for MIMO/diversity applications.     

An investigation of dielectric material selection of RF-MEMS switches using Ashby’s methodology for RF applications

This paper presents a dielectric material selection methodology for RF-MEMS switch used for radio frequency applications. Here Ashby’s material selection approach is used to optimize the performance indices of RF-MEMS switch such as dielectric charging, stability, hold down voltage and RF performance. In this work, dielectric constant (ɛ _r), electrical resistivity (ρ), thermal conductivity (λ), thermal expansion coefficient (α), Young’s Modulus (E) are chosen as material indices of dielectric layer in RF-MEMS switch to evaluate the various performance indices. The Ashby’s material selection charts shows that Al₂O₃ and SiN are the best suitable material for dielectric layer in RF-MEMS switches to exhibit improved performance for radio frequency applications.

     

A novel etched-substrate mechanism for characteristics improvement of X-band broadband printed monopole antenna

A unique tiny wideband antenna with improvements in fundamental features is offered. The antenna consists of a crown-shaped patch and an incomplete ground plane. The proposed patch shape is constructed by introducing multiple truncated circular-shaped arcs, which help to enhance the performance of the designed antenna. A unique strategy of etching the substrate structure, is integrated which aims to provide a useful solution for the excitation of the surface waves within the microstrip antenna. The essential attributes including impedance bandwidth and radiation efficiency of the recommended antenna are strengthened after the removal of these portions. The recommended antenna can be used for X-band applications with a compact size of 30 × 30 mm². The usable impedance bandwidth (S₁₁  ≤ 10 dB) covered by the proposed antenna is 6.2 GHz and ranges from 5.8 to 12 GHz. The antenna is experimentally tested to confirm the outcomes of the simulation thus, a satisfactory agreement is reached between simulated and measured results that prove the antenna’s validity for wideband operations.

     

A lateral RF MEMS capacitive switch utilizing parylene as dielectric

A novel lateral RF MEMS capacitive switch was reported in this paper. This switch employed parylene as the dielectric material, taking advantages of its low temperature deposition and conformal coating. The low resistivity single crystalline silicon served as the material of the mechanical structures. The switch was fabricated by bulk micromachining processes with only two lithographic masks and a shadow mask. The dynamical response, parylene insulation performance, and RF performances of the fabricated switch were characterized, respectively. The switching time from the open state to the close state was 105 μs at a loaded voltage of 78 V, while 15.6 μs from the close state to the open state. The isolation was better than 15 dB from 20 to 40 GHz, and the maximal isolation was 23.5 dB at 25 GHz; while the insertion loss was below 1.4 dB at 25 GHz, when bonding wires connected the ground lines. These results verify that the parylene is a good candidate material to act as sidewall dielectric to realize the lateral capacitive switch.     

Design of MEMS switch for RF applications

Components like passive electronically scanned (sub) arrays, T/R modules, reconfigurable antennas etc., in RF applications are in need of MEMS switches for its re-configurability and polarization. This paper presents the analysis, design and simulation of a MEMS switch. The switch proposed in this paper is intended to work in the frequency range of 4–8 GHz. The proposed switch fulfills the switching characteristics concerning the five requirements loss, linearity, high switching speed, small size/power consumption, low pull down voltage following a relatively simple design, which ensures reliability, robustness and high fabrication yield. The switch implemented in this paper is based on the integration mode of operation and widely used in RF applications.     

A reduced size dual port MIMO DRA with high isolation for 4G applications

A dual‐port reduced size multiple input multiple output (MIMO) Dielectric Resonator Antenna (DRA) has been studied and proposed. The MIMO antenna consists of a Rectangular Dielectric Resonator antenna, which is fed by two symmetrical feed lines for orthogonal mode excitation. The proposed antenna is suitable for operation over various long term evolution (LTE) bands. A measured bandwidth of 264 MHz for |S₁₁| S‐parameters. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the proposed antenna can be a suitable candidate for MIMO applications. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 25:495–501, 2015.     

Integration of piezoelectric tunable capacitors and bonded-wire inductors for contactless RF switch and tunable filter

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a contactless radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switch, composed of two surface-micromachined piezoelectric tunable capacitors and two bonded-wire inductors. The measured insertion loss and power isolation of the fabricated switch are 2.2 and 10.1 dB, respectively, with a capacitance variation of 4:1 over a narrow bandwidth near 2.2 GHz. This novel approach of using inductors eases the deflection requirement for the deformable bridge of the variable capacitor, and allows piezoelectric ZnO film to be used to deflect the capacitor bridge to vary the air gap, thus yielding a contactless RF switch.