A DC-contact MEMS shunt switch

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and performance of a metal-to-metal contact micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) shunt switch. The switch is composed of a fixed-fixed metal beam with two pull-down electrodes and a central DC-contact area. The switch is placed in an in-line configuration in a coplanar waveguide transmission line. This topology results in a compact DC-contact shunt switch and high isolation at 0.1-18 GHz. The isolation at MM-wave frequencies is limited by the inductance to ground and is -20 dB at 18 GHz. The application areas are in wireless communications and high-isolation switching networks for satellite systems     

毫米波串联接触式RF MEMS开关的设计与制造

设计了一种应用于毫米波波段的串联接触式RF MEMS开关。为了在毫米波波段获得较高的隔离度,通过使用短截线结构,以降低输入输出端口的耦合电容。为了获得可靠的金属接触,设计了一种改进型的"蟹形"桥结构。测试结果显示,在30GHz,插入损耗为-0.3dB,隔离度为-20dB。在DC～40GHz的频率范围内,插入损耗优于-0.5dB,隔离度优于-20dB。所设计的串联接触式RF MEMS开关,可应用于20～40GHz的频率范围内。     

电磁驱动推拉式射频MEMS开关的设计与制作

提出了一种新型电磁驱动推拉式射频MEMS开关。针对传统静电驱动单臂梁开关所需驱动电压大、恢复力不足等问题,设计了一种推拉式开关结构,降低了驱动电压(电流),提高了开关的隔离度,同时实现了单刀双掷的功能。单晶Si梁由于自身无应力,解决了悬臂梁残余应力引起的梁变形问题。通过理论计算和有限元分析,优化了开关设计尺寸,在外围永磁铁磁感应梯度dB/dz=100T/m,在线圈通入100mA电流的驱动下,单晶Si扭转梁末端可以获得约10μm的弯曲量,满足开关驱动要求。给出了开关的详细微细加工流程,对开关的传输参数进行了测试,在10GHz时隔离度为-40dB.     

Fabrication and Numerical Simulation of a Micromachined Contact Cantilever RF-MEMS Switch

研究了一种直接接触悬臂梁式RF-MEMS开关,悬臂梁采用Al金属材料.开关通过静电控制,且与信号通道分离.为了优化材料结构和获得好的性能,进行了有限元ANSYS模拟.采用表面微加工工艺来制作开关,获得满意结果.器件的驱动电压为12V,与ANSYS模拟结果11V基本相符;器件的隔离度,在0.05～10GHz的范围内,实验测试与HFSS模拟的结果基本一致,都优于-20dB;器件的插入损耗,HFSS模拟小于-0.2dB,而实验测试小于-0.9dB,偏高是由于悬臂梁表面不平,导致接触电阻增大,在测试中引入接触阻抗所致.     

单刀双掷RF MEMS开关的研究与设计

介绍了一种基于横向金属接触的DC-5GHz单刀双掷RF MEMS开关的研究与设计．横向金属接触开关包括了一套有限的共面波导（FGCPW）传输线和左右摆动的悬臂梁．为了降低开启电压,设计了一种曲折型的折叠梁结构,通过理论分析与仿真实验验证了该结构的可行性,并利用MetalMUMPs工艺加以实现．测试结果显示,该开关在5GHz处的插入损耗为0．8dB,回波损耗大于20dB,隔离度为40dB．测得最低开启电压为33V．     

接触式悬臂梁RF-MEMS开关的研制与数值模拟分析

研究了一种直接接触悬臂梁式RF-MEMS开关,悬臂梁采用Al金属材料.开关通过静电控制,且与信号通道分离.为了优化材料结构和获得好的性能,进行了有限元ANSYS模拟.采用表面微加工工艺来制作开关,获得满意结果.器件的驱动电压为12V,与ANSYS模拟结果11V基本相符;器件的隔离度,在0.05～10GHz的范围内,实验测试与HFSS模拟的结果基本一致,都优于-20dB;器件的插入损耗,HFSS模拟小于-0.2dB,而实验测试小于-0.9dB,偏高是由于悬臂梁表面不平,导致接触电阻增大,在测试中引入接触阻抗所致.     

Low-voltage small-size double-arm MEMS actuator

The fabrication and characterisation of a double-arm cantilever-type metallic DC-contact MEMS actuator with low pull-down voltage are reported. Bi-layer TiW cantilevers with an internal stress gradient were fabricated using a microwave-compatible fabrication process. Owing to its small size, cantilever length (L = 5-50 mum) and width (W = 2-40 mum), i.e. ~10-100 times smaller in lateral dimensions than a standard MEMS actuator, this actuator showed actuation voltages lower than 10 V. RP measurements of the 10 mum-wide actuators yielded an average insertion loss less than 1 dB and isolation higher than 40 dB up to 25 GHz. The developed actuator is well suited for integration in reconfigurable microwave circuits and systems such as reconfigurable antennas and arrays.     

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.     

驱动与信号隔离的单刀双掷RF MEMS开关

设计了一种基于横向金属接触的DC-5 GHz单刀双掷RF MEMS开关,该开关包括一套有限地共面波导(FGCPW)传输线和左右摆动的悬臂梁。利用绝缘的介质层实现了驱动信号与射频信号的隔离,提高了开关的性能。根据开关的拓扑结构,提出相应的等效电路,并据此实现开关射频性能的优化设计。开关利用MetalMUMPs工艺实现,测试结果显示,该开关在5GHz的插入损耗为0.8dB,回波损耗大于20dB,隔离度为40dB。测得开关的开启电压为59V。     

A novel pull-up type RF MEMS switch with low actuation voltage

We report a novel pull-up type radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switch with no elastic deformation of the cantilever involved in the actuation. At a voltage of 4.5V, reliable actuations are achieved such that the movable lower contact pad is pulled up by the electrostatic force to make contact with the upper pad. At a frequency of 50GHz, an insertion loss of 0.5dB, a return loss of 12.4dB, and an isolation of 55dB are obtained from the switch. The measured transient times for switch-on and switch-off are 120 and 130ns, respectively. Compared to the MEMS switches reported thus far, the pull-up type switch shows the best switching speed and isolation characteristic at 50GHz.     

基于SP4T开关的4位MEMS开关线式移相器设计

设计了一款4位MEMS开关线式移相器,由SP4TMEMS开关和微带传输线构成,工作于X波段。单刀四掷(single pole 4throw,SP4T)开关用于切换两条不同电长度的信号通道,即参考相位通道和延迟相位通道。每个SP4T开关包含4个悬臂梁接触式RF MEMS串联开关。介绍了4位MEMS开关线式移相器的总体设计,并给出了其关键部件SP4T开关和相位延迟线的设计细节。采用ADS软件仿真分析了器件的电气性能。仿真分析得到:SP4T开关在中心频率10GHz处的回波损耗为-36dB,插入损耗约为0.18dB;移相器各相位的回波损耗均低于-15dB,插入损耗为-0.8～-0.4dB。这种射频MEMS移相器具有小型化、低功耗和高隔离度的优点。     

MEMS microswitches for reconfigurable microwave circuitry

The performance is reported for a new microelectromechanical structure (MEMS) cantilever microswitch. We report on both dc- and capacitively-contacted microswitches. The dc-contacted microswitches have contact resistance of less than 1 Ω, and the RF loss of the switch up to 40 GHz in the closed position is 0.1-0.2 dB. Capacitively-contacted switches have an impedance ratio of 141:1 from the open to closed state and in the closed position have a series capacitance of 1.2 pF. The capacitively-contacted switches have been measured up to 40 GHz with S₂₂ less than -0.7 dB across the 5-40 GHz band     

RF MEMS单刀四掷矩阵开关的研究

介绍了一个RF MEMS单刀四掷矩阵开关的设计，用四个串联式、电阻接触型、悬臂梁RF MEMS开关制作在微带电路板上完成。在频带1～5GHz内，单刀四掷矩阵开关的插入损耗〈0．8dB，开关隔离度〉38dB，驻波系数〈1．2。悬臂梁开关的激励电压为直流电压35～45V。     

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.     

High-isolation CPW MEMS shunt switches. 1. Modeling

This paper, the first of two parts, presents an electromagnetic model for membrane microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) shunt switches for microwave/millimeter-wave applications. The up-state capacitance can be accurately modeled using three-dimensional static solvers, and full-wave solvers are used to predict the current distribution and inductance of the switch. The loss in the up-state position is equivalent to the coplanar waveguide line loss and is 0.01-0.02 dB at 10-30 GHz for a 2-μm-thick Au MEMS shunt switch. It is seen that the capacitance, inductance, and series resistance can be accurately extracted from DC-40 GHz S-parameter measurements. It is also shown that dramatic increase in the down-state isolation (20⁺ dB) can be achieved with the choice of the correct LC series resonant frequency of the switch. In part 2 of this paper, the equivalent capacitor-inductor-resistor model is used in the design of tuned high isolation switches at 10 and 30 GHz     

A New Approach of Lateral RF MEMS Switch

This paper presents a novel lateral series microwave switch fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate with a finite ground coplanar waveguide (FGCPW) configuration which is laterally actuated by the electrostatic force. The switch is built with a cantilever beam in the direction of the signal line and a fixed electrode is located opposite the cantilever beam. The mechanical structures are fabricated using SOI deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) and shadow mask technology. The fabricated lateral RF MEMS switch has an isolation of 16 dB at 20 GHz. The insertion loss of the switch is 1 dB and return loss is 15 dB at 20 GHz. The threshold voltage is 19.2 V and switching time is 30 s.     

Inline capacitive and DC-contact MEMS shunt switches

This paper presents inline capacitive MEMS shunt switches suitable for X/K-band and Ka/V-band applications. The inline switch allows for a low- or high-inductance connection to the ground plane without changing the mechanical characteristics of the MEMS bridge. Excellent isolation and loss are achieved with this design, and the performance is very similar to the standard capacitive MEMS shunt switch. Also, a new metal-to-metal contact MEMS shunt switch is presented. A novel pull-down electrode is used which applies the electrostatic force at the same location as the metal-to-metal contact area. A contact resistance of 0.15-0.35 Ω is repeatable, and results in an isolation of -40 dB at 0.1-3 GHz. The measured isolation is still better than -20 dB at 40 GHz. The application areas are in high-isolation/low-loss switches for telecommunication and radar systems     

RF MEMS开关的设计分析

针对具有低损耗、高隔离度性能的微机电系统(Micro-Electro-Mechanical System,MEMS)开关,介绍了串联DC式和并联电容式的开关结构模型,并对并联电容式MEMS开关的工作原理、等效电路模型和制造工艺流程进行了描述,利用其模型研究了开关的微波传输性能,设计了一款电容耦合式开关并进行了仿真。由仿真结果可得,开关"开态"时的插入损耗在40 GHz以内优于-0.3 dB;开关"关态"时的隔离度在20～40 GHz相对较宽的频带内优于-20 dB。     

一种宽动态范围的在线式微波功率检测系统

设计了一种具有宽动态范围的在线式MEMS微波功率检测系统,建立了MEMS悬臂梁的等效模型,对MEMS悬臂梁结构进行了过载功率的理论研究,得到过载功率与梁尺寸的关系。并基于此关系设计了不同尺寸的MEMS梁,以提高系统的功率检测上限,从而提高在线式微波功率检测系统的动态范围。根据系统的结构参数,得到系统理论动态范围为0～8.41 W。建立了微波功率检测系统的仿真模型,s参数仿真结果表明,在8～12 GHz下,系统的回波损耗为-37.61 dB至-46.15 dB,插入损耗为-0.28 dB至-0.16 dB。系统在具有较宽动态范围的同时兼具良好的微波特性。该研究对基于MEMS梁的微波功率检测系统设计具有一定的参考价值。     

High-isolation CPW MEMS shunt switches. 2. Design

For pt.1 see ibid., vol.48, no.6, p.1045-1052 (2000). In this paper, the second of two parts, the equivalent RLC model of the shunt switch is used in the design of tuned two- and four-bridge “cross” switches from 10 to 40 GHz. The cross switch attained an insertion loss of less than 0.3-0.6 dB, a return loss below -20 dB from 22 to 38 GHz in the up state, and a down-state isolation of 45-50 dB with only 1.5 pF of down-state capacitance (C_d). Also, an X-band microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switch with an insertion loss of less than 0.2 dB and an isolation of 35 dB is presented. This is done by inductively tuning the LC series resonance of the shunt switch. The MEMS bridge height is 1.5-2.5 μm, resulting in a pull-down voltage of 15-25 V. Application areas are in low-loss high-isolation communication and radar