Poly-Silicon Based Latching RF MEMS Switch

A latching RF MEMS switch has been fabricated in a multi-user polysilicon surface micromachining process. The switch uses 5 V, 35 mA thermal actuation for $?500 mu{rm s}$ to toggle between states and a compliant bistable latching mechanism to hold the state in the absence of applied bias. The switch, including probe pads, measures 1 ${rm mm}^{2}$ and has $?$ 0.4 dB insertion loss, $>$ 25 dB return loss, and $>$ 75 dB isolation at 1 GHz. The switch has potential applications in low duty-cycle, low power RF tuning and switching applications.