The design, simulation, fabrication, measurement and performance of a V-band microstrip delay line phase shifter using electrostatically actuated integrated micro-machined ground plane membranes are presented. The microstrip line is etched on an RFIC-friendly silicon substrate. The membrane is made of aluminium micro-ribbons and is fabricated on the ground plane side of the silicon substrate. The actuation of the ribbons away from the transmission line introduces an air gap between the radio-frequency (RF) substrate and the ground plane. By controlling the air gap thickness, a controllable phase shift in the transmission line is obtained. Each micro-ribbon measures 3.20 mm in length, 20 mm in width and 1 mm in thickness. A measured phase shift of 418 at 50 GHz was achieved with an actuation voltage of 120 V. The fabrication process added a 20 mm initial air gap between the micro-ribbons and RF substrate, increasing the required actuation voltage for a given phase shift. The simulated phase shift results agree well with the measurements.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.