A compact and reconfigurable C-band DGS-based power divider using RF MEMS capacitive switch

Abstract

This article presents a reconfigurable and compact design of a power divider that utilizes a combination of Defect structures in the ground plane (DGS) and capacitance loading using a unique RF MEMS switch on the sapphire substrate. The amalgamation of the aforementioned techniques results in a reduced size reconfigurable power divider, wherein the length of the quarter wavelength transmission line is reduced to λ/16 from λ/4, and the higher order harmonics are suppressed up to 40GHz. The RF MEMS capacitive switch is designed, and its DC characteristics are simulated in Coventorware. The RF characteristics of the designed power divider is simulated in Ansys HFSS 19.2. The power divider utilizing RF MEMS technology has been fabricated through surface micromachining, requiring only four masks for fabrication. According to measurement findings, insertion loss and return loss are 3.57 dB and 24.6 dB (at 4.4 GHz) and 3.82 dB and 22.06 dB (at 5.4 GHz) when the switch is on and off, respectively. The total area of the design is 3.1 mm2(21.3%). The design under consideration can suppress harmonics up to the 8th order by 10dB. These features render it a viable option for employment in Radio Frequency Integrated circuits (RFIC).