Design and fabrication of a 4-bit RF MEMS attenuator with a high attenuation accuracy

Li, Mengwei; Zhang, Yifei; Zhao, Yiliang; Xue, Pengfei; Wu, Qiannan

doi:10.1007/s10470-020-01608-x

Cited by 11 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The reconfigurable filter has eight MEMS switches that represent 16 operating states according to their positioning in the 'up' and 'down' states. Ohmic contact MEMS switches are employed to tune the filter frequency, [20,21] the equivalent circuit diagram is shown in Fig. 1, in which Z cpw is the equivalent impedance of a coplanar waveguide (CPW), R s is the resistance when the switch is "closed", and C s is the coupling capacitance formed by the cantilever beam and the CPW signal line when the switch is "open".…”

Section: Design Of the Mems Switchmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel low-loss four-bit bandpass filter using RF MEMS switches

Han¹,

Wang²,

Wu³

et al. 2022

Chinese Phys. B

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This paper details the design and simulation of a novel low-loss four-bit reconfigurable bandpass filter that integrates microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches and comb resonators. A T-shaped reconfigurable resonator is reconfigured in a ‘one resonator, multiple MEMS switches’ configuration and used to gate the load capacitances of comb resonators so that a multiple-frequency filtering function is realized within the 7–16 GHz frequency range. In addition, the insertion loss of the filter is less than 1.99 dB, the out-of-band rejection is more than 18.30 dB, and the group delay is less than 0.25 ns. On the other hand, the size of this novel filter is only 4.4 mm × 2.5 mm × 0.4 mm. Our results indicate that this MEMS reconfigurable filter, which can switch 16 central frequency bands through eight switches, achieves a low insertion loss compared to those of traditional MEMS filters. In addition, the advantages of small size are obtained while achieving high integration.

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Section: Design Of the Mems Switchmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel low-loss four-bit bandpass filter using RF MEMS switches

Han¹,

Wang²,

Wu³

et al. 2022

Chinese Phys. B

Self Cite

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“…The RF micro electro-mechanical systems (RF-MEMS) are becoming progressively more popular in the development of the devices that are commonly found in modern radio front ends, since their low power consumption, insertion loss, together with their superior isolation and wideband linearity, make them a favorable candidate for microwave and millimeter-wave (mmWave) applications [22]. For this reason, different RF components were developed in the past years, ranging from switching matrixes [23], filters [24], and impedance matching networks [25], to phase shifters [26] and attenuators [27]. As compared to the other kind of devices, the field of RF-MEMS attenuators has been relatively less investigated to date.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discussion and Demonstration of RF-MEMS Attenuators Design Concepts and Modules for Advanced Beamforming in the Beyond-5G and 6G Scenario—Part 1

Tagliapietra,

Giacomozzi,

Michelini

et al. 2024

Sensors

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This paper describes different variants of broadband and simple attenuator modules for beamforming applications, based on radio frequency micro electro-mechanical systems (RF-MEMS), framed within coplanar waveguide (CPW) structures. The modules proposed in the first part of this work differ in their actuation voltage, topology, and desired attenuation level. Fabricated samples of basic 1-bit attenuation modules, characterized by a moderate footprint of 690 × 1350 µm2 and aiming at attenuation levels of −2, −3, and −5 dB in the 24.25–27.5 GHz range, are presented in their variants featuring both low actuation voltages (5–9 V) as well as higher values (~45 V), the latter ones ensuring larger mechanical restoring force (and robustness against stiction). Beyond the fabrication non-idealities that affected the described samples, the substantial agreement between simulations and measurement outcomes proved that the proposed designs could provide precise attenuation levels up to 40 GHz, ranging up to nearly −3 dB and −5 dB for the series and shunt variants, respectively. Moreover, they could be effective building blocks for future wideband and reconfigurable RF-MEMS attenuators. In fact, in the second part of this work, combinations of the discussed cells and other configurations meant for larger attenuation levels are investigated.

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“…Recently, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology has introduced novel devices and techniques to replace solid‐state counterparts in different applications like radio frequency circuits, wearable devices, and Internet of Things (IoT) as the result of their excellent performance in insertion loss, isolation, linearity, power consumption, and low cost of fabrication 3–10 . Of particular importance are DC‐contact series switches which have numerous applications in RF systems such as switched delay line phase shifters, 11 reconfigurable antennas, 12 reconfigurable networks, 13–15 and switching networks 11,16,17 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Of particular importance are DC-contact series switches which have numerous applications in RF systems such as switched delay line phase shifters, 11 reconfigurable antennas, 12 reconfigurable networks, [13][14][15] and switching networks. 11,16,17 RF MEMS switches are microscale mechanical devices fabricated by traditional integrated circuit (IC) fabrication techniques, and their operating characteristics are dependent on their mechanical design. A good selection of actuation methods with an accurate design will improve the overall performance of the switch.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A high contact force and high‐isolation radio‐frequency microelectromechanical systems switch for radio‐frequency front‐end applications

Dadgar

Aghdam

2022

Circuit Theory & Apps

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A new structure for low‐loss and high‐isolation radio‐frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) switches is presented. The high contact force of the switch leads to very small ranges for contact resistance which is the main constrain of DC‐contact RF MEMS switches. The contact resistance of the switch is 27 mΩ leading to negligible thermal noise which is one of the most important parameters for devices operating at RF front‐ends immediately after the antenna where there is not any active stage. The switch is composed of two actuators: an electrothermal actuator for actuation of the switch from OFF to ON state and an electrostatic actuator to hold the switch at ON state. The insertion loss, return loss, and isolation of the switch for frequencies below 70 GHz are −0.35, −20, and −10 dB, respectively. The contact force and contact resistance of the switch are 0.93 mN and 0.027 Ω, respectively. Electrothermal and electrostatic actuators require 0.91 and 50 actuation voltages, respectively. During the ON‐state, the power consumption of the switch is near zero. The low contact resistance and high‐isolation characteristics of the switch make it very suitable for mobile front‐ends.

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Design and fabrication of a 4-bit RF MEMS attenuator with a high attenuation accuracy

Cited by 11 publications

References 16 publications

A novel low-loss four-bit bandpass filter using RF MEMS switches

A novel low-loss four-bit bandpass filter using RF MEMS switches

Discussion and Demonstration of RF-MEMS Attenuators Design Concepts and Modules for Advanced Beamforming in the Beyond-5G and 6G Scenario—Part 1

A high contact force and high‐isolation radio‐frequency microelectromechanical systems switch for radio‐frequency front‐end applications

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