Electromechanical modelling of high power RF-MEMS switches with ohmic contact

Abstract

-This paper presents a study of the behaviour of electrically actuated RF-MEMS switches with ohmic contact. We will discuss about the relationship between the actuation voltage, displacement and the corresponding contact force experienced by the switch. We will demonstrate the linear behaviour of the switch when factors such as width or length of the switch arm are varied. Experimental results for DC actuation are also presented.

An easy to control all-metal in-line-series ohmic RF MEMS switch

“…Large nominal contact areas do not directly lower the contact resistance if the contact force is not increased. However, they provide a better heat distribution from the effective contact spots heated by the dissipated power of the signal current flowing over the contact interface and nonlinearities are avoided [5,6]. On top of that the hardness of the contacts should be considered for a minimum of surface adhesion wear.…”

Capacitive and Resistive RF-MEMS switches 2.5D & 3D Electromagnetic and Circuit Modelling

“…Usually, these dependences are not taken into account in full wave EM (Electromagnetic) simulation. There are some works dealing with multidomain modelling of RF-MEMS switches [2][3][4][5] where in-house simulation tools or a combination of commercial simulation tools are used for taking into account the dependence of the electrical performance on the mechanical or thermal properties. Furthermore, although RF-MEMS switches are 3D structures, they can also be seen as 2.5D structures because of their very high aspect ratio.…”