Hybrid RF-MEMS Switches Realized in SOI Wafers by Bulk Micromachining

Oren, Aharon; Gal, Lior; Nemirovsky, Y.

doi:10.1109/jmems.2010.2067438

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 40 publications

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“…A subset of this goal is the fabrication of Nb microstrip lines in place of traditional Au lines. The use of SOI as a microwave substrate is not a new concept[38] and various RF MEMS switches have been built using SOI[39,40,41], but this research is (to the best of the Author's knowledge) the rst time an RF MEMS switch is implemented on a microstrip transmission line using SOI as dielectric. The second goal will be the characterization of RF MEMS devices fabricated on Au and Nb transmission lines using the new fabrication process to verify that it is capable of producing viable devices.…”

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confidence: 99%

RF MEMS for Cryogenic Applications

Bruno

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RF MEMS (Radio Frequency Microelectromechanical Systems) has been a rapidly expanding eld for the last decade. This expansion is driven by the need for low power, high linearity and high performance devices for wireless, defense, and scientic applications. NASA has a vested interest in RF MEMS switches for signal routing and phase modulation in their next generation of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) measurements. Recently detected anisotropies in the polarization of the CMB by the BICEP2 detector have provided insight to the structure and energy of the inationary period right after the Big Bang and NASA looks to expand on that success with the Beyond Einstein Ination Probe which will map the polarization of CMB over the entire sky. This work investigates the fabrication and reliability of RF MEMS devices as possible candidates for phase modulators operating on a satellite platform for CMB measurements at temperatures close to absolute zero. RF MEMS DC-contact series switches have been implemented from DC − 30 GHz on superconducting Nb microstrip on 5 µm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. The devices were built using a novel fabrication process that uses the device layer of the SOI as the microstrip dielectric. Tunable resonators (f c = 16 GHz) have been designed and fabricated using the RF MEMS switches to tune f c in 1 GHz steps. RF performance of the switches and resonators are presented.The contact resistance (R C ) when the switch is closed is also of interest because variations in R C could introduce errors into CMB measurements. A closed-cycle cryostat has been modied to measure shifts in R C as the devices are actuated. Reliability testing of the devices at 4 K show that the devices are currently unreliable for long term operation at cryogenic temperatures, with device lifetimes less that one million contacts. Device failure is in the form of stiction, or a permanently closed switch that will no longer actuate. Charging of the substrate underneath the MEMS switch has been determined as the main cause of stiction at 4 K. Results and possible solutions to prolong operation lifetime are discussed.

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confidence: 99%

RF MEMS for Cryogenic Applications

Bruno

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A lateral RF MEMS capacitive switch utilizing parylene as dielectric

Liu

et al. 2011

Microsyst Technol

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A novel lateral RF MEMS capacitive switch was reported in this paper. This switch employed parylene as the dielectric material, taking advantages of its low temperature deposition and conformal coating. The low resistivity single crystalline silicon served as the material of the mechanical structures. The switch was fabricated by bulk micromachining processes with only two lithographic masks and a shadow mask. The dynamical response, parylene insulation performance, and RF performances of the fabricated switch were characterized, respectively. The switching time from the open state to the close state was 105 ls at a loaded voltage of 78 V, while 15.6 ls from the close state to the open state. The isolation was better than 15 dB from 20 to 40 GHz, and the maximal isolation was 23.5 dB at 25 GHz; while the insertion loss was below 1.4 dB at 25 GHz, when bonding wires connected the ground lines. These results verify that the parylene is a good candidate material to act as sidewall dielectric to realize the lateral capacitive switch.

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Design of single crystal silicon based RF MEMS switch with high contact force

Mei¹,

Wu²,

Yu³

et al. 2014

Proceedings of 2014 3rd Asia-Pacific Conference on Antennas and Propagation

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A metal contact RF MEMS switch based on single crystal silicon is presented in this article. Performance of the switch is demonstrated numerically in simulations. The mN-level contact and release forces are achieved. Pull-in voltage is calculated to be 40V. 1.5mN contact force and 1.2mN release force are achieved when actuation voltage is 50V. The isolation and insertion loss are better than -30.8dB and -0.09dB respective between DC and 10GHz. The fabrication process is presented as well.

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Hybrid RF-MEMS Switches Realized in SOI Wafers by Bulk Micromachining

Cited by 5 publications

References 40 publications

RF MEMS for Cryogenic Applications

RF MEMS for Cryogenic Applications

A lateral RF MEMS capacitive switch utilizing parylene as dielectric

Design of single crystal silicon based RF MEMS switch with high contact force

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