Investigation of Characteristics of Electrostatically Actuated MEMS Switch with an Active Contact Breaking Mechanism

Uvarov, Ilia V.; Kupriyanov, A. N.

doi:10.1134/s1063739718050086

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 22 publications

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“…According to this equation, the switch develops F c = 10 µN, which is a rather low value. With such a force, R c is large and varies dramatically from cycle to cycle, as we demonstrated previously [54,55]. Increasing F c by reducing F r is limited and raises the tendency to stiction.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 62%

Design Guideline for a Cantilever-Type MEMS Switch with High Contact Force

Uvarov,

Belozerov

2023

Micro

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Micromechanical switches are of significant interest for advanced radio frequency and microwave systems, but their practical implementation is limited by low reliability. Electrodes of a microscopic size develop weak contact force that leads to high and unstable contact resistance. The force is typically increased by using a sophisticated switch design with extended lateral dimensions, although a simple and compact cantilever is more preferable. The paper describes for the first time a comprehensive approach to enhance the force of an electrostatically actuated switch. The strategy is applied to a miniature device based on a 50 µm long cantilever. The contact force is increased from 10 to 112 µN, making the switch strong enough to achieve low and stable contact resistance. The restoring force is also enhanced in order to ensure reliable de-actuation. The growth of forces is accompanied by a reduction in the pull-in voltage. Connecting several cantilevers in parallel and manipulating the number and position of contact bumps additionally improves the force and mechanical stability of the switch. An optimal design contains a triple cantilever with two bumps. It provides 50% higher force per contact compared to the single-cantilever switch at the same pull-in voltage and keeps the advantages of a miniature device. The proposed design strategy may be used for building reliable MEMS switches.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 62%