Thick membrane operated rf microelectromechanical system switch with low actuation voltage

Abstract

Most researcher who have studied the radio frequency (rf) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switch has focused on the electrostatic actuation types switch because of this type's low power consumption, simple fabrication method, and good rf characteristics compared to magnetic, thermal, and piezoelectric driving method. However, most of electrostatic actuation type switch needs high operation voltage compared to other types. One of the reasons that affect the high operation voltage is the bending of the membrane because of an internal stress gradient. This bending increases the gap between electrode and membrane. To solve this problem, the authors developed the thick membrane operated seesaw type rf MEMS switch. This membrane consisted of a pivot under single crystal thick silicon membrane for a seesaw mode operation and a flexible spring for an up-down actuation mode. After the fabrication of this switch, the authors measured its rf characteristics. The minimum actuation voltage was about 12 V, the isolation is about -50 dB, and the insertion loss was about -0.2 dB at 2 GHz, respectively. (C) 2009 American Vacuum Society. [DOI:10.1116/1.3032916]