Fabrication and measurements of direct contact type RF MEMS switch

Abstract

This paper reports on the fabrication and measurements of a direct contact type RF MEMS switch. The switch is driven by the electrostatic force making the pass-through state with metal-to-metal direct contact. The actuation pad is connected with support beams to reduce switch deformation and increase contact force. The insertion loss and isolation of the switch have been measured and compared with the characteristics of the switch without support beams. The switch shows the isolation of 15.5 dB and the insertion loss of 0.34 dB at 50 GHz with an applied DC bias of 35V. The switching time is measured to be 5.1 μs. Power handling capability and reliability of the fabricated switch have been discussed._____________________ © IEICE 2007.