A MEMS capacitor with improved RF power handling capability

Author

Girbau, D. ; Otegi, N. ; Pradell, L. ; Lãzaro, A.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Signal Theor. & Commun., Univ. Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

Volume

3

fYear

2005

fDate

4-6 Oct. 2005

Abstract

This paper presents a structure of MEMS capacitor providing independence of its nominal capacity and tuning range from the applied RF signal power. The capacitor includes a third parallel plate acting as an electrode to which an extra DC voltage is applied to compensate for the self-actuation effect. This means that the device can be used in many applications working under different RF power conditions, without changing its performance - nominal capacity and tuning range. Capacitor design concept and simulations are provided. It has been manufactured using a standard surface-micromachining MEMS technology. Experimental results are presented, validating the concept and demonstrating its feasibility and advantages.

Keywords

capacitors; micromachining; micromechanical devices; MEMS capacitor; RF signal power; capacitor design concept; self-actuation effect; standard surface micromachining; Biomembranes; Circuit optimization; Electrodes; Manufacturing; Micromechanical devices; Power capacitors; Power engineering and energy; Radio frequency; Switches; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Microwave Conference, 2005 European

Print_ISBN

2-9600551-2-8

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/EUMC.2005.1610222

Filename

1610222