Title :
PZT-actuated reliable RF-MEMS switch using single-crystal silicon asymmetric beam
Author :
Nakatani, T. ; Katsuki, T. ; Okuda, H. ; Toyoda, O. ; Ueda, S. ; Nakazawa, F.
Author_Institution :
Assoc. of Super-Adv. Electron. Technol., Akashi, Japan
Abstract :
This paper presents a low-voltage driven and reliable RF-MEMS switch for wireless communication. We fabricated a Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) unimorph actuator based on a single crystal silicon (SCS) asymmetric beam and a single contact structure with a narrow air gap. The fabrication process without wafer bonding enabled the precise control of the air gap. We successfully drove a stiff beam (spring constant >; 2,000 N/m) in spite of a low voltage (<;15 V). The switch lifetime was 100 million cycles at a low contact resistance and more than 10 billion cycles for the PZT actuator. The overall insertion loss and isolation are -0.3 dB and -25 dB up to 5 GHz, respectively.
Keywords :
contact resistance; integrated circuit reliability; microswitches; piezoelectric actuators; radiofrequency integrated circuits; PZT unimorph actuator; PZT-actuated reliable RF-MEMS switch; SCS asymmetric beam; contact resistance; fabrication process; lead zirconate titanate; loss -0.3 dB; loss -25 dB; low-voltage driven RF-MEMS switch; mobile communication; narrow air gap; piezoelectric actuator; single contact structure; single-crystal silicon asymmetric beam; spring constant; stiff beam; switch lifetime; wireless communication; Actuators; Contact resistance; Electrodes; Microswitches; Radio frequency; Air gaps; mobile communication; piezoelectric actuators; radiofrequency microelectromechanical systems; reliability; switches;
Conference_Titel :
Microwave Conference Proceedings (APMC), 2011 Asia-Pacific
Conference_Location :
Melbourne, VIC
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4577-2034-5
