Title :
A packaged, high-lifetime ohmic MEMS RF switch
Author :
Majumder, S. ; Lampen, J. ; Morrison, R. ; Maciel, J.
Author_Institution :
Radant MEMS, Inc., Stow, MA, USA
Abstract :
An electrostatically actuated broadband ohmic microswitch has been developed that has applications from DC through the microwave region. The microswitch is a 3-terminal device based on a cantilever beam and is fabricated using an all-metal, surface micromachining process. It operates in a hermetic environment obtained through a wafer-bonding process. Characteristics of the wafer-level packaged switch include DC on-resistance of less than 1 ohm with an actuation voltage of 80 V, lifetime of greater than 10/sup 10/ cycles with on-resistance variation of less than 0.2 Ohm and current handling capability of 1 A. Key RF characteristics at 2 GHz include an insertion loss of 0.32 dB and isolation of 33 dB for our 4-contact microswitch. Preliminary measurements at higher microwave frequencies are extremely promising with full characterization and planned product improvements underway.
Keywords :
electrostatic actuators; life testing; micromachining; microswitches; microwave switches; ohmic contacts; seals (stoppers); wafer bonding; 0.32 dB; 1 A; 1 ohm; 10 GHz; 2 GHz; 80 V; DC on-resistance; DC/microwave switches; actuation voltage; all-metal surface micromachining processes; cantilever beams; electrostatically actuated broadband ohmic microswitches; four-contact microswitches; hermetic wafer-bonding sealing process; high-lifetime ohmic MEMS RF switches; insertion loss; isolation; microswitch lifetime cycles; wafer-level packaged switches; Micromachining; Micromechanical devices; Microswitches; Microwave devices; Packaging; Radio frequency; Structural beams; Switches; Voltage; Wafer scale integration;
Conference_Titel :
Microwave Symposium Digest, 2003 IEEE MTT-S International
Conference_Location :
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7695-1
DOI :
10.1109/MWSYM.2003.1210537
