Title :
Reliability of Electrostatically Actuated RF MEMS Switches
Author :
Hwang, James C M
Author_Institution :
Lehigh Univ., Bethlehem
Abstract :
The reliability of electrostatically actuated RF MEMS switches is reviewed with emphasis on recent advancements. Both ohmic and capacitive switches have been operated for more 100-billion cycles without failure. When they do fail, ohmic switches tend to fail catastrophically by stiction, whereas capacitive switches often degrade gradually through charging of their dielectric insulators. Approaches to mitigate and model dielectric charging are then presented.
Keywords :
electrostatic devices; microswitches; ohmic contacts; reliability; RF MEMS switch reliability; charge injection; dielectric charging mitigation; dielectric films; electrostatically actuated MEMS switch; microelectromechanical devices; ohmic contacts; Chemicals; Conductivity; Contact resistance; Dielectrics; Microelectromechanical devices; Micromechanical devices; Radiofrequency microelectromechanical systems; Stress; Surface resistance; Switches; Charge injection; contacts; dielectric films; dielectric materials; microelectromechanical devices; ohmic contacts; switches;
Conference_Titel :
Radio-Frequency Integration Technology, 2007. RFIT 007. IEEE International Workshop on
Conference_Location :
Rasa Sentosa Resort
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1307-2
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1308-9
DOI :
10.1109/RFIT.2007.4443942
