Millimeter-wave microelectromechanical (MEMS) switches for automotive surround sensing systems

In recent years, great advances have been made in the field of silicon millimeter-wave integrated circuits (SIMMWIC) as well as In microsystems technology. These developments jointly allow the preparation of micromechanical capacitive switches, which exhibit excellent RF properties far into the millimeter-wave frequency range. This paper presents coplanar bridge and longitudinal switches and discusses their applicability for automotive surround sensing systems. It comprises a detailed review of RF properties in addition to an short introduction to the systems background. Furthermore, aspects are treated which are important for the application, such as thermal and mechanical properties, reliability aspects and packaging and mounting technologies.