Influence of RF signal power on tunable MEMS capacitors

Capacitive structures are sensitive to the electrostatic force created by the RF signal going through them. In the case of MEMS tunable capacitors, the consequences on performance and capacitance values are to be quantified. Two systems are studied: one-gap with RF signal and actuation voltage on same electrodes, and two-gaps with RF signal separated from actuation. Computational results show great influence of power on pull-in, even for low power levels, for both MEMS capacitor structures.