Comparison of thermal characteristics of novel RF MEMS dielectric-block phase shifter to conventional MEMS phase-shifter concepts

The main problem of MEMS phase shifters, known for excellent linearity and low loss, is their limited power handling capability. This paper compares the high power performance of a novel W-band MEMS phase shifter concept, based on dielectrically loading of a line, to conventional MEMS phase shifter designs based on thin metallic bridges. For the new concept, the power handling is only limited by the transmission line, not the MEMS part, and the maximum temperature increase at 40dBm/75GHz is only 30°C (10-20 times less than conventional MEMS designs). Also the RF performance is better than the best conventional designs for the whole W-band.