Article,
A NOVEL SEESAW-TYPE RF MEMS SWITCH WITH MINIMUM STRESS IN MEMBRANE FOR RF FRONTEND APPLICATIONS
Electrical Engineering: An International Journal (EEIJ), 1 (1): 1-5 (June 2014)
Abstract
In this paper a novel RF MEMS switch design with a seesaw-type movable part to implement a metallic connection across a broken CPW transmission line has been proposed and tested. The switching action is done through two separate pull-up electrodes. For this design with a 5-10 µm gap between the suspended membrane and the pull-down electrodes, applying an actuation voltage of 5-10V, dynamic analysis shows a switching time of less than 10 µs. Unlike in other MEMS switches designed earlier for RF devices the proposed work in this report works with two supply lines switched seamlessly. The bending of the membrane is considerably reduced in this type of switch as the actuation electrodes are in the outer end and the signal lines between the pivot arrangement and electrode. The existing switches implement a single signal line and it is switched on and off but in the proposed switch two supply lines on both sides of the substrate are kept and are switched from one to the other by the see-saw operation of the membrane.
