Design and Simulation of RF MEMS Switched Parallel Plate Capacitors

In wireless communication systems, passive elements like tunable capacitors are needed in a variety of applications, such as Voltage Controlled Oscilla- tors (VCO), tunable matching networks and filters. In this books, the design and modeling of a Switched RF-MEMS parallel plate (air-gap) capacitor is presented. The feasibility of realizing switched RF MEMS capacitors in some technology constrains is considered with a targeted specifications given prior to design such as: low actuation voltage ( 3 Volts), capacitance ratio of 20, upstate capacitance of 20fF and electrical quality factor of 100. The design of low stiffness suspensions, to achieve the low actuation voltage, is discussed in detail.

Autorentext

Mohammed Bedier received his Bachelor and Master degrees from AAST (Egypt) in 2008 and 2012 respectively. During his master studies he worked at imec (Belgium) working on switched capacitor MEMS design. He is currently working towards his PhD at the University of Paris VI - UPMC (France).