RF MEMS switches for configurable RF devices

This book illustrates a novel RF MEMS capacitive
switch design that is Complementary Metal-Oxide
Semiconductor (CMOS) process-compatible. The switch
structure is cantilever with fingers for capacitive
coupling. The vertical bending characteristic of
bimorph cantilever beams under different temperatures
is utilized to turn the switch on and off. A set of
electrical, mechanical, and thermal models is
established, and cross-domain
electro-thermo-mechanical simulations are performed
to optimize the design parameters of the switch.
This switch has a vast number of applications in the
RF/microwave field, such as configurable voltage
control oscillators, filters, and configurable
matching networks.
To illustrate the applications of the switch, two
broadband communication applications for the designed
MEMS switch, broadband voltage controlled oscillator
(VCO) and broadband filter, were demonstrated. The
low-loss, low-noise nature of the MEMS switch
improved VCO phase noise performance. In addition, we
demonstrate the use of MEMS switches to enable large
corner frequency adjustments in high-frequency,
lowpass filter designs.

Autorentext

Shumin Zhang received Ph.D in computer engineering from GeorgeWashington University, Washington DC, in 2009. He is currently asenior member of technical staff of Hughes Communication. Hisresearch interests include VLSI circuits design, RF MEMS devicesand their applications in microwave applications.

Klappentext

This book illustrates a novel RF MEMS capacitiveswitch design that is Complementary Metal-OxideSemiconductor (CMOS) process-compatible. The switchstructure is cantilever with fingers for capacitivecoupling. The vertical bending characteristic ofbimorph cantilever beams under different temperaturesis utilized to turn the switch on and off. A set ofelectrical, mechanical, and thermal models isestablished, and cross-domainelectro-thermo-mechanical simulations are performedto optimize the design parameters of the switch. This switch has a vast number of applications in theRF/microwave field, such as configurable voltagecontrol oscillators, filters, and configurablematching networks. To illustrate the applications of the switch, twobroadband communication applications for the designedMEMS switch, broadband voltage controlled oscillator(VCO) and broadband filter, were demonstrated. Thelow-loss, low-noise nature of the MEMS switchimproved VCO phase noise performance. In addition, wedemonstrate the use of MEMS switches to enable largecorner frequency adjustments in high-frequency,lowpass filter designs.