Temperature Dependence of Actuated Membranes for RF MEMS Switches

Over the last 10 years, understanding of mechanicalproperties of thin film material has been essentialfor improving life-time operations ofmicroelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Although,properties of bulk materials might be wellcharacterized, thin-film properties are considerablydifferent from those of the bulk. It cannot beassumed that mechanical properties using bulkspecimens will apply to the same materials when usedas a thin film. For many microelectronicthin films, material properties depend strongly onthe details of the deposition processes and thegrowth conditions on its substrate.Temperature dependence of a MEMS switch gold thinfilm membrane on the pull down voltage as thetemperature is varied from room temperature(300 K) to cryogenic temperature (10 K) isdetermined with RF MEMS shunt switches. The switchis composed of a gold coplanar waveguide structurewith a gold bridge membrane suspended above an areaof the center conductor which is covered by adielectric (BaTiO3). The gold membrane is actuatedby an electrostatic force acting between thetransmission line and the membrane when a voltage isapplied.

Autorentext

Julien Noel received his BS (Electrical Engineering), MS and
Ph.D. degrees in 2001, 2004 and 2007 from Florida International
University, specializing in superconductivity,
RF engineering, MEMS, solid states devices and nanotechnology.
His current focus is on consulting early stages companies in the
semiconductor industry in Canada.

Klappentext

Over the last 10 years, understanding of mechanical
properties of thin film material has been essential
for improving life-time operations of
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Although,
properties of bulk materials might be well
characterized, thin-film properties are considerably
different from those of the bulk. It cannot be
assumed that mechanical properties using bulk
specimens will apply to the same materials when used
as a thin film. For many microelectronic
thin films, material properties depend strongly on
the details of the deposition processes and the
growth conditions on its substrate.
Temperature dependence of a MEMS switch gold thin
film membrane on the pull down voltage as the
temperature is varied from room temperature
(300 K) to cryogenic temperature (10 K) is
determined with RF MEMS shunt switches. The switch
is composed of a gold coplanar waveguide structure
with a gold bridge membrane suspended above an area
of the center conductor which is covered by a
dielectric (BaTiO3). The gold membrane is actuated
by an electrostatic force acting between the
transmission line and the membrane when a voltage is
applied.