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.