A Novel SPDT Rotary RF MEMS Switch for Low Loss and Power Efficient Signal Routing

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a new low loss with port-to-port high isolation electro-thermally actuated single-pole double-throw (SPDT) radio frequency microelectromechanical systems switch with a novel latching mechanism is investigated. Electro-thermal actuators not only increase the contact force of the switch which causes to have a low insertion loss, but also decrease the required actuation voltage of the switch. In the result, the actuation voltage of the switch is 5 V and thanks to the latching mechanism, the switch only consumes power while transition between states which is about 131 mW for less than 50 µs. Based on the FEM simulations, insertion loss of the switch is less than -0.37 dB up to 30 GHz. The return loss of the switch is below −11.74 dB up to 30 GHz, and the isolation of the switch when is OFF is below −45.48 dB, and port-to-port isolation of the switch when the signal is directed to one of the two ports is −53.61 dB at the same frequency. The proposed switches can be a promising candidate in signal routing and redundancy-switch matrix application and solve the integration problem.

KEYWORDS:

• Electrothermal actuators
• latching mechanism
• RF MEMS
• simulation
• SPDT
• switch

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Afshin Kashani Ilkhechi

Afshin Kashani Ilkhechi was born in 1989. He received his BS degree of electronic engineering from the Education Department of Iran Tractor Manufactory Company in 2011. He is now pursuing his MS degree of electronic engineering at the Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran. His main research interests include RF MEMS devices, filters, and micromechanical circuits. He is also interested in CMOS-MEMS integration and radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs).

E-mail: [email protected]

Hadi Mirzajani

Hadi Mirzajani received his MSc degree in electronic engineering with the focus on radio frequency microelectromechanical systems technology from Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran. Immediately after that, he started his PhD studies in Microsystems Research Laboratory at Sahand University of Technology under supervision of Dr. Habib Badri Ghavifekr and Dr. Esmaeil Najafi Aghdam. He is now a visiting scholar in Microscale Analysis Systems Laboratory at University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He is the author and coauthor of numerous journal and conference papers in the field of microsystems and microelectromechanical systems technology. He is also the reviewer of a number of journals and conferences in his fields of interest. His main research interests include RF MEMS/NEMS technology, integrated power inductors, micro/nanofabrication, MEMS enabled reconfigurable antennas, smart and miniaturised antennas and radio frequency integrated circuits.

E-mail: [email protected]

Esmaeil Najafi Aghdam

Esmaeil Najafi Aghdam was born in Zonouz, Iran, in 1964. He received the BE degree from University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran, in 1990, and the MS degree from Amir-Kabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 1994, both in electronic engineering. In 1995, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran, as a lecturer. In 2002, he started his PhD program dealing with a high-performance bandpass delta sigma ADC. The research program was directed by Prof. P. Benabes at SUPELEC, France. Since 2006 he is an assistant professor at Sahand University of Technology. His current research interests include mixed mode electronic circuits, delta sigma converters, RF design, ultrasonic circuits, and electronic measurement.

E-mail: [email protected]

Habib Badri Ghavifekr

Habib Badri Ghavifekr received the BS degree from Tabriz University, Iran, and continued his study in Germany and received the MS degree (Diploma Engineer) from Technical University of Berlin, in 1995 both in electrical engineering. Immediately after that, he joined the Institute for Microperipheric at the Technical University of Berlin (nowadays BeCAP: Berliner Center for Advanced Packaging) as a scientific assistant and in 1998 the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (FhG-IZM) as a research assistant. In 2003 he received his PhD in electrical engineering from Technical University of Berlin. Since 2005 he is an assistant professor at Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran. His research interests are microsystem technologies, microelectronic packaging, MEMS and electronic measurement systems for industrial applications.

E-mail: [email protected]