OHMIC RF MEMS SWITCH WITH LOW LOSS AND LOW FORCE ON QUARTZ FOR RECONFIGURABLE CIRCUITS

This paper presents the novel Ohmic RF MEMS switch design and fabrication in broad frequency range for reconfigurable circuits like tunable antennas and filters, switching matrix and Phased array applications. In this work ohmic contact switch has been developed using a customized process flow. The cantilever structure was split into small strips to enable it for complete sacrificial removal for good RF characteristics. The design was carried out for the low force but keeping in view the sufficient restoring force requirement for smooth operation of the switch. This configuration was fabricated using with metal contact to ensure its operation from DC onwards. The Quartz substrate was used for fabrication to exploit its properties for high frequency operation. A low actuation voltage of 18.1V was achieved with an insertion loss of 0.18dB and return loss better than 20dB in the frequency range of DC-12GHz. The isolation of 40dB was achieved in the off state