Low Voltage RF MEMS Capacitive Switch for Millimeter Wave Application

Radio frequency micro electro mechanical systems (RFMEMS) shunt capacitive switches are used in microwave and millimeter wave systems. The presence of residual stress in these microstructures affects the static and dynamic behavior of the device. In this paper, we propose a RF MEMS capacitive switch to reduce stress by introducing perforations as well as reinforcement. The thickness of the reinforcement layer (hanging bridge) is optimized and the perforations are introduced on the plate to reduce deformation. The stiffness is enhanced by reducing buckling effect. The pull-in voltage of the switch is also reduced. The switching speed will be very high with high frequency isolation and low insertion loss.