Microwave and millimeter wave switch matrices are essential components in telecommunication systems. These matrices enhance satellite capacity by providing full and flexible interconnectivity between the received and transmitted signals and facilitate optimum utilization of system bandwidth. Waveguide and semiconductor technology are two prominent candidates for the realizing such types of switch matrices. Waveguide switches are dominant in high frequency applications of 100 ? 200 GHz and in high power satellite communication. However, their heavy and bulky profile reinforces the need for a replacement. In some applications, semiconductor switches are an alternative to mechanical waveguide switches and utilize PIN diodes to create the ON and OFF states. Although, these switches are small in size, they exhibit poor RF performance and low power handling. <br /><br /> RF MEMS technology is a good candidate to replace the conventional switches and to realize an entire switch matrix. This technology has a great potential to offer superior RF performance with miniaturized dimensions. Because of the advantages of MEMS technology numerous research studies have been devoted to develop RF MEMS switches. However, they are mostly concentrated on Single-Pole Single-Throw (SPST) configurations and very limited work has been performed on MEMS multi-port switches and switch matrices. Here, this research has been dedicated on developing multi-port RF MEMS switches and amenable interconnect networks for switch matrix applications. To explore the topic, three tasks are considered: planar (2D) multi-port RF MEMS switches, 3D multi-port RF MEMS switches, and RF MEMS switch matrix integration. <br /><br /> One key objective of this thesis is to investigate novel configurations for planar multi-port (SPNT), C-type, and R-type switches. Such switches represent the basic building blocks of switch matrices operating at microwave frequencies. An in house monolithic fabrication process dedicated to electrostatic multi-port RF MEMS switches is developed and fine tuned. The measurement results exhibit an excellent RF performance verifying the concept. Also, thermally actuated multi-port switches for satellite applications are designed and analyzed. The switch performance at room condition as well as at a very low temperature of 77K degrees (to resemble the harsh environment of satellite applications) is measured and discussed in detail. <br /><br /> For the first time, a new category of 3D RF MEMS switches is introduced to the MEMS community. These switches are not only extremely useful for high power applications but also have a great potential for high frequencies and millimetre-waves. The concept is based on the integration of vertically actuated MEMS actuators inside 3D transmission lines such as waveguides and coaxial lines. An SPST and C-type switches based on the integration of rotary thermal and electrostatic actuators are designed and realized. The concept is verified for the frequencies up to 30GHz with measured results. A high power test analysis and measurement data indicates no major change in performance as high as 13W. <br /><br /> The monolithic integration of the RF MEMS switch matrix involves the design and optimization of a unique interconnect network which is amenable to the MEMS fabrication process. While the switches and interconnect lines are fabricated on the front side, taking advantage of the back side patterning provides a high isolation for cross over junctions. Two different techniques are adopted to optimize the interconnect network. They are based on vertical three-via interconnects and electromagnetically coupled junctions. The data illustrates that for a return loss of less than -20dB up to 30GHz, an isolation of better than 40dB is obtained. This technique not only eliminates the need for expensive multilayer manufacturing process such as Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics (LTCC) but also provides a unique approach to fabricate the entire switch matrix monolithically.

Microwave and millimeter wave switch matrices are essential components in telecommunication systems. These matrices enhance satellite capacity by providing full and flexible interconnectivity between the received and transmitted signals and facilitate optimum utilization of system bandwidth. Waveguide and semiconductor technology are two prominent candidates for the realizing such types of switch matrices. Waveguide switches are dominant in high frequency applications of 100 ? 200 GHz and in high power satellite communication. However, their heavy and bulky profile reinforces the need for a replacement. In some applications, semiconductor switches are an alternative to mechanical waveguide switches and utilize PIN diodes to create the ON and OFF states. Although, these switches are small in size, they exhibit poor RF performance and low power handling. <br /><br /> RF MEMS technology is a good candidate to replace the conventional switches and to realize an entire switch matrix. This technology has a great potential to offer superior RF performance with miniaturized dimensions. Because of the advantages of MEMS technology numerous research studies have been devoted to develop RF MEMS switches. However, they are mostly concentrated on Single-Pole Single-Throw (SPST) configurations and very limited work has been performed on MEMS multi-port switches and switch matrices. Here, this research has been dedicated on developing multi-port RF MEMS switches and amenable interconnect networks for switch matrix applications. To explore the topic, three tasks are considered: planar (2D) multi-port RF MEMS switches, 3D multi-port RF MEMS switches, and RF MEMS switch matrix integration. <br /><br /> One key objective of this thesis is to investigate novel configurations for planar multi-port (SPNT), C-type, and R-type switches. Such switches represent the basic building blocks of switch matrices operating at microwave frequencies. An in house monolithic fabrication process dedicated to electrostatic multi-port RF MEMS switches is developed and fine tuned. The measurement results exhibit an excellent RF performance verifying the concept. Also, thermally actuated multi-port switches for satellite applications are designed and analyzed. The switch performance at room condition as well as at a very low temperature of 77K degrees (to resemble the harsh environment of satellite applications) is measured and discussed in detail. <br /><br /> For the first time, a new category of 3D RF MEMS switches is introduced to the MEMS community. These switches are not only extremely useful for high power applications but also have a great potential for high frequencies and millimetre-waves. The concept is based on the integration of vertically actuated MEMS actuators inside 3D transmission lines such as waveguides and coaxial lines. An SPST and C-type switches based on the integration of rotary thermal and electrostatic actuators are designed and realized. The concept is verified for the frequencies up to 30GHz with measured results. A high power test analysis and measurement data indicates no major change in performance as high as 13W. <br /><br /> The monolithic integration of the RF MEMS switch matrix involves the design and optimization of a unique interconnect network which is amenable to the MEMS fabrication process. While the switches and interconnect lines are fabricated on the front side, taking advantage of the back side patterning provides a high isolation for cross over junctions. Two different techniques are adopted to optimize the interconnect network. They are based on vertical three-via interconnects and electromagnetically coupled junctions. The data illustrates that for a return loss of less than -20dB up to 30GHz, an isolation of better than 40dB is obtained. This technique not only eliminates the need for expensive multilayer manufacturing process such as Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics (LTCC) but also provides a unique approach to fabricate the entire switch matrix monolithically.

Capacitive radio frequency (RF) micro-electromechanical (MEMS) switches are among the most promising applications in MEMS systems. They have been introduced in the last 15-20 years as a practical alternative over traditional semiconductor switches. Low-cost RF MEMS switches are prime candidates for replacing the conventional GaAs Field Effect Transistors (FET) and pin diode switches in RF and microwave communication systems, mainly due to their low insertion loss, good isolation, linear characteristic and low power consumption. Unfortunately, their commercialization is currently hindered by reliability problems. The most important problem is charging of the dielectric, causing unpredictable device behavior. The charging of the dielectric has been found to be a complicated process and is currently under intense research. Developing a good analytical model that would describe accumulating of charges in the dielectric and their influence on the device behavior would be the main step to achieving more reliable switches. This work intends to theoretically and experimentally investigate the dielectric charging effects of capacitive RF MEMS switches with silicon nitride and silicon dioxide as the dielectric layer. For the silicon nitride study, both MEMS switches and MIM capacitors were fabricated, and their charging behaviors were analyzed and compared. Several different dielectric stoichiometries, deposition temperatures, and thicknesses were examined in order to understand the effects of each parameter on the charging mechanisms of the dielectric. The goal was to determine the most favorable deposition conditions to induce minimum dielectric charging in silicon nitride capacitive switches. The switches were measured over a wide temperature range and the temperaturedependent behavior of the dielectric was examined to characterize and study its charging behaviors. For the silicon dioxide MEMS switches, several different actuation mechanisms were systematically analyzed, and their effects on the dielectric charging of the switches were studied. A general model of distributed charge and air gap was adopted and further developed to better explain the charging behavior of MEMS switches. The goal was to provide a deeper insight into the trapping processes in dielectric materials and their corresponding time constants. This will in turn aid in better modeling of charging processes in capacitive RF MEMS switches.

No description available.

This dissertation presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of low-voltage capacitive RF MEMS switches. Although, RF MEMS switches have shown superior performance as compared to the existing solid-state semiconductor switches and are viable alternate to the present and the future communication systems, not been able to match the commercial standards due to their poor reliability. Dielectric charging due high actuation is one of the major concerns that limit the reliability of these switches. Hence, the focus of this thesis is on the development of low actuation voltage RF MEMS switches without compromising much on their RF and dynamic performances i.e., low insertion loss and high isolation. Four different switch topologies are studied and discussed. Electromechanical and electromagnetic modelling is presented to study the effect of various components that comprise a MEMS switch on the transient and the RF behaviour. The analytical expressions for switching and release times are established in order to estimate the switching and release times. An in-house developed surface micromachining process is adapted for the micro fabrication. This process eliminates the need for an extra mask used for the anchors and restricts the overall process to four-masks only. These switches are fabricated on 500 µm thick glass substrate. A 0.5 µm thick gold film is used as the structural material. For the final release of the switch, chemical wet etching technique is employed. The fabricated MEMS switches are characterized mechanically and electrically by measuring mechanical resonant frequency, quality factor, pull-in, and pull-up voltages. Since, low actuation voltage switches have slow response time. One of the key objectives of this thesis is to realize switches with fast response time at low actuation voltage. Measurements are performed to estimate the switching and release times. The measured Q-factors of switches are found to be in between 1.1 -1.4 which is the recommended value for Q in MEMS switches for a suppressed oscillation after the release. Furthermore, the effect of hole size on the switching dynamics is addressed. RF measurements are carried out to measure the S-parameters in order to quantify the RF performance. The measured results demonstrate that these switches need low actuation voltage in range of 4.5 V to 8.5 V for the actuation. The measured insertion loss less than -0.8 dB and isolation better than 30 dB up to 40 GHz is reported. In addition, the robustness of realized switches is tested using in-house developed Lab View-based automated measurement test set-up. The reliability test analysis shows no degradation in the RF performance even after 10 millions of switching cycles. Overall yield of 70 -80% is estimated in the present work. Finally, the experimentally measured results presented in this work prove the successful development of low actuation voltage capacitive RF MEMS switches and also offers that even with 0.5 µm thick gold film better reliability for MEMS switches can be achieved.

"Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology has been evolving for about two decades and, now it is integrated in many designs, including radio frequency (RF) switches characterized by µm dimensions. Today, designers are attempting o develop the ideal RF MEMS switch, yet electro-thermo-mechanical (ETM) effects still limit the design possibilities and adversely affect reliability of these microswitches. The ETM effects are a result of Joule heat generated at the microswitch contact areas. This heat is due to the current passing through the microswitch, characteristics of the contact interfaces, and other parameters characterizing a particular design. It significantly raises temperature of the microswitch, thus affecting the mechanical and electrical properties of the contacts, which may lead to welding, causing a major reliability issue. Advanced research was performed, in this thesis, to minimize the Joule heat effects on the contact areas, thus improving performance of the microswitch. Thermal analyses done computationally on a cantilever-type RF MEMS switch indicate heat-effected zones and the influences that various design parameters have on these zones. Uncertainty analyses were also performed to ensure accuracy of the computational results, which indicate contact temperatures on the order of 700˚C, for the cases considered in this thesis. Although these temperatures are well below the melting temperatures of the materials used, new designs of the microswitches will have to be developed, in order to lower their maximum operating temperatures and reduce temporal effects they cause, to increase reliability of the RF MEMS switches."

This thesis develops methods to exploit static and dynamic instabilities in electrostatic MEMS to develop new MEMS devices, namely dynamically actuated micro switches and binary micro gas sensors. Models are developed for the devices under consideration where the structures are treated as elastic continua. The electrostatic force is treated as a nonlinear function of displacement derived under the assumption of parallel-plate theorem. The Galerkin method is used to discretize the distributed-parameter models, thus reducing the governing partial differential equations into sets of nonlinear ordinary-differential equations. The shooting method is used to numerically solve those equations to obtain the frequency-response curves of those devices and the Floquet theory is used to investigate their stability. To develop the dynamically actuated micro switches, we investigate the response of microswitches to a combination of DC and AC excitations. We find that dynamically actuated micro switches can realize significant energy savings, up to 60 %, over comparable switches traditionally actuated by pure DC voltage. We devise two dynamic actuation methods: a fixed-frequency method and a shifted-frequency method. While the fixed-frequency method is simpler to implement, the shifted-frequency method can minimize the switching time to the same order as that realized using traditional DC actuation. We also introduce a parameter identification technique to estimate the switch geometrical and material properties, namely thickness, modulus of elasticity, and residual stress. We also develop a new detection technique for micro mass sensors that does not require any readout electronics. We use this method to develop static and dynamic binary mass sensors. The sensors are composed of a cantilever beam connected to a rigid plate at its free end and electrostatically coupled to an electrode underneath it. Two versions of micro mass sensors are presented: static binary mass sensor and dynamic binary mass sensor. Sensitivity analysis shows that the sensitivity of our static mass sensor represents an upper bound for the sensitivity of comparable statically detected inertial mass sensors. It also shows that the dynamic binary mass sensors is three orders of magnitude more sensitive than the static binary mass sensor. We equip our mass sensor with a polymer detector, doped Polyaniline, to realize a formaldehyde vapor sensor and demonstrate its functionality experimentally. We find that while the static binary gas sensor is simpler to realize than the dynamic binary gas sensor, it is more susceptible to external disturbances.

This thesis develops methods to exploit static and dynamic instabilities in electrostatic MEMS to develop new MEMS devices, namely dynamically actuated micro switches and binary micro gas sensors. Models are developed for the devices under consideration where the structures are treated as elastic continua. The electrostatic force is treated as a nonlinear function of displacement derived under the assumption of parallel-plate theorem. The Galerkin method is used to discretize the distributed-parameter models, thus reducing the governing partial differential equations into sets of nonlinear ordinary-differential equations. The shooting method is used to numerically solve those equations to obtain the frequency-response curves of those devices and the Floquet theory is used to investigate their stability. To develop the dynamically actuated micro switches, we investigate the response of microswitches to a combination of DC and AC excitations. We find that dynamically actuated micro switches can realize significant energy savings, up to 60 %, over comparable switches traditionally actuated by pure DC voltage. We devise two dynamic actuation methods: a fixed-frequency method and a shifted-frequency method. While the fixed-frequency method is simpler to implement, the shifted-frequency method can minimize the switching time to the same order as that realized using traditional DC actuation. We also introduce a parameter identification technique to estimate the switch geometrical and material properties, namely thickness, modulus of elasticity, and residual stress. We also develop a new detection technique for micro mass sensors that does not require any readout electronics. We use this method to develop static and dynamic binary mass sensors. The sensors are composed of a cantilever beam connected to a rigid plate at its free end and electrostatically coupled to an electrode underneath it. Two versions of micro mass sensors are presented: static binary mass sensor and dynamic binary mass sensor. Sensitivity analysis shows that the sensitivity of our static mass sensor represents an upper bound for the sensitivity of comparable statically detected inertial mass sensors. It also shows that the dynamic binary mass sensors is three orders of magnitude more sensitive than the static binary mass sensor. We equip our mass sensor with a polymer detector, doped Polyaniline, to realize a formaldehyde vapor sensor and demonstrate its functionality experimentally. We find that while the static binary gas sensor is simpler to realize than the dynamic binary gas sensor, it is more susceptible to external disturbances.

The recent years have witnessed an unprecedented growth in the number of connected devices and amount of bandwidth required by the multiple services offered by wireless devices. The current 5G standard addresses such issues by adopting higher carrier frequencies and antennas with a large number of radiating elements. The former solution enables to exploit larger bandwidths in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) portion of the spectrum, while the latter one allows access points to serve an increasingly higher number of users. Both find realization in the Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna systems with their enhanced beamforming capabilities. While the adoption of the hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture lightens the overall system complexity, the need of miniaturized, high-performance and broadband hardware components is still an open issue. Passive Radio Frequency (RF) components in MicroElectroMechanical-Systems technology (RF-MEMS) offer notable and broadband electrical performances, while maintaining the marked miniaturization required for the hardware to be employed in the MIMO antennas, characterizing the current and future telecommunications scenario. Whilst numerous examples of single RF-MEMS switches, attenuators and phase shifters are available in the literature since about two decades, still limited attention is dedicated to the development of MEMS-based multi-device monolithic networks embedding such devices. High-performance RF-MEMS networks of this kind could represent the base of future MIMO beamforming architectures. Given such a context, the fundamental core of this thesis is the design and the realization of ad hoc RF-MEMS devices to be integrated in a reconfigurable monolithic module, operating in the realistic scenario of the mm-Wave portion of the spectrum allocated to 5G in Europe (24.25–27.5 GHz). The resulting devices consist in a 3-bit attenuator, three 1-bit phase-shifting cells and a Single-Pole-Double-Throw (SPDT) switch, each relying on membranes featuring a reduced actuation voltage, in the 5–9 V range, for an easier interfacing with electronics based on Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor (CMOS). To this purpose, the ad hoc designed MEMS switching membranes, along with prototypes of the building blocks to be embedded in the final module, are designed, optimized and fabricated. The experimental measurements performed on the prototypes of membranes (i.e. micro-switches), attenuation cells, optimized resistors and a phase shifter are compared to FEM-based (Finite Element Method) simulated results. Such comparison validates the simulation approach, in both the electromagnetic and the electro-mechanical domains, by which the proposed module is then designed and optimized in its final layout. To the best of our knowledge, this project is among the first to investigate the development of a monolithic module, entirely based on RF-MEMS passives, implementing both the attenuation and the phase shifting functionalities that can be employed in hybrid beamforming architectures at each antenna element. More in detail, the module features at least 25 attenuation and phase shifting states, from -5.39 dB to -13.51 dB by variable steps, and from 10.59° to 158.46°, respectively. Concerning the SPDT switch, satisfying electrical performances have been demonstrated in terms of return loss (&lt;-10 dB), insertion loss (&lt;-1.2 dB) and isolation (&lt;-25 dB) over the 0–30 GHz interval. Despite their increased complexity, appealing results have marked the proposed attenuator and the phase-shifting cells, whose return and insertion losses are always better than -10 dB and -3 dB, respectively, along the frequency interval of interest. With an overall footprint not exceeding 9.51x3.35 mm2, the designed module effectively combines the miniaturization, broadband, and linear electrical behavior of RF-MEMS, making it a suitable candidate for the MIMO antennas of the current and future telecommunications scenario.

Nesta dissertação, os principais conceitos de MEMS, suas aplicações, processos de fabricação, componentes e sistemas são abordados. O objetivo desta dissertação é o estudo detalhado de chaves MEMS para aplicações em RF, que apresentam bom comportamento em altas freqüências e com potencial de melhoria em sua banda de operação. Em particular, aprofundou-se o estudo para o caso de uma chave MEMS de membrana capacitiva paralela sobre um guia de onda coplanar ou CPW - Coplanar Waveguide. O objetivo foi o de ampliar sua banda de operação, mantendo-se outras especificações inalteradas. Partindo-se de uma chave com banda de operação nula para critérios de perda de retorno e isolação mínimas iguais a 20 dB, com alteração na geometria da chave foi possível obter-se uma banda de 28 GHz e posteriormente ampliá-la para 31 GHz, praticamente sem alteração nas demais características elétricas. / In this thesis, the main concepts of MEMS, their application, fabrication processes, components and systems are addressed. The objective of the thesis is a detailed study of MEMS switches for RF applications, that present good performance at high frequencies and with a potential for bandwidth improvement. More specifically, the study was deeply conducted for shunt capacitive membrane MEMS switches over CPW - Coplanar Waveguide. In this case, the objective was to enlarge the operation bandwidth, keeping the other specifications unchanged. Starting with a switch with null operational bandwidth for criteria of minimum return loss and isolation of 20 dB, after a modification in the switch geometry, it was possible to obtain an operational bandwidth of 28 GHz and then to enlarge it to 31 GHz, keeping almost unchanged the other electric characteristics.