This paper aims to design a high-quality-factor suspending micro-inductor and to establish its equivalent circuit model for performance optimization. Two commercial software (Ansoft HFSS and Agilent ADS) are adopts to analysis the influences of quality factor on the geometric parameters and substrate materials. The designed micro-inductors are constructed by one bottom GSG electrode, two supporting copper vias and a spiral suspending copper conducting layer. As the simulated results of this research, the quality factor of the suspending micro-inductor is increased with the height of air gap, the thickness and width of suspending copper conducting layer and decrease with the number of turns, line space and outer diameter of suspending copper conducting layer. The influences of different shapes of the spiral suspending copper conducting layers on the quality factor of micro-inductors were also investigated. The simulation results well match to the theoretical prediction. Finally, this thesis has successfully derived two experiential formulas based on the analysis results to estimate quickly the inductance of the suspending micro-inductors with circular and square shape. Compared with the simulation results and realistic measurement results, these experiential formulas demonstrate 94-95% and 90% accuracies respectively.

Multi-band and multi-mode radios are becoming prevalent and necessary in order to provide optimal data rates across a network with a diverse and spotty landscape of coverage areas (3G, HSPA, LTE, etc.). As the number of required bands and modes increases, the aggregate cost of discrete RF signal chains justi es the adoption of tunable solutions. Tunable fi lters are one of the pieces crucial to signal chain amalgamation. The main requirements for a tunable fi lter are high unloaded quality factor, wide tuning range, high tuning speed, high linearity, and small size. MEMS technology is the most promising in terms of tuning range, quality factor, linearity and size. In addition, a fi lter that maintains a constant passband bandwidth as the center frequency is tuned is preferred since the analog baseband processing circuitry tends to be tailored for a particular signal bandwidth. In this work, a novel design technique for tunable fi lters with controlled and predictable bandwidth variation is presented. The design technique is presented alongside an analysis and modeling method for predicting the final filter response during design optimization. The method is based on the well known coupling matrix model. In order to demonstrate the design and modeling technique, a novel coupling structure for stripline fi lters is presented that results in substantial improvements in coupling bandwidth variation over an octave tuning range when compared to combline and interdigitated coupled line fi lters. In order for a coupled resonator filter to produce an equal ripple Chebyshev response, each resonator of the fi lter must be tuned to precisely the same resonant frequency. Production tuned fi lters are routinely tuned in the lab and production environments by skilled technicians in order to compensate for manufacturing tolerances. However, integrated tunable filters cannot be tuned by traditional means since they are integrated into systems on circuit boards or inside front end modules. A fixed tuning table for all manufactured modules is inadequate since the required tuning accuracy exceeds the tolerance of the tuning elements. In this work, we develop tuning techniques for the automatic in-circuit tuning of tunable filters using scalar transmission measurement. The scalar transmission based techniques obviate the use of directional couplers. Techniques based on both swept and single frequency scalar transmission measurement are developed. The swept frequency technique, based on the Hilbert transform derived relative groupdelay, tunes both couplings and resonant frequencies while the single frequency technique only tunes the center frequency. High performance filters necessitate high resonator quality factors. Although fi lters are traditionally treated as passive devices, tunable fi lters need to be treated as active devices. Tuning elements invariably introduce non-linearities that limit the useful power handling of the tunable fi lter. RF MEMS devices have been a topic of intense research for many years for their promising characteristics of high quality factor and high power handling. Control and reliability issues have resulted in a shift from continuously tunable devices to discretely switched devices. However, fi lter tuning applications require fine resolution and therefore many bits for digital capacitor banks. An analog/digital hybrid tuning approach would enable the tuning range of a switched capacitor bank to be combined with the tuning resolution of an analog tunable capacitor. In this work, a device-level position control mechanism is proposed for piezoresistive feedback of device capacitance over the device's tuning range. It is shown that piezoresistve position control is ef ective at improving capacitance uncertainty in a CMOS integrated RF MEMS variable capacitor.

This thesis presents design, modeling, and fabrication of an RF MEMS adjustable impedance matching network. The device employs the basic triple stub matching technique for impedance matching. It has three adjustable length stubs which are implemented using capacitively loaded coplanar waveguides. The capacitive loading of the stubs are realized using the MEMS switches which are evenly distributed over the stubs. There are 40 MEMS bridges on each stub whichare separated with &amp / #955 / /40 spacing making a total of 120 MEMS switches in the structure. The variability of the stub length is accomplished by closing the MEMS switch nearest to the required stub length, and making a virtual short circuit to ground. The device is theoretically capable of doing matching to every point on the Smith chart. The device is built on coplanar waveguide transmission lines. It has a center operating frequency of 10GHz, but because of its adjustability property it is expected to work in 1-40GHz range. It has dimensions of 8950 &times / 5720&micro / m2. This work is the continuation of the first national work on fabrication of RF MEMS devices. The device in this work is fabricated using the surface micromachining technology in the microelectronic facilities of Middle East Technical University.

No description available.

Passive and active devices are essential devices in mobile and base stations’ transceiver. Consequently, these devices dominated the large part of the PCB of the today’s transceiver. However, the tomorrow’s mobile terminals without circuit tunability would be extremely large in size to accommodate present and future radio access technologies (RATs). The stand-alone transceiver for one single RAT is comprised of single passive and active devices and adding two or more RATs for the same transceiver would require adding two or more devices, since all of these RATs standards work on different frequency bands. Apparently, without tunability approach, this will increase the complexity of the system design and will cover a large part of the circuit space leading to power consumptions, loss which results to the poor efficiency of the transceiver. In this work, a miniaturized RF MEMS tunable bandpass is developed to operate in the frequency range from 1.8 to 2.6 GHz.

A concepção deste trabalho está ligada ao desenvolvimento de sistemas microeletromecânicos (MEMS) para RF na faixa de frequências de ondas milimétricas. Dentro deste contexto, o Grupo de Novos Materiais e Dispositivos (GNMD) do Laboratório de Microeletrônica (LME) da Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo (EPUSP) já fabricou RF MEMS que tiveram resultados bastante promissores. No entanto, para obtenção de melhores resultados, é necessária a otimização eletromecânica destes dispositivos e para isso é necessária a extração de suas propriedades mecânicas. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia para extração do módulo de elasticidade e tensão residual em MEMS, através da simulação e fabricação de microestruturas específicas para este fim. As técnicas de nanoindentação, frequência de ressonância, raio de curvatura e M-TEST foram estudadas. As microestruturas fabricadas foram cantileveres e pontes feitas de alumínio e cobre. Foram realizadas simulações no software ANSYS para prever as frequências de ressonância e as tensões de pull-in das estruturas antes de serem fabricadas. O módulo de elasticidade do alumínio extraído através da nanoindentação foi de 75,6 ± 4,1 GPa, e o do cobre extraída através da técnica de frequência de ressonância foi de 123 ± 12 GPa. A tensão residual do cobre foi extraída através da técnica de medição do raio de curvatura e foi de -199±105 MPa. O trabalho está vinculado ao projeto Jovem Pesquisador FAPESP (2011/18167-3). / The approach of this work is linked to the development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for RF in the frequency range of millimeter waves. Within this context, the Group of New Materials and Devices (GNMD) of the Laboratory of Microelectronics (LME) of the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (EPUSP) has already manufactured RF MEMS which have had very promising results. However, to obtain better results, it is necessary the electromechanical optimization of these devices through the extraction of their mechanical properties. Thus, this work has the objective of developing a methodology for the extraction of the Young\'s modulus and residual stress in MEMS, through the simulation and fabrication of specific microstructures for this purpose. The techniques of nanoindentation, resonance frequency, radius of curvature and M-TEST were studied. The fabricated microstructures were cantilevers and bridges in aluminum and copper materials. Simulations were performed in the ANSYS software to predict the resonance frequencies and the pull-in voltages of the structures before they were fabricated. The Young\'s modulus of aluminum extracted through nanoindentation was 75,6 ± 4,1 GPa, the resonance frequency of copper extracted by the technique of the same name was 123 ± 12 GPa and the residual stress of copper was extracted through the technique of measuring the radius of curvature and was -199±105 MPa. The work is linked to the project Jovem Pesquisador from FAPESP (2011/18167-3).

A concepção deste trabalho está ligada ao desenvolvimento de sistemas microeletromecânicos (MEMS) para RF na faixa de frequências de ondas milimétricas. Dentro deste contexto, o Grupo de Novos Materiais e Dispositivos (GNMD) do Laboratório de Microeletrônica (LME) da Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo (EPUSP) já fabricou RF MEMS que tiveram resultados bastante promissores. No entanto, para obtenção de melhores resultados, é necessária a otimização eletromecânica destes dispositivos e para isso é necessária a extração de suas propriedades mecânicas. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia para extração do módulo de elasticidade e tensão residual em MEMS, através da simulação e fabricação de microestruturas específicas para este fim. As técnicas de nanoindentação, frequência de ressonância, raio de curvatura e M-TEST foram estudadas. As microestruturas fabricadas foram cantileveres e pontes feitas de alumínio e cobre. Foram realizadas simulações no software ANSYS para prever as frequências de ressonância e as tensões de pull-in das estruturas antes de serem fabricadas. O módulo de elasticidade do alumínio extraído através da nanoindentação foi de 75,6 ± 4,1 GPa, e o do cobre extraída através da técnica de frequência de ressonância foi de 123 ± 12 GPa. A tensão residual do cobre foi extraída através da técnica de medição do raio de curvatura e foi de -199±105 MPa. O trabalho está vinculado ao projeto Jovem Pesquisador FAPESP (2011/18167-3). / The approach of this work is linked to the development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for RF in the frequency range of millimeter waves. Within this context, the Group of New Materials and Devices (GNMD) of the Laboratory of Microelectronics (LME) of the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (EPUSP) has already manufactured RF MEMS which have had very promising results. However, to obtain better results, it is necessary the electromechanical optimization of these devices through the extraction of their mechanical properties. Thus, this work has the objective of developing a methodology for the extraction of the Young\'s modulus and residual stress in MEMS, through the simulation and fabrication of specific microstructures for this purpose. The techniques of nanoindentation, resonance frequency, radius of curvature and M-TEST were studied. The fabricated microstructures were cantilevers and bridges in aluminum and copper materials. Simulations were performed in the ANSYS software to predict the resonance frequencies and the pull-in voltages of the structures before they were fabricated. The Young\'s modulus of aluminum extracted through nanoindentation was 75,6 ± 4,1 GPa, the resonance frequency of copper extracted by the technique of the same name was 123 ± 12 GPa and the residual stress of copper was extracted through the technique of measuring the radius of curvature and was -199±105 MPa. The work is linked to the project Jovem Pesquisador from FAPESP (2011/18167-3).

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.

Les travaux réalisés lors de cette thèse ont pour objectif la fabrication de filtres accordables fort Q0. Pour cela nous nous sommes naturellement orienté vers des structures volumiques puisque elles permettent l’obtention de Q0 important. Nous avons également utilisé des éléments d’accord permettant de maximiser ce Q0, tels que des MEMS-RF ou bien encore des patchs de Matériaux à Transition de Phase (PTM) comme le dioxyde de vanadium (VO2). Nous avons démontré lors de notre étude que ces dispositifs garantissaient des Q0 supérieurs à 1000 sur une large plage d’accord. / This work is based on the fabrication of High-Q tunable filters. We looked at cavity filters since they allow us to achieve a high Q0. We also used RF-MEMS or vandium Dioxyde as tuning element. Since they provide a high-Q tuning. We have demonstrated Q0 better than one thousand over a wide tuning range.

RF/microwave tunable filters are widely employed in radar systems, measurement instruments, and communication systems. By using tunable filters, the frequency bandwidth is utilized effectively and the system cost and complexity is reduced. In the literature, various tuning techniques have been developed to construct tunable filters. Mechanical tuning, magnetic tuning, and electrical tuning are the most common. In terms of quality factor, power handling capability, and linearity, mechanical tuning is superior to the other two tuning techniques. Unfortunately, due to their bulky size, heavy weight, and low tuning speed, mechanically tunable filters have limited applications. MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) technology has the potential to produce highly miniaturized tunable filters; however, most of the MEMS tunable filters reported so far have a relatively low quality factor. The objective of the research described in this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of using MEMS technology to develop tunable filters with a high quality factor. The integration of MEMS tuning elements with a wide range of filter configurations is explored, from micromachined filters to traditional dielectric resonator filters, from planar filters to cavity filters. Both hybrid integration and monolithic integration approaches are carried out. To achieve tunability, MEMS tuning elements are embedded within RF and microwave filters. Tuning is accomplished by disturbing the electromagnetic fields of resonators with nearby MEMS tuning elements, which in turn change the resonant frequency of the resonators. First, the proposed tuning concept is experimentally demonstrated by integrating a surface micromachined planar filter with MEMS thermal actuators as the tuning elements. Then, a novel micromachined ridge waveguide filter embedded with similar MEMS tuning elements is proposed and constructed by using the EFAB^{TM} micromachining technique. A power handling analysis is performed for the newly devised 3D micromachined filter, and potential failure mechanisms such as air breakdown are identified. For the first time, a tunable dielectric resonator bandpass filter, incorporating vertical long-throw MEMS thermal actuators as tuning elements, is developed to achieve a wide tuning range, high quality factor, and large power handling capability. Several prototype tunable filter units are fabricated and tested. The experimental results reveal that the tunable filters maintain a relatively high quality factor value over a wide tuning range. In addition to the hybrid integration approach, a monolithic integration approach is investigated. A novel surface micromachining process is developed to allow monolithic integration of MEMS tuning elements into micromachined filters. Due to a stress mismatch, MEMS actuators fabricated by this process obtain a vertical deflection of several hundred microns, resulting in a wide tuning range. Various latching mechanisms are created, based on the micromachining processes that are used to fabricate the MEMS tuning elements. These out-of-plane latching mechanisms with multi-stable states have the potential to be adopted not only for tunable filter applications but also for switches and phase shifters.