High Isolation Large Bandwidth SPDT RF MEMS Switch

MEMS is the Micro Electro Mechanical Systems acronym and consists of mechanical and electrical parts. The MEMS devices can be fabricated using the Integrated Circuit (IC) fabrication process to realize electromechanical devices like gyroscope, accelerometer, pressure sensor in the sub-micron level [1]. The emergence of MEMS Technology started in the '70s with accelerometers, gyroscopes, and pressure sensors. The various MEMS technology-based products are available in the market for different applications. Analog Devices developed the first accelerometer meter for automotive Airbag sensors in 1990 [2]. It revolutionizes the automobile market due to its miniaturized size and weight, and batch fabrication capability reduces the manufacturing cost of the vehicles. Another MEMS technology-based device is a medical pressure sensor to measure blood pressure. The Inkjet printer head and Digital Micromirror Devices (DMD) are other gems in the MEMS basket. In 1992, Hewlett-Packard filed a patent on developing the inkjet printer head using thermal expansion of ink vapor, and Texas Instruments invented the DMD that contains over million tiny pixels for light projection [3], [4]. The other concurrent research on MEMS-based devices is BioMEMS, Micro-Opto Electromechanical Systems (MOEMS), and Radio Frequency MEMS. In the last few years, much research has been done to develop MEMS-based devices for biomedical applications like DNA sequencing, drug discovery, and water and environmental monitoring [5]-[9]. Other applications of the MEMS technology are in the development of optical MEMS devices like waveguides, optical switches, cross-connects, multiplexers, filters, modulators, detectors, attenuators, and equalizers for optical communication [10], [11]. The MEMS technology also revolutionized the RF industry by developing RF products like filters, resonators, phase-shifters, and switches [12]-[17]. Commercial MEMS-based RF components are also available in the market [18]. Still, a lot of research work is going on around the globe to further advancement in MEMS-based RF devices. The switch is an elementary component in RF communication. The development of MEMS-based RF switch is discussed in the next section.