A DC to 10-GHz 6-b RF MEMS time delay circuit

A 6-b radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) time-delay circuit operating from dc to 10 GHz with 393.75-ps total time delay is presented. The circuit is fabricated on 250-μm-thick alumina and uses metal contacting RF MEMS switches to realize series-shunt SP4T switching networks. The circuit demonstrates 1.8+/-0.6 dB of loss at 10 GHz and has linear phase response across the entire band with accuracy of better than a least significant bit for most states.