High Q zero level packaged RF-MEMS switched capacitor arrays

This paper presents the design, the realization and the measurement of a thin-film packaged RF-MEMS switched capacitors. Packaging is included in microelectronics fabrication process, with Silicon Nitride thin film. The capacitors are actuated by deflecting thin gold metal membrane towards the package dielectric, increasing the capacitance by a factor 2.47. The device size, including its packaging, is 80 × 90pm
²
. The highest quality factor of a single capacitor is 1515 at 5 GHz, which comes from the low parasitic capacitance and the thick metallization. To obtain larger capacitance value, an array of 4 × 2 capacitors has been realized and measured.