RF MEMS capacitive switches for integration with printed circuits and antennas

RF MEMS capacitive switches fabricated using flexible printed circuit technology have been reported by our group recently. We report new switch designs for X/Ku-band operation and their mechanical and RF performance. For operation in the X/Ku-band frequency ranges, the switch plate dimensions have been reduced to 2/spl times/1 mm/sup 2/, which is a reduction of our earlier switch design (6/spl times/6 mm/sup 2/) by a factor of 18. This remarkable reduction in size necessitated significant improvements in the switch design. Specific improvements such as low pull-down voltage design, membrane warpage reduction, and improved RF design are discussed. The resistive bias arrangement for this type of switch is discussed. Pull-down voltage of these switch designs is in the range of 80-100 V. RF performance with insertion loss <0.3 dB and isolation >10 dB has been demonstrated in the frequency range of 8 to 20 GHz.