Bulk Silicon Micro-Machined MEM Switches For Millimeter-Wave Applications

This paper deals with the realization of micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) components dedicated to microwave and millimeter-wave applications and focuses on the advantage of using bulk silicon micro-machining. The silicon substrate etching benefits have been demonstrated through both electromagnetic simulations and measurements of a single MEM switch. Important improvements in term of insertion loss and isolation have been obtained. Further developments in term of distributed switches are addressed.