High-Power High-Reliability Sub-Microsecond RF MEMS Switched Capacitors

We have developed a miniature RF MEMS switched capacitor with a capacitance ratio of 5.2 (Cu=10 fF, Cd=52 fF) and an actuation voltage of 30 V. The device is suitable for operation in the 20-70 GHz frequency range, and can be easily arrayed in parallel or in multi-bit designs for lower frequency of operation (10 GHz or lower). The switched capacitor has been tested to 1 Billion cycles at 10 GHz under 1 W of RF power (hot switching) and a unipolar actuation voltage of 30 V with no failure and no change in the S-parameters. The measured switching time is 0.8 μs. To our knowledge, this is the fastest high-power RF MEMS switched-capacitor to-date.