A Mems Contactless Rotating Terahertz Waveguide Switch

This paper presents a Single-Pole Double-Throw (SPDT) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) waveguide switch operating at 500–750 GHz. The switch consists of a U-bend waveguide surrounded by an electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) surface. The EBG surface is used to prevent propagation of electromagnetic waves without mechanical or electrical contact. The U-bend is placed on a rotating arm, that moves between two waveguide connections. The arms movement is controlled by a rotating MEMS motor that can rotate ±4.5° at 90 V. The switch is fabricated using silicon micromachining and is designed to be in-plane with the connecting waveguides. Thus, allowing it to be implemented into a silicon micromachined waveguide network. Since the electromagnetic wave can be isolated with the EBG surface without the need for electrical or mechanical contact, the MEMS waveguide switch rotates freely between two contactless states, circumventing common MEMS switch issues such as stiction.