Silicon-based wideband RF nano-electro-mechanical-system devices: RF NEMS switch matrix for emerging wireless system, RF sensing and submilimeter-wave/terahertz (THz) applications

This paper presents RF nano switch matrix cell proposing for 550-650GHz high frequency wideband applications. The RF NEMS devices are designed with four metal structure on a tri-layer high resistivity silicon substrate. Simulation results indicate the designed RF nano switch matrix cell can potentially achieve good RF performance in the frequency range of interest. Surface micromachining fabrication process for silicon-based nano devices is developed and presented in this paper. Fabrication using ICs-compatible process can lead to monolithic integrating RF nano components with silicon-based integrated circuits, hence to perform a cost effective system-on-a-chip solution.