Design and Fabrication of Dual Substrate RF MEMS Switch with Low Actuation Voltage

The paper presents the design and fabrication process of Dual Substrate RF MEMS Switches. One contact switch with single-ended cantilever beam and one capacitive switch with bent and folded beams are proposed. COMSOL and ANSYS HFSS are used as the tools for analysis, in order to optimize the switch structure. Use anodic bonding to combine the glass that CPW is on with silicon that beam is on. The method avoids using sacrificial layer technology, which could make the switch much cleaner and more stable. According to the simulation results, the isolation of contact switches are -28.0 dB and the insertion loss are -0.06 dB at the frequency of 5.0 GHz. The isolation of capacitive switches with four folded beams are -32.0 dB and the insertion loss are -0.08 dB at the frequency of 13.5 GHz, and the switch with convolute beams are -31.5 dB and the insertion loss are -0.09 dB at the frequency of 10.5 GHz. According to the test results, the actuation voltage of the actuation voltage of contact switches are 22.5 V, the capacitive switch with four folded beam structure and convolute beam structure are 28.0 V and 5.8 V respectively, which ensures low power consumption. RF MEMS switches are extensively used in satellite, radars, communication systems and wireless systems for excellent performance and small size.