Abstract
This article reports the first results of a Nafion®-based, solid state, non-volatile, electronically reconfigurable Radio Frequency (RF)-switch integrated to a co-planar waveguide transmission line (CPW) in shunt mode, on a flexible paper substrate. The switch is based on a metal–insulator–metal structure formed respectively using Silver–Nafion–aluminum switching layers. The presented device is fully passive and shows good performance till 3 GHz, with an insertion loss less than 3 dB in the RF-on state and isolation greater than 15 dB in the RF-off state. Low-power direct current pulses in the range 10 V/0.5 mA and −20 V/0.15 A are used to operate the switch. The device was fabricated in an ambient laboratory condition, without the use of any clean room facilities. A brief discussion of the results and potential application of this concept in a re-configurable chipless RFID tag is also given in this article. This study is a proof of concept of fabrication of electronically re-configurable and disposable RF-electronic switches on low cost and flexible substrates, using a process feasible for mass production.
Highlights
Low-power, passive, and non-volatile Radio Frequency (RF)-switches are an area of keen interest among scientists and industry in the current decade
Non-volatile switches would benefit every field of RF-engineering by drastically cutting down the power budget
We have presented the design, construction and response of co-planar waveguide (CPW) shunt mode switch on flexible paper substrate
Summary
Low-power, passive, and non-volatile RF-switches are an area of keen interest among scientists and industry in the current decade. Non-volatile switches would benefit every field of RF-engineering by drastically cutting down the power budget. With the current threshold of development in disposable printed RF electronics, the requirement for passive and low-power switches has intensified. One of the available solutions for passive, non-volatile switches are Memristive devices such as the conductive bridging random access memory (CBRAM) switches [1], phase change memory (PCM). Switches [2,3], etc. These techniques utilize electrochemical properties and molecular arrangement properties of materials, respectively, to achieve the switching action. The CBRAM switch is referred to as a metal–insulator–metal (MIM) switch owing to its switching layers construction
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