Investigation on Switching Structure Material Selection for RF-MEMS Shunt Capacitive Switches Using Ashby, TOPSIS and VIKOR

Abstract

This paper utilizes three material selection methodologies to select the most promising material for switching structure of RF-MEMS shunt capacitive switches. The material should be selected such that RF-MEMS capacitive switches should have low pull-in voltage, low RF loss, high thermal conductivity and maximum displacement of the beam. For this purpose, the concerned material indices are as follows: low value of Young’s modulus, low electrical resistivity, high thermal conductivity and high fracture strength. Following Ashby, TOPSIS and VIKOR method were used to select the best material. The results obtained from these methods show good correlation. The end results suggest that gold and copper are the most suitable materials for RF-MEMS switches.