Abstract
Advanced understanding of the physics makes phase change materials (PCM) and metal-insulator transition (MIT) materials great candidates for direct current (DC) and radio frequency (RF) switching applications. In the literature, germanium telluride (GeTe), a PCM, and vanadium dioxide (VO2), an MIT material have been widely investigated for DC and RF switching applications due to their remarkable contrast in their OFF/ON state resistivity values. In this review, innovations in design, fabrication, and characterization associated with these PCM and MIT material-based RF switches, have been highlighted and critically reviewed from the early stage to the most recent works. We initially report on the growth of PCM and MIT materials and then discuss their DC characteristics. Afterwards, novel design approaches and notable fabrication processes; utilized to improve switching performance; are discussed and reviewed. Finally, a brief vis-á-vis comparison of resistivity, insertion loss, isolation loss, power consumption, RF power handling capability, switching speed, and reliability is provided to compare their performance to radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) switches; which helps to demonstrate the current state-of-the-art, as well as insight into their potential in future applications.
Highlights
Wireless communication systems require complex radio frequency (RF) front end modules to enable reconfigurable and multiband operations as RF mobile technology shifts from 4G to (FCO = 2π ∗ R1on C which is commonly known as the figure of merit (FOM) for RF switches) [2] for of fradio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) switches are several orders of magnitude higher than solid state devices
This review summarizes the progress in germanium telluride (GeTe) and VO2 based RF switches over the past decade
The essential design aspects associated with the direct current (DC) and RF characteristics of these switches have been reviewed and discussed
Summary
Wireless communication systems require complex radio frequency (RF) front end modules to enable reconfigurable and multiband operations as RF mobile technology shifts from 4G to. Metal-insulator transition (MIT) and phase change materials (PCM)-based RF switches show FOM values in the middle of these devices as shown, with excellent RF performance which cannot be achieved using MEMS or solid-state switches individually. RF switching devices based on these materials demonstrate low insertion loss, high cut-off frequency, fast switching speed, and promising broadband characteristics (compared to RF MEMS switches of the same size). These attributes make these devices promising candidates for future RF circuitry and satellite applications. This will facilitate further study and improve future RF switching devices and present an insight to harness the full potential of these devices for being used in commercial RF applications
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