Micromachined Coplanar Waveguide Research Articles

Static Zero-Power-Consumption Coplanar Waveguide Embedded DC-to-RF Metal-Contact MEMS Switches in Two-Port and Three-Port Configuration

This paper reports on novel electrostatically actuated dc-to-RF metal-contact microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches, featuring a minimum transmission line discontinuity since the whole switch mechanism is completely embedded inside the signal line of a low-loss 3-D micromachined coplanar waveguide. Furthermore, the switches are based on a multistable interlocking mechanism resulting in static zero-power consumption, i.e., both the onstate and the offstate are maintained without applying external actuation energy. Additionally, the switches provide with active opening capability, potentially improving the switch reliability, and enabling the usage of soft low-resistivity contact materials. Both two-port single-pole-single-throw (SPST) switches featuring mechanical bistability and three-port single-pole-double-throw (SPDT) T-junction switches with four mechanically stable states are presented. The switches, together with the transmission lines, are fabricated in a single photolithography process. The loss created by the discontinuity of the switch mechanism alone is 0.08 dB at 20 GHz. Including a 500 m long transmission line with less than 0.4 dB/mm loss up to 20 GHz, the total insertion loss of the two-port devices is 0.15 and 0.3 dB at 2 and 20 GHz, and the isolation is 45 and 25 dB at 2 and 20 GHz. The three-port switches, including their T-junction transmission line, have an insertion loss of 0.31 and 0.68 dB, and an isolation of 43 and 22 dB, at 1 and 10 GHz, respectively. Actuation voltages are 23-39 V for the two-port switches and 39-89 V for the three-port switches. The microwave propagation in the micromachined transmission line and the influence of the different switch designs were analyzed by finite-element method (FEM) simulations of electromagnetic energy and volume current distributions, proving the design advantages of the proposed concept.

Deep-Reactive-Ion-Etched Wafer-Scale-Transferred All-Silicon Dielectric-Block Millimeter-Wave MEMS Phase Shifters

This paper reports on design, fabrication, and characterization of a novel multistage all-silicon microwave MEMS phase-shifter concept, based on multiple-step deep-reactive-ion-etched monocrystalline-silicon dielectric blocks which are transfer bonded to an RF substrate containing a 3-D micromachined coplanar waveguide. The relative phase shift of 45° of a single stage is achieved by vertically moving the ?/2-long blocks by MEMS electrostatic actuation. The measurement results of the first prototypes show that the return and insertion loss of a 7 × 45° of a single stage is achieved by vertically moving the ?/2-long blocks by MEMSage phase shifter over the whole frequency spectrum from 1 to 110 GHz are better than -12 and -5.1 dB, respectively. The monocrystalline high-resistivity silicon blocks are acting as a dielectric material from an RF point of view, and at the same time as actuation electrodes for dc electrostatic actuation. The mechanical reliability was investigated by measuring life-time cycles. All tested phase shifters with three-meander 36.67-N/m mechanical spring and a pull-in voltage of 29.9 V survived 1 billion cycles after which the tests were discontinued, no indication of dielectric charging could be found, neither caused by the dielectric block nor by the Si3 N4 distance keepers to the bottom electrodes. Finally, it is investigated that, by varying the fill factor of the etch hole pattern, the effective dielectric constant of the block can be tailor made, resulting in 45°, 30°, and 15° phase-shifter stages fabricated out of the same dielectric material by the same fabrication process flow.

Millimeter wave carbon nanotube gas sensor

This Letter reports experimental observations regarding the significant changes in the transmission modulus and phase of the propagating microwave signals up to 110 GHz in a micromachined coplanar waveguide supported on a dielectric membrane with a thickness of 1.4 μm filled with a mixture of carbon nanotubes when exposed to nitrogen gas. These large shifts of amplitude and phase of microwave signals due to gas absorption represent the experimental basis on which a miniature wireless gas sensor could be implemented.

Experimental determination of microwave attenuation and electrical permittivity of double-walled carbon nanotubes

The attenuation and the electrical permittivity of the double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) were determined in the frequency range of 1–65GHz. A micromachined coplanar waveguide transmission line supported on a Si membrane with a thickness of 1.4μm was filled with a mixture of DWCNTs. The propagation constants were then determined from the S parameter measurements. The DWCNTs mixture behaves like a dielectric in the range of 1–65GHz with moderate losses and an abrupt change of the effective permittivity that is very useful for gas sensor detection.

Novel Micromachined Coplanar Waveguide Transmission Lines for Application in Millimeter-Wave Circuits

In this paper, novel micromachined coplanar waveguide(CPW) transmission lines for application in millimeter-wave circuits are proposed. Two types of transmission lines with the length of 1 cm are fabricated and the measured characteristics are compared with those of the conventional CPW transmission line. One is the elevated CPW(ECPW) transmission line and the other is the overlay CPW(OCPW) line. These transmission lines are composed of 3-µm-thick electroplated gold lines with overhanging parts. By elevating the metal lines from the substrate using micromachining technology, the conductor and substrate dielectric loss can be reduced and easily integrated with conventional monolithic microwave integrated circuits. Compared with the conventional CPW line showing 2.65 dB/cm insertion loss at 50 GHz, the loss can be reduced to 1.9 dB/cm and 1.25 dB/cm at 50 GHz in the case of the ECPW and OCPW transmission lines, respectively. Also, the OCPW transmission line shows that the insertion loss does not vary with the change of the characteristic impedance. As shown in the measured and simulated results, the insertion loss is maintained below 1.4 dB/cm over wide impedance ranges.