A New Four States High Deflection Low Actuation Voltage Electrostatic Mems Switch for RF Applications

This paper presents a new electrostatic MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical System) based on a single high reliability totally free flexible membrane. Using four electrodes, this structure enables four states which allowed large deflections (4µm) with low actuation voltage (7,5V). This design presents also a good contact force and improve the restoring force of the structure. As an example of application, a Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) for 24GHz applications, based on this design, has been simulated

Integrated Magnetic MEMS Relays:Status of the Technology

The development and application of magnetic technologies employing microfabricated magnetic structures for the production of switching components has generated enormous interest in the scientific and industrial communities over the last decade. Magnetic actuation offers many benefits when compared to other schemes for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), including the generation of forces that have higher magnitude and longer range. Magnetic actuation can be achieved using different excitation sources, which create challenges related to the integration with other technologies, such as CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and the requirement to reduce power consumption. Novel designs and technologies are therefore sought to enable the use of magnetic switching architectures in integrated MEMS devices, without incurring excessive energy consumption. This article reviews the status of magnetic MEMS technology and presents devices recently developed by various research groups, with key focuses on integrability and effective power management, in addition to the ability to integrate the technology with other microelectronic fabrication processes

Development of a low actuation voltage electrostatic RF MEMS switch

The research focused on the design, fabrication and measurement of a low actuation voltage micro electro mechanical high frequency switch. The fabricated micro switch offers outstanding radio frequency parameters for a very large frequency band, with actuation voltage and switching time less than 20 volts and 3 micro seconds, respectively