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High-Power and High-Frequency RF MEMS and Their Applications
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High-Power and High-Frequency RF MEMS and Their Applications

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2024) | Viewed by 9951

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Loukas Michalas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology—Hellas, Heraklion, GR-70013 Crete, Greece
Interests: RF MEMS; memristors; semiconductor devices; microwave microscopy; science outreach
Prof. Dr. George Papaioannou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Condensed Matter Physics Section, Physics Department, University of Athens, 157 72 Athens, Greece
Interests: si-based and iii-v semiconductor devices; mems reliability; dielectric charging; dielectrics, dielectric charging; MEMS

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Radio-frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) were introduced more than two decades ago and immediately attracted significant attention across the RF community. Indeed, RF MEMS offer a unique set of features that, apart from the exceptional RF performance, also includes very low power consumption and manufacturability atop of various substates compatible with low-temperature restrictions. It is true that throughout these years, RF MEMS has also faced some periods of skepticism. Nevertheless, even during these periods, their potential on a variety of application has remained undoubtable. Nowadays, as result of the gained experience, it appears that RF MEMS are re-attracting the attention of both the scientific community and the relevant stakeholders. Current topics of major interest include RF application operating under high RF-power levels and/or at higher micro/millimeter wave frequencies. Both these features are at the forefront of the developments towards next-generation radio-based communications.

With the vision to reinforce the spread of the new knowledge, this Special Issue aims to cover the full pallet of approaches and welcomes the submission of reviews, short notes, and regular research papers of any discipline within these two interdisciplinary and emerging domains. This includes both theoretical and experimental efforts ranging from device level up to fundamental circuits and full systems, involving aspects related to the design, technology, physics, reliability, and the corresponding high-level applications such as on radars, next-generation communications systems, sensors or any similar RF-MEMS-enabled implementation. 

Dr. Loukas Michalas
Prof. Dr. George Papaioannou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2292 KiB  
Article
An Experimental Study of the Pull-In Voltage in RF MEMS Switches Fabricated by Au Electroplating and Standard Wet Release: Considering the Bridge Geometry
by Loukas Michalas, George Stavrinidis, Katerina Tsagaraki, Antonis Stavrinidis and George Konstantinidis
Sensors 2025, 25(6), 1877; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25061877 - 18 Mar 2025
Viewed by 2218
Abstract
Radio Frequency Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (RF MEMS) are devices showing exceptional potential to satisfy the demands of emerging RF electronic technologies, including those considered for high-power applications, such as for long distance communication systems. Operation in this regime requires an alternative way [...] Read more.
Radio Frequency Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (RF MEMS) are devices showing exceptional potential to satisfy the demands of emerging RF electronic technologies, including those considered for high-power applications, such as for long distance communication systems. Operation in this regime requires an alternative way of thinking for these devices and, for example, a more accurate control of the pull-in voltage is of major importance due to the self-actuation effect. Therefore, the studies focusing on the features of the moving bridges are of great importance. This work presents the fabrication of a full family of RF MEMS switches suitable for high-power implementations having bridges deposited by Au electroplating and released using purely standard wet processes, as well as a carefully designed experimental study of their pull-in voltage. Depositing the bridge of the high-power RF MEMS by using only a single electroplating step makes the device fabrication easier, whilst the utilization of a purely wet release process is an asset. This method relies on low temperature processes, applicable simultaneously in bridges with various geometrical and perforation details without the need of any specialised infrastructure. The experimentally obtained results suggest that for this technology the bridge thickness is a critical factor for controlling the pull-in characteristics between devices fabricated in the same run. Moreover, it is revealed that for thicker bridges, geometry and hole perforation effects are more pronounced. This technology is therefore suitable for developing RF MEMS where the bridge thickness could be potentially utilized for enabling optimization engineering between devices that should be fabricated in the same run but need to satisfy diverse specifications during their operation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Power and High-Frequency RF MEMS and Their Applications)
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28 pages, 15795 KiB  
Article
Modelling, Validation and Experimental Analysis of Diverse RF-MEMS Ohmic Switch Designs in View of Beyond-5G, 6G and Future Networks—Part 1
by Jacopo Iannacci
Sensors 2023, 23(7), 3380; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23073380 - 23 Mar 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2754
Abstract
The emerging paradigms of Beyond-5G (B5G), 6G and Future Networks (FN), will capsize the current design strategies, leveraging new technologies and unprecedented solutions. Focusing on the telecom segment and on low-complexity Hardware (HW) components, this contribution identifies RF-MEMS, i.e., Radio Frequency (RF) passives [...] Read more.
The emerging paradigms of Beyond-5G (B5G), 6G and Future Networks (FN), will capsize the current design strategies, leveraging new technologies and unprecedented solutions. Focusing on the telecom segment and on low-complexity Hardware (HW) components, this contribution identifies RF-MEMS, i.e., Radio Frequency (RF) passives in Microsystem (MEMS) technology, as a key-enabler of 6G/FN. This work introduces four design concepts of RF-MEMS series ohmic switches realized in a surface micromachining process. S-parameters (Scattering parameters) are measured and simulated with a Finite Element Method (FEM) tool, in the frequency range from 100 MHz to 110 GHz. Based on such a set of data, three main aspects are covered. First, validation of the FEM-based modelling methodology is carried out. Then, pros and cons in terms of RF characteristics for each design concept are identified and discussed, in view of B5G, 6G and FN applications. Moreover, ad hoc metrics are introduced to better quantify the S-parameters predictive errors of simulated vs. measured data. In particular, the latter items will be further exploited in the second part of this work (to be submitted later), in which a discussion around compact modelling techniques applied to RF-MEMS switching concepts will also be included. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Power and High-Frequency RF MEMS and Their Applications)
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Graphical abstract

20 pages, 10392 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Robustness of a Bridge-Type Rf-Mems Switch for Enabling Applications in 5G and 6G Communications
by Jasmina Casals-Terré, Lluís Pradell, Julio César Heredia, Flavio Giacomozzi, Jacopo Iannacci, Adrián Contreras and Miquel Ribó
Sensors 2022, 22(22), 8893; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22228893 - 17 Nov 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3432
Abstract
In this paper, new suspended-membrane double-ohmic-contact RF-MEMS switch configurations are proposed. Double-diagonal (DDG) beam suspensions, with either two or three anchoring points, are designed and optimized to minimize membrane deformation due to residual fabrication stresses, thus exhibiting smaller mechanical deformation and a higher [...] Read more.
In this paper, new suspended-membrane double-ohmic-contact RF-MEMS switch configurations are proposed. Double-diagonal (DDG) beam suspensions, with either two or three anchoring points, are designed and optimized to minimize membrane deformation due to residual fabrication stresses, thus exhibiting smaller mechanical deformation and a higher stiffness with more release force than previously designed single diagonal beam suspensions. The two-anchor DDGs are designed in two different orientations, in-line and 90°-rotated. The membrane may include a window to minimize the coupling to the lower electrode. The devices are integrated in a coplanar-waveguide transmission structure and fabricated using an eight-mask surface-micro-machining process on high-resistivity silicon, with dielectric-free actuation electrodes, and including glass protective caps. The RF-MEMS switch behavior is assessed from measurements of the device S parameters in ON and OFF states. The fabricated devices feature a measured pull-in voltage of 76.5 V/60 V for the windowed/not-windowed two-anchor DDG membranes, and 54 V/49.5 V for the windowed/not-windowed three-anchor DDG membranes, with a good agreement with mechanical 3D simulations. The measured ON-state insertion loss is better than 0.7 dB/0.8 dB and the isolation in the OFF state is better than 40 dB/31 dB up to 20 GHz for the in-line/90°-rotated devices, also in good agreement with 2.5D electromagnetic simulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Power and High-Frequency RF MEMS and Their Applications)
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