High isolation single-pole four-throw RF MEMS switch based on series-shunt configuration

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Microsystems Engineering

Background:

• Radio Frequency Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (RF-MEMS) switches are crucial for modern wireless communication.
• Existing designs often face trade-offs between insertion loss, isolation, and size.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel single-pole four-throw (SP4T) RF-MEMS switch design.
• To optimize performance metrics such as insertion loss and isolation for X-band frequencies.

Main Methods:

• The design integrates both capacitive (shunt) and ohmic (series) switches on a high-resistivity silicon substrate.
• Key parameters like pull-in voltage and RF performance were calculated and simulated.

Main Results:

• The proposed SP4T switch occupies a compact area of 1.06 mm(2).
• Achieved excellent RF performance with isolation exceeding 70.64 dB and insertion loss below 0.72 dB in the X-band.
• Calculated pull-in voltage for ohmic switches is 7.19 V.

Conclusions:

• The novel hybrid RF-MEMS switch design offers a promising solution for high-performance X-band applications.
• The integration of capacitive and ohmic switches effectively balances insertion loss and isolation requirements.