Design and Analysis of a Capacitive In-Plane RF MEMS Switch for 5G Applications

Abstract

In the past years, RF MEMS devices have proven to be a vital part in development of complex essential devices which include consumer applications, wireless applications, industrial applications, and medical applications just to name a few. 5G is the key to the future. From communication applications to smart home solutions, 5G unlocks it all. We want to develop a switch for extremely high frequency band particularly focusing on 5G band and its applications. This work targets the design of an in-plane capacitive switch that is compatible with 5G for applications in the EHF frequency band. The previous designs focus on shunt switches. Analyzing the complete working of the switch is also a focus in this research. The dual and quad mode of the switch presented provide ample payload distribution for satellite systems. A displacement actuation mechanism has been employed in the switch design to enhance displacement provided by electrothermal actuators which improves the performance of the switch. The performance of the switch is analyzed by performing electrothermal, structural and electromagnetic analysis on the switch such that all the parameters are optimized for close to ideal RF characteristics. The results are benchmarked against published data and show improvements made in the design