SU-8 serial MEMS switch for flexible RF applications

Chao, Tzu Yuan; Hsu, Meng‐Ting; Lin, Chih‐Peng; Cheng, Yu‐Ting

doi:10.1088/0960-1317/21/2/025010

Cited by 8 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…One of the most important devices being explored in radio frequency micro-electro-mechanical systems (RF MEMS) is the electro-mechanical switch. These switches must provide strong suppression of the transmission over multi-octave bandwidths, while also offering low actuation voltages such that systems of these switches could be effectively realized [17], [18]. Methods to reduce the actuation voltage of switching for RF transmission lines by using complementary metal oxide semiconductor MEMS (CMOS-MEMS) techniques have been widely explored, but these solutions must often compromise on the quality of the RF device in both switching states (on and off) in order to achieve low-voltage actuation [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elastomer-Based Pneumatic Switch for Radio Frequency Microdevices

Shah

Sriram

Bhaskaran

et al. 2012

J. Microelectromech. Syst.

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This article reports the realization and characterization of a pneumatic micro-switch integrated with a high frequency RF transmission line on an elastomer substrate. A process for the fabrication of low-loss RF coplanar transmission lines on flexible elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates was developed and devices realized using this process were used to determine the characteristics of PDMS as an RF substrate with uniform low-loss and low dielectric constant being measured. To demonstrate the capabilities of this elastomerbased RF platform, a micro-mechanical switch exploiting a pneumatic membrane valve was integrated with the PDMS RF transmission line. Repeatable switching was observed with greater than 20 dB suppression in the 'off' state and minimal degradation of the transmission line characteristics in the 'on' state being achieved over a multi-octave 2-20 GHz bandwidth. These valve-integrated transmission lines had insertion loss 0.16 dB mm -1 at 20 GHz. This proof-of-concept device represents a novel combination of the areas of micro-pneumatics, flexible electronics, and broadband microwave devices with excellent RF properties, low-interference, bias-free pneumatic switching and relatively simple fabrication.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elastomer-Based Pneumatic Switch for Radio Frequency Microdevices

Shah

Sriram

Bhaskaran

et al. 2012

J. Microelectromech. Syst.

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“…At present, some progress has been made in the research of various functional flexible RF MEMS, mainly in flexible RF MEMS switches [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 ], phase shifters [ 76 , 77 , 78 ], reconfigurable antennas [ 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 ] and phased array antennas [ 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 ] based on them, in MEMS resonators [ 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , …”

Section: Flexible Rf Mems With Different Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in Flexible RF MEMS

Shi

Shen

2022

Micromachines

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Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) that are based on flexible substrates are widely used in flexible, reconfigurable radio frequency (RF) systems, such as RF MEMS switches, phase shifters, reconfigurable antennas, phased array antennas and resonators, etc. When attempting to accommodate flexible deformation with the movable structures of MEMS, flexible RF MEMS are far more difficult to structurally design and fabricate than rigid MEMS devices or other types of flexible electronics. In this review, we survey flexible RF MEMS with different functions, their flexible film materials and their fabrication process technologies. In addition, a fabrication process for reconfigurable three-dimensional (3D) RF devices based on mechanically guided assembly is introduced. The review is very helpful to understand the overall advances in flexible RF MEMS, and serves the purpose of providing a reference source for innovative researchers working in this field.

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“…First, it is well-documented that SU-8 can be used to create master moulds for the manufacture of shaped PDMS parts [34]. Second, in terms of embedding the polymerized SU-8 in a final system, this can be achieved by using an integrated approach of separated materials [35][36][37] or a hybrid approach by combining them in a mixture prior to curing to provide an SU-8/PDMS material with tuneable physical properties depending on the specific mixing proportions [38].…”

Section: Choice Of Materials and Their Relevant Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metallized SU-8 thin film patterns on stretchable PDMS

Baëtens¹,

Pallecchi²,

Thomy³

et al. 2019

J. Micromech. Microeng.

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We show how a rigid patterned SU-8 thin film in tandem with the mechanical Poisson effect can be used beneficially to enable robust metallization on stretchable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).Two generic planar processes used to form a thin, mechanically-robust strain-shielding photoresist on a soft substrate are developed to demonstrate these ideas. The first process is a self-aligned metallization of photolithographically patterned SU-8 features on PDMS. The second process is a fully photolithographic lift-off metallization of pre-patterned SU-8 features on PDMS. In both cases, the SU-8 has a sub-micrometre thickness (~800 nm)-supporting a thermally evaporated Ti/Au (5 nm/50 nm) thin film metallization. The resulting samples were characterized electromechanically-the results demonstrate that the electrical continuity of metal lines (width = 150 µm and length up to 1 cm) is maintained up to ~70% strain between the lines. The electrical resistance of such lines remains relatively stable: 35 Ω at zero-strain and 63 Ω at 69% average interline strain. The electrical resistivity of the evaporated gold is near to that of pure gold, and remains so even at high strains (49 nΩ m at 10% and 70 nΩ m at 41%)this proves the absence strain-induced micro-cracking of the metal lines. Although a specific 2 evaporated metal combination is used here to demonstrate a working prototype system, in principle, any thin-film material, which can be deposited by microfabrication, e.g. insulators, semiconductors…, could be integrated into the generic processes. The basic lithographic processes expounded here are also potentially extendible to encompass the integration of other microfabrication techniques, e.g. soft lithography, contact printing…, enabling more complex flexible systems to be envisaged and realized.

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SU-8 serial MEMS switch for flexible RF applications

Cited by 8 publications

References 15 publications

Elastomer-Based Pneumatic Switch for Radio Frequency Microdevices

Elastomer-Based Pneumatic Switch for Radio Frequency Microdevices

Recent Advances in Flexible RF MEMS

Metallized SU-8 thin film patterns on stretchable PDMS

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