Novel Effa-Based Thin-Film RF-MEMS Technology

• Published in: TRANSDUCERS 2007 - 2007 International Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Conference pp. 145 - 148
• Main Authors: Rottenberg, X., Ekkels, P., Brebels, S., Webers, T., Czarnecki, P., Mertens, R.P., Nauwelaers, B., Puers, R., Marchand, L., De Wolf, I., De Raedt, W., Tilmans, H.A.C.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01-06-2007
• Subjects: actuator; Atmosphere; Capacitance; Capacitance-voltage characteristics; electrostatic; Electrostatic actuators; Insulation; MEMS; Metallization; Phase shifters; Radiofrequency microelectromechanical systems; Substrates; thin-film; Transistors
• ISBN: 9781424408412; 1424408415
• ISSN: 2159-547X
• DOI: 10.1109/SENSOR.2007.4300092

This paper presents applications of a novel electrostatic actuator using fringing fields as actuation mechanism, i.e. Electrostatic Fringing-Field Actuator or EFFA. The novel device is produced on an insulating substrate in a simple 2-mask process involving only one sacrificial layer and one metallisation. For the basic device, we report a non-deembedded capacitance ratio of 1:3 and a lifetime better than 10 7 cycles with 40 V bipolar actuation at 100 Hz in N 2 atmosphere. The capacitance ratio and the C-V profile are tuned by modifying the technology and the design of the EFFA's. We present a complete RF-MEMS technology using the EFFA's as single actuators. We report for the first time on EFFA-based RF-circuits, e.g. phase shifter, as well as on tuneable parallel-plate capacitors and switches actuated by EFFA's as relays, key elements to solve the problems of bias distributions throughout complex circuits.