Chae, Uikyu Yu, Hyun-Yong Lee, Changhyuk Cho, Il-Joo 2024-01-19T17:02:30Z 2024-01-19T17:02:30Z 2021-09-02 2020-08 0018-9480 https://pubs.kist.re.kr/handle/201004/118344 Radio frequency microelectro-mechanical system (RF MEMS) switches have received attention due to their higher performances at high frequencies compared with semiconductor-based switches. However, most of the previous MEMS switches used electrostatic actuation, which requires a high actuation voltage and has a low actuation force. Herein, we propose a new hybrid RF MEMS switch for low-voltage and low-power operation that is actuated by the combination of bidirectional thermal actuation and electrostatic holding. The proposed hybrid RF MEMS switch is actuated by the combination of two actuation mechanisms, i.e.: 1) bidirectional thermal actuation of the large force with low actuation voltage and 2) electrostatic holding for low-power consumption. The large actuation force enables high signal isolation at the "OFF" state of the switch because of the high initial gap between the signal line and the contact metal. Also, the bidirectional thermal actuator that enables upward actuation prevents any stiction of the membrane, which enhances both the power handling capability and the reliability of the actuator. In this work, we successfully fabricated the proposed RF MEMS switch and measured both its mechanical characteristics and RF characteristics. The required actuation voltage for the switch is less than 0.3 V fur thermal actuation, and the required voltage for electrostatic holding is 15.4 V. The power consumption was measured as 3.24 mu J per switching. Also, we measured the RF characteristics, and the insertion loss of signals was 0.23 dB at 2.4 GHz, and the isolation of signals was 38.80 dB at 2.4 GHz. English IEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC LOW-VOLTAGE DESIGN A Hybrid RF MEMS Switch Actuated by the Combination of Bidirectional Thermal Actuations and Electrostatic Holding Article 10.1109/TMTT.2020.3003553 1 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, v.68, no.8, pp.3461 - 3470 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES 68 8 3461 3470 scie scopus 000557366900025 2-s2.0-85088443378 Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Engineering Article LOW-VOLTAGE DESIGN Bidirectional actuation electrostatic holding low actuation voltage Radio frequency microelectro-mechanical system (RF MEMS) switch thermal actuation