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Electromagnetic and small-signal modeling of an encapsulated RF-MEMS switch for D-band applications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2017

Selin Tolunay Wipf ,
Alexander Göritz ,
Matthias Wietstruck ,
Christian Wipf ,
Bernd Tillack ,
Andreas Mai  and
Mehmet Kaynak
Selin Tolunay Wipf*
Affiliation:
IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
Alexander Göritz
Affiliation:
IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
Matthias Wietstruck
Affiliation:
IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
Christian Wipf
Affiliation:
IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
Bernd Tillack
Affiliation:
IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany Technische Universität Berlin, HFT4, Einsteinufer 25, 10587, Berlin, Germany
Andreas Mai
Affiliation:
IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
Mehmet Kaynak
Affiliation:
IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany Sabanci University, Orta Mahalle, Tuzla 34956, İstanbul, Turkey
*
Corresponding author: S. Tolunay Wipf Email: tolunay@ihp-microelectronics.com
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Abstract

In this work, an electromagnetic (EM) model and a small-signal (lumped-element) model of a wafer-level encapsulated (WLE) radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF-MEMS) switch is presented. The EM model of the WLE RF-MEMS switch is developed to estimate its RF performance. After the fabrication of the switch, the EM model is used to get accurate S-parameter simulation results. Alternative to the EM model, a small-signal model of the fabricated WLE RF-MEMS switch is developed. The developed model is integrated into a 0.13 µm SiGe BiCMOS process technology design kit for fast simulations and to predict the RF performance of the switch from a pure electrical point of view. The 0.13 µm SiGe BiCMOS embedded WLE RF-MEMS shows beyond state-of-the-art measured RF performances in D-band (110–170 GHz) and provides a high capacitance Con/Coff ratio of 11.1. The results of the both EM model and small-signal model of the switch are in very good agreement with the S-parameter measurements in D-band. The measured maximum isolation of the WLE RF-MEMS switch is 51.6 dB at 142.8 GHz with an insertion loss of 0.65 dB.

Keywords

BiCMOSmm-wavewide bandRF-MEMSSPSTencapsulationmonolithic integrationpackagingmodeling
Type
Research Papers
Information
International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies , Volume 9 , Special Issue 6: EuMW 2016 Special Issue , July 2017 , pp. 1271 - 1278
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the European Microwave Association 2017 

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References

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