Choi K.H., Lee J.B., Goldsmith C.L.
The University of Texas at Dallas, US
Keywords: constant charge, integrated circuit, reliability, RF-MEMS, simulation, switch
This paper provides simulation results for a constant-charge biasing IC for capacitive RF MEMS switches to drastically improve reliability. It is well known that there are some forefront issues for RF MEMS switches to be a commercially viable technology, such as reliability and packaging. To increase the reliability of capacitive RF MEMS switch significantly, we previously suggested constant-charge(CC) biasing. This paper is an extension our previous work toward the integration of the constant-charge biasing circuit in monolithic integrated circuits using conventional MOS foundry service. We suggest the basic mechanism realizing CC method by the circuit which operates to charge, float, and discharge the switch membrane as a capacitance load. Simulation results show that the charging can be done in a mere 500 ns and the rest of the switching cycle can be maintained with a voltage of 500 mV. The result implies that the lifetime of the switch can be substantially increased by several orders of magnitude compared to a conventional CV biasing scheme
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 3, Nanotechnology 2008: Microsystems, Photonics, Sensors, Fluidics, Modeling, and Simulation – Technical Proceedings of the 2008 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 3
Published: June 1, 2008
Pages: 635 - 638
Industry sectors: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | Sensors, MEMS, Electronics
Topic: Informatics, Modeling & Simulation
ISBN: 978-1-4200-8505-1