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MEMS reconfigurable millimeter-wave surface for V-band rectangular-waveguide switch

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2013

Zargham Baghchehsaraei ,
Umer Shah ,
Jan Åberg ,
Göran Stemme  and
Joachim Oberhammer
Zargham Baghchehsaraei*
Affiliation:
Micro and Nanosystems, School of Electrical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
Umer Shah
Affiliation:
Micro and Nanosystems, School of Electrical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
Jan Åberg
Affiliation:
MicroComp Nordic, Friparksvägen 3, 146 38 Tullinge, Sweden
Göran Stemme
Affiliation:
Micro and Nanosystems, School of Electrical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
Joachim Oberhammer
Affiliation:
Micro and Nanosystems, School of Electrical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
*
Corresponding author: Z. Baghchehsaraei Email: zargham@kth.se
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Abstract

This paper presents for the first time a novel concept of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) waveguide switch based on a reconfigurable surface, whose working principle is to block the wave propagation by short-circuiting the electrical field lines of the TE10 mode of a WR-12 rectangular waveguide. The reconfigurable surface is only 30 µm thick and consists of up to 1260 micromachined cantilevers and 660 contact points in the waveguide cross-section, which are moved simultaneously by integrated MEMS comb-drive actuators. Measurements of fabricated prototypes show that the devices are blocking wave propagation in the OFF-state with over 30 dB isolation for all designs, and allow for transmission of less than 0.65 dB insertion loss for the best design in the ON-state for 60–70 GHz. Furthermore, the paper investigates the integration of such microchips into WR-12 waveguides, which is facilitated by tailor-made waveguide flanges and compliant, conductive-polymer interposer sheets. It is demonstrated by reference measurements where the measured insertion loss of the switches is mainly attributed to the chip-to-waveguide assembly. For the first prototypes of this novel MEMS microwave device concept, the comb-drive actuators did not function properly due to poor fabrication yield. Therefore, for measuring the OFF-state, the devices were fixated mechanically.

Keywords

RF-MEMS and MOEMSPassive components and circuits
Type
Research Papers
Information
International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies , Volume 5 , Special Issue 3: European Microwave Week 2012 , June 2013 , pp. 341 - 349
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the European Microwave Association 2013 

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