Power Handling Capability Enhanced RF MEMS Switch Using Modified-Width Cantilevers Structure

A power handling capability enhanced radio frequency micro-electro-mechanical system (RF MEMS) switch using modified-width cantilevers structure is presented. Among the cantilevers of the switch, the inner cantilevers width is larger than the outer one, which results in different forces and resistances on different contacts when they are actuated. The proposed design can suppress the skin-effect-led uneven current distribution between the inner and outer contacts, which is beneficial to enhance the power handling capability. A thermo-electro-mechanical model is built on the basis of finite element analysis (FEA) to analyse the devices. The simulations indicate the effects of the design. The switch is fabricated and tested. The results demonstrate that the proposed structure can bear 2 W RF continuous wave (10GHz) for 2 hours under prolonged ON-state condition, which is higher than the switch with equi-width cantilever structure.