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(11) | EP 0 892 419 A3 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) switch |
| (57) An RF switch formed as a micro electro-mechanical switch (MEMS) which can be configured
in an array forming a micro electro-mechanical switch array (MEMSA). The MEMS is formed
on a substrate. A pin, pivotally carried by the substrate defines a pivot point. A
rigid beam or transmission line is generally centrally disposed on the pin forming
a teeter-totter configuration. The use of a rigid beam and the configuration eliminates
the torsional and bending forces of the beam which can reduce reliability. The switch
is adapted to be monolithically integrated with other monolithic microwave integrated
circuits (MMIC) for example from HBTs and HEMTs, by separating such MMICs from the
switch by way of a suitable polymer layer, such as polyimide, enabling the switch
to be monolithically integrated with other circuitry. In order to reduce insertion
losses, the beam is formed from all metal, which improves the sensitivity of the switch
and also allows the switch to be used in RF switching applications. By forming the
beam from all metal, the switch will have lower insertion loss than other switches
which use SiO2 or mix metal contacts. |