Ebrahim Abbaspour Sani

Low actuation voltage RF MEMS switch for WiMAX applications

This paper presents design, analysis, proposed fabrication process and simulation of a novel direct-contact (dc) RF-MEMS switch specified for WiMAX applications. The proposed MEMS switch will be used to switch the RF signal in the frequency range between 2GHz and 6GHz across a CPW transmission line. The switch has two large electrode plates to achieve low actuation voltage. The actuation voltage of the switch is 1.3V that make it compatible with CMOS circuits. The proposed structure provides excellent RF characteristics (Isolation −35dB at 10GHz and Insertion Loss −0.16dB at 10GHz). Considering the limitations of Urmia Micromachine Research Center, a verified fabrication process has been proposed.

Design and Simulation of RF-MEMS Tunable Capacitors Using Multiple Voltage Sources

A novel tunable RF-MEMS variable capacitor(varactor) is presented. The Flip -Flop structure of the design makes it possible to either increase or decrease the capacitance. Dimensions, sizes and the materials used in the device are chosen so that it can be manufactured in Urmia MEMS Lab. Silicon surface micromachining thechnology is used for the structure, which is CMOS compatible. Electrostatic actuation method is selected because of its low power consumption so it can be used in low-power wireless applications. The value of the capacitor is changed by varying the gap between the two plates. Tuning voltage is in the range of 0-2 volts. The capacitor has the initial value of 0.43pF, maximum value of 0.92pF and minimum value of 0.3pF. Actuation and varactor plates are separate from each other. The structure is simple and can be fabricated by employing only 3 masks.