Proceedings ArticleDOI
A micro variable inductor chip using MEMS relays
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TLDR
In this paper, an adjustable inductor which is digitally controlled by microrelays has been made using combined surface and bulk micromachining technology using a TaSi/sub 2/SiO/Sub 2/ bimorph cantilever beam, a gold-to-gold electrical contact, aluminum as sacrificial layer, and a combined electrostatic and thermal actuation mechanism.Abstract:
An adjustable inductor which is digitally controlled by microrelays has been made using combined surface and bulk micromachining technology. The microrelays were fabricated using a TaSi/sub 2//SiO/sub 2/ bimorph cantilever beam, a gold-to-gold electrical contact, aluminum as sacrificial layer, and a combined electrostatic and thermal actuation mechanism. The silicon substrate underneath the inductor region was etched out to reduce the substrate eddy current loss. Sixteen different inductance values ranging from 2.5 nH to 324.8 nH were obtained using four microrelays. The minimum self-resonant frequency is 1.9 GHz. The lowest measured thermal power and electrostatic voltage for the combined actuation of microrelays are 8.0 mW and 20 V, respectively. The measured contact resistance is typically 0.6 to 0.8 ohms.read more
Citations
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Micromachined low-loss microwave switches
TL;DR: In this paper, the design and fabrication of a micromechanical capacitive membrane microwave switching device is described, which consists of a thin metallic membrane, which has two states, actuated or unactuated, depending on the applied bias.
MonographDOI
RF MEMS and their applications
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an integration and packaging for RF MEMS devices, including inductors and capacitors, phase shifters, and relay switches. But they do not discuss how to construct them.
Journal ArticleDOI
Contact physics of gold microcontacts for MEMS switches
D. Hyman,M. Mehregany +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a tribological study of gold metallic contacts regarding contact resistance, heat dissipation, and surface damage in the normal-force regime of tens to hundreds of /spl mu/N, which is typical of the contact forces from microactuation.
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Microactuators and their technologies
Ernst Thielicke,Ernst Obermeier +1 more
TL;DR: An overview of microactuators, focussing on devices made by microfabrication technologies which are based on silicon processes like photolithography, etching, thin film deposition etc, which are promising devices for future medical, biological and technical applications like minimal invasive surgery or the vast field of information storage and distribution.
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Lateral MEMS microcontact considerations
TL;DR: In this article, a lateral switching relay structure has been developed which provides a double gold contact with as low as 70m/spl Omega/ measured contact resistance, 0.45-A current carrying ability at MEMS compatible force levels, TTL compatible actuation, and air gap isolation when open.
References
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Design of Planar Rectangular Microelectronic Inductors
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors derived inductance equations for planar thin- or thick-film coils, comparing equations that include negative mutual inductance with those that do not, and presented a computer program developed for calculating inductances for both square and rectangular geometries, the variables considered being track width, space between tracks, and number of turns.
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Large suspended inductors on silicon and their use in a 2- mu m CMOS RF amplifier
TL;DR: In this paper, large spiral inductors encased in oxide over silicon are shown to operate beyond the UHF band when the capacitance and loss resistance are greatly reduced by selective removal of the underlying substrate.
Proceedings ArticleDOI
A Surface Micromachined Miniature Switch For Telecommunications Applications With Signal Frequencies From DC Up To 4 Ghz
J.J. Yao,M.F. Chang +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a surface micromachined miniature switch has been made on a semi-insulating GaAs substrate using a suspended silicon dioxide micro-beam as the cantilevered arm, a platinum-to-gold electrical contact, and electrostatic actuation as the switching mechanism.
Journal ArticleDOI
Microwave inductors and capacitors in standard multilevel interconnect silicon technology
TL;DR: Spiral inductors and metal-to-metal capacitors for microwave applications, which are integrated on a silicon substrate by using standard 0.8 /spl mu/m BiCMOS technology, are described in this paper.
Journal ArticleDOI
Fully integrated magnetically actuated micromachined relays
TL;DR: In this paper, a fully integrated magnetically actuated micromachined relay has been successfully fabricated and tested, which can make and break 1.2 A of current through the relay contacts when the relay is electromagnetically switched.
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