Hot-Switching Test of Non-Contact Type MEMS Switch

This paper presents the performance and power handling properties of a capacitive MEMS switch. The switch is a completely non-contact-type switch built with several capacitors that contain air gaps, and free from contact failures that frequently occur in contact-type switches. The switch was designed for 24 GHz automotive radar applications, and the average RF performance of the fabricated switches includes insertion loss of 0.5 dB and isolation of 20 dB at 24 GHz. The lifetime, power-handling properties, and linearity are examined in a hot-switching mode. After 10⁹ continuous cycles in a hot-switching mode with 18 mW RF input power, mechanical failures or RF performance degradation were not detected. Power handling capacity of 0.9 W under hot-switching condition was achieved.