Long-term investigations of RF-MEMS switches on failure mechanisms induced by dielectric charging

We present an extensive study on dielectric charging effects, one of the major problems that limit the reliability of electrostatically actuated RF-MEMS switches and, thus, their way into a broad commercial application. For the first time, we are able to provide quantitative statements on the amount of charge injected into the dielectric layers. They result from monitoring the long-term evolution of the switching voltages of the device under test recorded by a novel, on-purpose developed measurement set-up, which enables temperature-dependent investigations. Furthermore, the origin of the parasitic charges, their impact on the switching operation and measures to remove them from the dielectric layers could be identified.