Title :
MEMS-based tunable meander inductor
Author :
Khan, F. ; Zhu, Y. ; Lu, J. ; Pal, J.
Author_Institution :
Queensland Micro-&-Nanotechnol. Centre (QMNC), Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Abstract :
A novel MEMS-based tunable meander inductor is reported. The inductor is fabricated using a single metal layer in a low-cost commercially available Metal-MUMPs™ process. The mutual inductance of the meander inductor is tuned by changing the gaps between the meander turns using a chevron-type thermal actuator. An air trench underneath the inductor has been made to reduce the loss in the silicon substrate and improve quality factor (Q-factor). Tuning range of ~50.8% and maximum Q-factor of 8.17 have been achieved at 5.79 GHz by stretching the meander inductor for 22 μm. The total footprint of the device is 0.58 mm2.
Keywords :
Q-factor; actuators; inductors; micromechanical devices; Chevron-type thermal actuator; MEMS-based tunable meander inductor; Q-factor; air trench; frequency 5.79 GHz; low-cost commercially available Metal-MUMPs process; mutual inductance; quality factor; silicon substrate loss; single metal layer;
Journal_Title :
Electronics Letters
DOI :
10.1049/el.2015.2495
