Design and analysis of the micromechanical structure for an electromagnetic bistable RF MEMS switch

A radio-frequency micro-electro-mechanical systems (RF MEMS) switch with two stable states based on electromagnetic actuation is presented. The switch has two stable positions due to the use of the permanent magnets, which will lead to a low power consumption of the device. The micromechanical structure of the switch is designed and analyzed by means of mechanics and electromagnetism. The results show that the 13-μm displacement of the cantilever beam in the switch model with stiffening rib can be achieved with the force of 20μN on the beam, and the natural frequency of the switch is about 5600Hz. Electromagnetic analysis reveals that the driving force of 20μN can be obtained by magnetic interaction.