High capacitance ratio RF MEMS dielectric-less switched capacitor

This paper presents a novel RF-MEMS dielectric-less switched capacitor that exhibits a high capacitance ratio. The proposed design is based on a floating contact element concept that results in a reduced up state capacitance. The switched capacitor was fabricated on 200 mm silicon wafer with an industrial process developed for manufacturing robust and reliable packaged RF MEMS devices. RF Measurements up to 20 GHz were performed on the fabricated device, showing a capacitance ratio higher than 30:1 with a good quality factor over the operating frequency range. This RF MEMS switched capacitor is suitable for adaptive and reconfigurable RF circuits.