RF-MEMS Tunable Capacitor With 3 V Operation Using Folded Beam Piezoelectric Bimorph Actuator

Author

Kawakubo, Takashi ; Nagano, Toshihiko ; Nishigaki, Michihiko ; Abe, Kazuhide ; Itaya, Kazuhiko

Author_Institution

Toshiba Res. Consulting Corp., Kawasaki

Volume

15

Issue

6

fYear

2006

Firstpage

1759

Lastpage

1765

Abstract

Tunable capacitors with high tuning range and high Q-factors are indispensable for realizing reconfigurable radio-frequency (RF) circuits for multiband/multimode next-generation mobile wireless communication terminals. A novel RF microelectromechanical systems tunable capacitor having a piezoelectric bimorph actuator has been developed using a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor compatible surface micromachining process. Folded beam piezoelectric actuators were introduced to cancel curling of the actuator beam due to residual stress. The continuous wide tuning ratio of three was realized at an operation voltage of less than 3 V for the first time

Keywords

CMOS integrated circuits; Q-factor; capacitors; micromachining; micromechanical devices; mobile communication; piezoelectric actuators; 3 V; Q-factors; RF-MEMS; complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor; folded beam piezoelectric bimorph actuator; microelectromechanical systems; mobile wireless communication; piezoelectric devices; radio communication; reconfigurable radio-frequency circuits; surface micromachining process; tunable capacitor; Capacitors; Circuit optimization; Micromachining; Piezoelectric actuators; Q factor; Radio frequency; Radiofrequency microelectromechanical systems; Residual stresses; Tunable circuits and devices; Wireless communication; Actuators; capacitors; piezoelectric devices; radio communication;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Microelectromechanical Systems, Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1057-7157

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JMEMS.2006.885985

Filename

4020273