Silicon carbide for RF MEMS

Silicon carbide (SiC) is an excellent candidate for use in next generation RF MEMS devices such as microfabricated switches, micromechanical resonators, and filters. SiC is characterized by a wide bandgap, high acoustic velocity, high thermal conductivity, high electrical breakdown strength, and low chemical reactivity. These material properties lead to potential improvements in operating frequency, power handling capability, and reliability for such devices relative to their silicon counterparts. Furthermore, film deposition and micromachining techniques for SiC have been developed which leverage established tools and processes found in silicon-based microfabrication facilities, thereby demonstrating SiC as a commercially viable microsystem material. This paper presents recent performance results from SiC-based RF MEMS components.