Stable zipping RF MEMS varactors
Stable zipping RF MEMS varactors
Novel zipper varactors with the potential for achieving large tuning ranges have been fabricated and characterized. These varactors have a curved cantilever electrode that is actuated by a single pull-down electrode. The shape of the cantilever is designed such that its local stiffness is tailored to enable extended stable zipping. In a series-mounted varactor, the measured capacitance ratio was 16.5 for actuation voltages between 0 and 46 V. However, the presence of an unexpected tuning instability at 32 V bias limited the practical tuning range in this varactor. This behaviour was attributed to fabrication imperfections. The first electrical self-resonant frequency of the same varactor was extrapolated to be 72.6 and 17.2 GHz at 20 and 329 fF, respectively. In a different shunt-mounted varactor, the quality factor (Q) was measured to be 91 (60 fF) and 176 (600 fF) at 2 GHz. Including the anchor, the varactors have a small device footprint and fit within an area of 500 by 100 µm.
Pu, Suan-Hui
8b46b970-56fd-4a4e-8688-28668f648f43
Holmes, Andrew S.
be2dbd21-2b84-4fa6-b743-e3c23f9a6bdb
Yeatman, Eric M.
cfcf6b8a-a153-41a6-bdf4-dc5e5ff70b3b
Papavassiliou, Christos
86fe7042-20a3-47a9-9430-2bdb6c260303
Lucyszyn, Stepan
8a974e18-d356-484e-b0d0-a1728bb86704
2 March 2010
Pu, Suan-Hui
8b46b970-56fd-4a4e-8688-28668f648f43
Holmes, Andrew S.
be2dbd21-2b84-4fa6-b743-e3c23f9a6bdb
Yeatman, Eric M.
cfcf6b8a-a153-41a6-bdf4-dc5e5ff70b3b
Papavassiliou, Christos
86fe7042-20a3-47a9-9430-2bdb6c260303
Lucyszyn, Stepan
8a974e18-d356-484e-b0d0-a1728bb86704
Pu, Suan-Hui, Holmes, Andrew S., Yeatman, Eric M., Papavassiliou, Christos and Lucyszyn, Stepan
(2010)
Stable zipping RF MEMS varactors.
Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 20 (3), [035030].
(doi:10.1088/0960-1317/20/3/035030).
Abstract
Novel zipper varactors with the potential for achieving large tuning ranges have been fabricated and characterized. These varactors have a curved cantilever electrode that is actuated by a single pull-down electrode. The shape of the cantilever is designed such that its local stiffness is tailored to enable extended stable zipping. In a series-mounted varactor, the measured capacitance ratio was 16.5 for actuation voltages between 0 and 46 V. However, the presence of an unexpected tuning instability at 32 V bias limited the practical tuning range in this varactor. This behaviour was attributed to fabrication imperfections. The first electrical self-resonant frequency of the same varactor was extrapolated to be 72.6 and 17.2 GHz at 20 and 329 fF, respectively. In a different shunt-mounted varactor, the quality factor (Q) was measured to be 91 (60 fF) and 176 (600 fF) at 2 GHz. Including the anchor, the varactors have a small device footprint and fit within an area of 500 by 100 µm.
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Submitted date: 25 August 2009
Published date: 2 March 2010
Additional Information:
Funded by EPSRC: Integrated Functional Materials for System-in-Package Applications (EP/D064805/1)
Organisations:
Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology, Mechatronics, Engineering Science Unit
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 347517
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/347517
ISSN: 0960-1317
PURE UUID: c9258e6e-3029-4a2d-85b1-2543b2236aee
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Date deposited: 30 Jan 2013 12:22
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 04:02
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Contributors
Author:
Andrew S. Holmes
Author:
Eric M. Yeatman
Author:
Christos Papavassiliou
Author:
Stepan Lucyszyn
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