Development of a DC to K-band ultra long on-life RF MEMS switch with integrated driver circuitry

This paper describes the development of a DC (0Hz) to over 26GHz (K-Band), ultra-long on lifetime single pole dual throw (SPDT) micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switch with integrated driver circuitry. This paper reports for the first time a novel active (electrostatic) open design that guarantees a greater than 10 years continuously on lifetime (COL) at 85°C, as well as a minimum actuation lifetime of 1 billion cycles. The switch exhibits 1dB of insertion loss and 23dB of off isolation at 26GHz. The switch solution including the driver is packaged in a small 5mm × 4mm × 0.95mm 24-pin quad flat no leads (QFN) plastic package.