Electro-thermo-mechanical analysis of a BiCMOS embedded RF-MEMS switch for temperatures from −55°C to + 125°C

Abstract

The influence of temperature on electrical, mechanical and RF-performance of a BiCMOS embedded RF-MEMS switch has been demonstrated. Instead of exclusively estimating the temperature-dependent RF-MEMS switch key performance parameters, understanding the temperature influence on the mechanics together with the related electrical and RF-performance is preferred. A detailed thermo-mechanical analysis of the suspended membrane shows that the membrane shape and contact formation is strongly affected by temperature variations. It explains the significant influence of temperature on the pull-in voltage and on-state capacitance showing that a thermo-mechanical analysis is absolutely mandatory for an efficient process and design optimization to increase the temperature robustness.