Improved Loss Characteristic in 1-bit RF MEMS Switch owing to Lower Dielectric Constant

Lower return loss and isolation loss of 1-bit RF MEMS switch is analytically investigated for different dielectric materials over the L band to K band. Both unactuated as well as actuated conditions are taken care for simulation purpose, where overlap area is kept constant. Simulated findings reveal that both the losses are significantly reduced for lower dielectric constant material (SiO2) compared to higher permittivity (Si3N4) upto 30% which is an indirect estimation for measuring upstate and down-state capacitances. Results are also compared with existing data from published literature which speaks in favor of the present work for phase-shifter design.