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Method of making an integrated electromechanical switch and tunable capacitor
| Details |
Inventors: Ozgur, Mehmet;
Assignee: Corporation for National Research Initiatives (Reston, VA)
Primary Examiner: Fourson; George
Assistant Examiner: Pham; Thanh V.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
A monolithically integrated, electromechanical microwave switch, capable of handling signals from DC to millimeter-wave frequencies, and an integrated electromechanical tunable capacitor are described. Both electromechanical devices include movable beams actuated either by thermo-mechanical or by electrostatic forces. The devices are fabricated directly on finished silicon-based integrated circuit wafers, such as CMOS, BiCMOS or bipolar wafers. The movable beams are formed by selectively removing the supporting silicon underneath the thin films available in a silicon-based integrated circuit technology, which incorporates at least one polysilicon layer and two metallization layers. A cavity and a thick, low-loss metallization are used to form an electrode above the movable beam. A thick mechanical support layer is formed on regions where the cavity is located, or substrate is bulk-micro-machined, i.e., etched. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is directed to a low-loss micro-electromechanical microwave switch and a micro-electromechanical tunable capacitor monolithically integrated with low-cost silicon-based integrated circuits.
The microwave switch of the present invention is capable of handling signals from DC to millimeter-wave frequencies.
Both the switch and tunable capacitor include movable beams actuated either by thermo-mechanical or electrostatic forces.
The movable beams are formed by selectively removing the supporting silicon underneath the thin films available in a silicon-based integrated circuit technology, which incorporates at least one polysilicon layer and two metallization layers.
A cavity and a thick, low-loss metallization layer are used to form an electrode above the movable beam.
A thick mechanical support layer is formed in regions where the cavity is located, or the substrate is bulk-micromachined (i.
e.
, etched).
The devices are fabricated directly on finished silicon-based integrated circuit wafers, such as CMOS, BiCMOS or bipolar wafers.
The present invention uses monolithic integration wherein the MEMS devices are connected to the integrated circuits necessary to control their operation, the integrated circuits being on the same substrate as the MEMS devices they control.
In the present invention, this processing is performed on non-active circuit areas, i.
e.
, where "passive" components, such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, interconnections, etc.
are located.
The functions and operation characteristics of active circuits do not change as a results of the process sequence of the present invention.
Reconfiguration capability is an advantage of the MEMS-IC integration of the present invention.
For example, a frequency selective filter based on MEMS devices, such as MEMS switches and MEMS tunable capacitors and/or inductors allows the switches to switch-in (or out) selected passive component(s) to the circuit configuration of the filter.
By switching in and out electrical components into the circuit configuration, the overall circuit can be changed
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MEMS 
