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Type: 
Journal
Description: 
Contact resistance is the main parameter used for assessing the high cycling reliability of RF microelectromechanical (RF-MEMS) switches. In this paper the use of a modified contact material is tested and compared to pure gold in cycling experiments performed on a RF-MEMS switch in shunt capacitive configuration. The modified contact material is a gold-based multilayer with a thin layer of platinum sandwiched between two layers of gold. The experiment consists in comparing devices with the same layout but with different contact material. While the two types of switch start with similar RF performances, the device with the modified material shows a marked improvement in cycling reliability and a lower series resistance up to 106 cycles when compared to gold contact devices.
Publisher: 
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publication date: 
1 Sep 2017
Authors: 

Viviana Mulloni, Benno Margesin, Paola Farinelli, Romolo Marcelli, Andrea Lucibello, Giorgio De Angelis

Biblio References: 
Volume: 23 Pages: 3843-3850
Origin: 
Microsystem Technologies