A reconfigurable impedance matching network entirely manufactured in RF-MEMS technology

In this work we present a reconfigurable impedance matching network for RF (Radio Frequency) applications, entirely manufactured in MEMS technology (RF-MEMS). The network features four impedance sections. The way they load the RF line (i.e. in series or shunt configuration) as well as the type of impedance they realize (purely capacitive, inductive, or both in parallel) are reconfigured by means of RF-MEMS cantilever-type ohmic switches. A few specimen of the network have been fabricated using the RF-MEMS technology platform available at FBK and experimentally characterized. In particular, the electromechanical characteristic of the RF-MEMS switches is observed, and the upward bending of the switches contact tips made the characterization of the RF behavior impossible. The non-planarity is due to the accumulation of residual stress within the suspended Gold layer during the release of suspended structures, and is currently being mitigated by performing a low-temperature release step. Electromagnetic simulations (S-parameters) of the RF-MEMS network are also reported in this paper, showing the wide range of impedance transformations enabled by such a complex device based on MEMS technology.