ICSE 2004 Proc.

2004, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Design and Simulation of Simple and Varying Section

Cantilever and Fixed-Fixed End Types MEMS Switches
Saeid Afrang
Electrical Engineering Department
Urmia University
Urmia, Iran
Email: s.afrang(&,mail.urmia.ac.ir
Ghader Rezazadeh
Mechanical Engineering Department
Khoy Azad University
Khoy, Iran
Email: g.rezazadeh(&imail.urmia.acir

Abstract -This paper reports on the design and
simulation of simple and varying section
cantilever and fixed-fixed end types MEMS
switches. First the electromechanical design
and simulation of simple cantilever and fixed-
fixed ends type MEMS switches is presented,
and the effect of electrostatic area and its
location on the switching voltage is
investigated. Then the governing equations for
spring-constant of varying section cantilever
and fixed-fixed end types MEMS switches is
derived by energy method and Euler-
Bernoulli theory. The switching voltage of
mentioned constructions for MEMS switches
is determined by design and simulation
methods and the results of these methods are
compared.
I.INTRODUCTION
The use of electrostatic MEMS switches is
attractive because of some advantages such as
very low power consumption and high isolation.
However, MEMS switches have their share of
problems, such as high driving voltage, relatively
low speed and low power handling. In recent
years, many efforts have been done to solve these
problems. The researchers have used three
methods to decrease the actuation voltage [1-8].
One of them is decreasing the air gap between
the fixed plate and the beam. Another method is
increasing the electrostatic area [2], and the third
one is decreasing the spring constant of the
beams [3-8]. Many efforts have been done to
decrease the spring constant of beans. The
majority of efforts have been focused on using of
various hinges in beams and varying section type
beams.
II.CANTILEVER TYPE MEMS SWITCHES
By assuming no residual stress, the spring
constant K of the simple cantilever beam can be
given by:
Ewt3
(1)
4L3
Where E is the Young's modulus of the beam
material, t is the beam thickness, W is the beam
width, and L is the beam length and the
concentrative force is applied on the free end of
the beam. The electrostatic force in the MEMS
switches is not concentrated at the free end of the
beam. It is distributed over the beam length. The
equation (1) is not an exact equation due to
distributed force in the MEMS switches but the
effective spring constant K of the simple
cantilever beam type MEMS switches can be
approximated by (1).The results of the simulation
and the calculation of some cantilever type
MEMS switches with varying section are
indicated in Table 2. All structures are simulated
using ANSYS 7 software. Materials and
geometrical parameters for all examples in this
paper are indicated in Table 1. Table 2 shows
that for a given electrostatic area by choosing the
proper electrostatic area location at the free end
of the beam, the difference between the results of
the calculation and simulation methods will be
decreased. Also for an electrostatic area which
has smaller dimensions, this difference will be
decreased.

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 ICSE 2004 Proc. 2004, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Table I The schematic diagram of the varying section

Material and Geometrical parameters cantilever beam type MEMS switch is shown in
(Sizes are in micrometer) Fig. 1.
1. Simple cantilever beam
2. Varying section type cantilever beam
3. Simple Fixed-Fixed end beam
It
ANSYS
a lamelm W41

4. Varying section Fixed-Fixed end type beam TYPE NMD

04 14.4t

Parameter Value
Young's modulus EAI, 76.52 (GPa) ;A,
,n
Poisson's ratio vA,1 0.41 li
Density 19300 (Kg/m)3
Permittivity of air 8.854x 10-42 (F/m)
Er 7.6
Thickness of the 0.1 gim
dielectric layer
Thickness of the beam 1.5 gm
Initial gap 1.5 gm
Length of the beam1 2 120 gm
Width of the 15 jim L
beam(WI)2
Width of the 30 jm
beam(W2) 2 Fig.l The schematic diagram of the cantilever type
Length of the beam3' 4 300 jim MEMS switches with varying section.
Width of the 30 jim
beam(W,)4
Width of the 90 jm By assuming no residual stress and using
beam(W2)3,4 Euler-Bernoulli theory the spring constant K of
Lever(a)4 100 jim the varying section cantilever beam can be
expressed as:

Table 2 K= - 3 (2)
The results of the Calculation and simulation methods ({(3L2a-3LI +ac?)+3 L3)
of a simple cantilever type MEMS switches with
different Electrostatic area and its location. Whereas:
a. the electrostatic area is at the free end of the beam
b. the electrostatic area is moved 2O0,m to the fixed-
fixed end of the beam 1
1E
I EI2
Electrostatic
area (jim)2 W2t3
Vth
20*30 30*30 30*45 I
1 12I
12
12
2=2 12
Calculation (a) 14.5 11.85 9.67
Vth The results of the simulation and calculation
Simulation a 17.1 14.8 13.35 methods of some cantilever type MEMS
Vth switches with varying section are showed in
Simulation (b) 22.4 20 18.2 Table 3. As shown in Table 3, the difference
Error (a) 18% 25% 38% between the results of the calculation and
Error (b) 55% 68% 88% simulation methods depends on the magnitude of
the electrostatic area. Therefore, by assuming no
residual stress and using Euler-Bernoulli theory
the spring constant K of the cantilever type
MEMS switches with varying section can be
obtained by equation (2).

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 ICSE 2004 Proc. 2004, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Table 3
The results of the calculation and simulation methods 0OL ANS7YS
of varying section cantilever type MEMS switches 1M11 lUG 29 2004
with different Electrostatic area. 22:34:53

Electrostatic
area (jim)2 30*20 30*30 30*45
Varying secbon beam
Vth w

Calculation 10.26 8.47 7 b_ %_ !+Wtfl

results
Vth
Simulation 12.4 10.6 9.5
results II_
Error 20% 25% 35%/
L
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

III. FIXED-FIXED END TYPE MEMS SWITCH

By assuming no residual stress the spring

constant K of a simple fixed-fixed end beam can
be written by:
Fig.2 The schematic diagram of the fixed-fixed end
K16Ewt3
type MEMS switch with varying section.
K= (3)
Fig. 3 shows the displacement of the fixed-
where, the concentrative force is applied on the fixed end beam with varying section. Material
middle of the beam. For an electrostatic force and geometrical parameters for the structure are
distributed over the center third of the bridge indicated in Table 1.
length, the spring constant K of a simple fixed-
fixed end type MEMS switch can be given by NODAL SOLUTION ANSYS
equation (3). STEP-1
SUB '1
SEP 29 2004
13:22:32
The schematic diagram of the varying section TIKE,l
UZ (AVG)
fixed-fixed end type MEMS switch is shown in RSYS0o
DNX .130E-05
Fig. 2.By assuming no residual stress and using S1W -.130E-05

=5L7~~~~~~~~m
SMX .311E-12
the Euler-Bernoulli theory, the spring constant K
of the fixed-fixed end beam with varying section
will be:
Kf ~ 6

f (1 2y2a+a3 -64P a2)+q(l2fp2 b+b3 -6yp b2)

(4)
Whereas:
+ b2;
a2 130E-105 .101E-05s -.724E-6.579E-06
-..43sE-b6 -. lqSE-b6
L -
-
-
116E-05 -.869E-06 - 290E-06
-. .311E-1
b=- ,p
2 4(a + b ;)
Fig. 3 The displacement of the beam
1 1

77= EI EI2 The results of the simulation and calculation

methods of the Fixed-Fixed end type MEMS
Wit3 W2t3 switches with simple and varying section are
I - I
12 2- 12 indicated in Table 4. As shown in table 4, the
difference between the results of the calculation

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 ICSE 2004 Proc. 2004, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

and simulation methods of both types depends on Transactions on Microwave Theory and
the magnitude of electrostatic area. Techniques, vol. 48, Issue 12, PP. 2540-2545,
(2000).
Table 4 [4] J. Y.Park, Geun H. kim, Ki W. Chung, Jong
The results of the simulation and calculation methods U. Bu, "Monolithically Integrated
of the Fixed-Fixed end type MEMS switches with Micromachined RF MEMS Capacitive Switches",
simple and varying section. Sensors and Actuators, A 89, PP. 88-94,(2001).
[5] R. Chang, D.Becher, M.Feng, "Low-
Varying Actuation Voltage RF MEMS Shunt Switch
Simple beam section type With Cold Switching Lifetime of Seven Billion
beam Cycles", J.Microelectromechanicalsystems, Vol.
Vth 12,No. 5,PP.713-718,(2003).
Calculation 13.14 9.8 [6] D.Balaraman, S. K. Bhattacharya, "Low-Cost
Results Low Actuation Voltage Copper RF MEMS
Vth Switches", IEEE MTT-S Digest, PP. 1225-1228,
Simulation 15.3 10.3 (2002)
results [7] R. L. Borwick, P. A. Stuper, J.Denatale, "A
Error 16% 5% Hybrid Approach To Low-Voltage MEMS
Switches", The 12th international Conference On
Solid State Sensors Actuators And
IV.CONCLUSION Microsystems,(2003).
[8] D.Peroulis, S. P. Pacheo, K. Sarabandi,
The design and simulation of the cantilever and "Electromechanical Considerations in
fixed-fixed end types MEMS switches with Developing Low-Voltage RF MEMS Switches",
simple and varying section was implemented. Al IEEE Transaction on Microwave Theory And
first, the effect of the electrostatic area and itss Techniques, Vol. 51,No. 1,PP. 259-270,(2003)
location on the switching voltage was
investigated. It was shown, by choosing thee
proper location and electrostatic area, thee
difference between the calculation an d
simulation methods will be decreased. Then thee
governing equations for spring-constant of thee
cantilever and fixed-fixed end types MEM'S
switches with varying section was derived b3y
energy method and the Euler-Bernoulli theory.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work is supported by Industry and Mine

Organization of West Azerbaijan Provincy.
REFFERENCES

[1] S.Afrang and E.Abbaspour "A Low Voltage

Electrostatic Torsional Micromachined
Microwave Switch",ICSE 2002 Proc. 2002,
IEEE lnternational Conference on
Semiconductor Electronics(2002).
[2] S.Afrang and E.Abbaspour "A Low Voltage
Capacitive Micromachined Microwave Switch",
ICSE 2002 Proc. 2002, IEEE International
Conference on Semiconductor Electronics(2002).
[3] D. Hah, Sangcheol Hong, "A low Voltage
Actuated Micromachined Microwave Switch sing
Torsion Springs And Leverage", IEEE

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