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RF-MEMS capacitive switches: enabling transition towards 5G/ B5G

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Article in International Journal of Information Technology · September 2023

DOI: 10.1007/s41870-023-01457-7

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Int. j. inf. tecnol.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s41870-023-01457-7
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
RF‑MEMS capacitive switches: enabling transition towards 5G/
B5G applications
Raj Kumari1 · Mahesh Angira1
Received: 11 March 2023 / Accepted: 26 August 2023
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Bharati Vidyapeeth’s Institute of Computer Applications and Management 2023
Abstract This paper presents design and analysis of radio
frequency microelectromechanical (RF-MEMS) shunt
capacitive switch for millimeter wave (mmWave) frequen-
cies. The device performance is tuned at high frequencies to
meet the criteria of 5G and beyond, the pillar of all current
technology paradigms. The research investigation reveals
that independent optimization of electromagnetic and elec-
tromechanical performance of switch for specific applica-
tions is a major issue. However, the proposed device met
all the desired specifications with a novel capacitive shunt
topology using separate DC-biasing electrodes and RF sig-
nal lines. According to the finite element method (FEM)
study the switch has offered on-state losses of 0.2 dB for fre-
quencies below 30 GHz and maximum isolation of 46.3 dB
at 24.5 GHz. Electromechanical analysis shows that a low
pull-in voltage of 1.9 V and a switching time 107.7 µs are
required to switch on and off the transmission of the sig-
nal. The simulation results showed the suitability of the
RF-MEMS switch for the FR2 band allocated for 5G/B5G
applications.
Keywords FEM · IoT · 5G/B5G · Millimeter wave ·
RF-MEMS capacitive switch
* Raj Kumari
kumari09raj@gmail.com
Mahesh Angira
mahesh_angira@nith.ac.in
1
Electronics and Communication Engineering NIT Hamirpur,
Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, India
1 Introduction
Nowadays, modern electronics and hardware fall under the
umbrella of key technology dominators like artificial intel-
ligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), internet of everything
(IoE), 5G/B5G, and 6G. In the landscape of telecommunica-
tion and data transmission, 5G/B5G is taking up the challenges
of being the enabler of IoT, IoE, and machine-to-machine
(M2M) communication [1]. 5G/B5G benefits all of the above-
cited technologies, as its performance targets high data rates,
massive device communication, and low latency [2]. Possi-
ble application areas under this umbrella can be visualized
in Fig. 1. These growing future generations seem to be con-
verging with diverse demands and challenges, which research,
academia, and industry have rarely witnessed before [3]. B5G
systems are expected to support more wireless communication
services in a single device, such as high-quality video stream-
ing and tactile internet (TI), emphasizing the importance of
high data rates with low latency. On the other hand, through
IoT/IoE paradigms, every object in the environment needs to
have its own unique digital identity to make M2M communica-
tion more effective. To achieve all such milestones, 5G/B5G
systems are expected to acquire massive wireless connections
by switching to the mmWave spectrum. It will ensure gigabit
(GB) communication and employ large-scale multiple input,
multiple outputs (MIMO) units [4]. Switching to mmWave
will require novel hardware and software, along with the
replacement of existing with, more efficient ones. 5G is com-
ing into existence in India in the second decade of the twenty-
first century with the vision of enhanced mobile broadband
(eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC),
and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC)
[5]. It is expected to offer a data speed of gigabits per sec-
ond (Gbps), high traffic density, a latency of milliseconds,
and low cost [6, 7]. All these features push 5G/B5G towards
13
Vol.:(0123456789)

Fig. 1  5G/B5G as an enabler of key technologies and application
areas [1]
mmWave frequencies’ utilization as the sub-6 GHz spectrum
has already been very rushed. While abundant spectrum with
a much larger bandwidth is available in the mmWave band
(6–300 GHz), [5]. As per 5G; new radio (NR); base station
(BS) radio transmission and reception 3GPP TS 38.104 version
16.4.0 release 16, 2020, NR frequencies have been divided into
two bands: FR1 (410 MHz–7125 MHz), also known as Sub
6 GHz, and FR2 (24,250–52,600 MHz), called as mmWave
band [8]. Currently, the focus of researchers is mainly on
FR2 bands, which offer good bandwidth to handle massive
user density. Furthermore, NR operating bands are defined
in FR2 as n257 (26.5–29.5 GHz), n258 (24.25–27.5 GHz),
n259 (39.5–43.5 GHz), n260 (37–40 GHz), and n261
(27.5–28.35 GHz). The transition from 3G/4G towards 5G/
B5G/TI/IoE will require radio frequency (RF) devices and
technologies which include passives such as switches, capaci-
tors, inductors, filters, and phase shifters [9–14]. These devices
are expected to include wideband operations, large reconfigur-
ability, tunability, low losses, and high linearity [1]. The solu-
tion to such challenges is radio frequency microelectrome-
chanical systems (RF-MEMS) technology, which is operable
and compatible with others at higher frequencies. It enables
very low power consumption and large reconfigurability while
decreasing the H/W redundancy. RF-MEMS is made up of
millimeter-sized components that combine radiofrequency and
electromechanical functionality [12]. These can play a sig-
nificant part in the adoption of 5G/B5G standards due to their
exceptional qualities of low power, reconfigurability, and RF
performance across a large frequency range [15]. It should be
mentioned that, from a hardware standpoint, among all pas-
sive and active RF systems or subsystems, the switch is one
of the most essential and crucial components which is used
to switch signals along the RF transmission line with a high
level of precision [11]. A switch is a device-level component
that can be seen everywhere in a communication architecture,
such as in transceiver antennas, radio frequency front ends
13
Int. j. inf. tecnol.
Fig. 2  Methodology used
(RFFE), filters, phase shifters, attenuators, and tuners to per-
form various functions like routing, switching, reconfiguring,
and attenuating signals at different frequencies of interest [16].
In the future, a significant number of RF-MEMS switches may
have additional potential uses in B5G systems/subsystems to
actualize reconfigurable functionality [17]. These devices can
also enable sophisticated transceiver topologies such as large-
scale MIMO units [18, 19]. These can successfully replace
today’s active semiconductor analogues (PIN diodes, FETs) at
low frequencies (10 GHz) and coaxial switches at frequencies
up to 40 GHz and higher [11, 20–22]. MEMS switches have
extremely flexible design options depending upon different
applications, as they can be actuated in a number of ways, be
arranged in-line or in parallel, and contacts can be metal-to-
metal or metal-to-dielectric [23]. The RF-MEMS switch has
both electrical and mechanical operation and several actua-
tion methods among which, electrostatic is preferred due to
negligible power consumption and compatibility with semi-
conductor technology [24–29]. This paper is focused mainly
on simulating and designing an electrostatic actuation-based
switch structure using RF-MEMS technology for mmWave
frequencies (FR2) which has been used for providing 5G/B5G
services in many countries. The following methodology shown
in Fig. 2 has been used to achieve the goal of designing the
proposed RF-MEMS switch.
2 Device specifications and design
2.1 Specifications
After discussing several system-level specifications in sec-
tion I, it is now required to describe some performance
Int. j. inf. tecnol.

characteristics that a basic passive component or a switch

References
must fulfil in order to support and strengthen the 5G/B5G
system design [15, 30, 31]. These specifications are summed

[12]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]
up below:

This will require further extra circuitry to separate AC/DC

Complex design due to non-uniform meanders and perfor-

separate AC/DC signals. B5G criteria not satisfied. Poor

Complex design with step will require extra circuitry to
• Frequency range: mmWave bands, FR II n258 (24.25–
27.5 GHz).

mance observed at varying switch dimensions

• RF Losses: < − 1 dB.

Pull-in voltage–12.2 V, 7.5 V insertion loss < 0.1 dB, isola- Multiband communication over X and K bands
tion–34.7 dB @ 10.4 GHz, 34.3 dB @ 11 GHz, 40.7 dB High pull-in voltage, B5G criteria not satisfied
• Isolation: better than − 20/30 dB for a wide range of

Complex design, B5G criteria not satisfied

Potential application and inferences drawn

and does not satisfy the criteria of B5G

frequencies.
• Actuation Voltage: 2–3 V.

Three actuation electrodes required

• Switching Time: Less than 1 ms.

X and Ku band applications

X and Ku band applications

B5G criteria not satisfied

2.2 Design

Poor isolation response

K band applications
isolation response
Many excellent research solutions have been proposed in

5G applications

5G applications
literature for designing switches specific to 5G and beyond
applications. However, satisfying completely the above-
mentioned switch criteria is a quite tedious task. This can be
visualized from the tabulated literature presented in Table 1.
Literature gives insights that the switch manufacturing pro-
cess should be compatible with the technologies used in
Pull-in Voltage–10.5 V, insertion loss–0.03 dB, isola-

Pull-in voltage–10.5 V, insertion loss–0.71 dB, isola-

Pull-in voltage–1.9 V, insertion loss–0.96 dB, isola-

Pull-in voltage–4.2 V, insertion loss–0.44 dB, isola-

the manufacturing process of ICs (integrated circuits). The

Pull-in voltage–3.8 V, insertion loss < 1 dB, isola-

RF-MEMS technology is the one through which RF-MEMS tion–62 dB @ 50 GHz, Common DC/AC signal
switches also called mmWave devices [32] can be easily
integrated with other electronic hardware on a single chip.
Further to deal with power constraints, electrostatically actu-

Common DC/AC signal electrode

Common DC/AC signal electrode

ated switches are found most suitable as they consume negli-
gible and result in a small size of the device [33]. However,
the main gap found is that all the specifications required for
tion–20 dB @ 22 GHz

tion–15 dB @ 40 GHz

tion–54 dB @ 22 GHz
tion–49 dB @43 GHz

B5G are rarely met till now as per the best knowledge of
authors. Therefore, based on studied literature (Table 1), to

@ 21.4 GHz
achieve the above-mentioned performance parameters, the
Performance

electrode

capacitive RF-MEMS switch is considered for simulation

and analysis over a 50 Ω CPW (coplanar waveguide) trans-
mission line as shown in Fig. 3. The design specifications
(physical dimensions and material) of switch structure are
directly proportional to the performance of the switch. Thus
Broadside bridge structure with two cantilevers on both
Non-uniform bridge structured capacitive shunt switch
Table 1  Meta analysis of literature in tabulated form

carefully chosen switch’s physical parameters and materials

Double cantilever capacitive shunt switch structure

used in simulations have been listed as in Table 2.

Step structured capacitive shunt switch

Step structured capacitive shunt switch

Non-uniform capacitive shunt switch

3 Device electrical equivalent model

The dimensions of the actuating layer and dielectric decide

RF-MEMS switch structure

the R-L-C values for the switch structure, which further

helps to tune the switch at the desired resonant frequency
and affects the on and off-state response. The equivalent
model [34] of the switch with respect to structure is shown
in Fig. 4.
From the equivalent model the total impedance (­ Zb) of
sides

switch structure is represented in Eq. (1) [35]:

13
 Int. j. inf. tecnol.

1
Resonant Frequency(f0) = √ (2)
2π Lb Cb

The impedance of switch is also approximated as given

in Eq. (3):

⎧ 1 for f ≪ f0 ⎫
⎪ jωCb ⎪
Zb = ⎨ Rtb for f = f0 ⎬ (3)
⎪ ωL for f ≫ f0 ⎪
⎩ b ⎭

Fig. 3   3D structure of simulated MEMS shunt capacitive switch This whole analysis is given in detail in [34], therefore
the characterization of R-L-C in terms of scattering param-
eters is directly given below in up-state and down state of
Table 2  Specifications for RF-MEMS shunt capacitive switch the switch. The capacitance (­ Cup) is given as in Eq. (4) [39]:
Name Length (μm) Width (μm) Thick- Materials
ness 𝜀oA 𝜀oA
Cup = =
(μm) g1 +
td g1 (4)
𝜀r
CPW Ground 590 600 3 Gold
CPW Signal 100 600 3 Gold
The low ­Cup ensures minimum loss in on state, as can be
Space 60 600 3 –
determined from Eq. (5) representing return loss.
Dielectric Layer 100 60 0.2 SiO2 | −jωCup Z0 |
Bridge Layer 520 60 2 Gold |S11 |f ≪ f0 = −20 Log|| |
| (5)
| | | 2 + jωCup Z0 |
Meander 140 10 2 Gold | |
Electrode 150 60 3 Gold
Furthermore, the down-state capacitance ­(Cd), results into
Gap – – 1.5 Air
good isolation in an off state, which is well understood from
Eqs. (6) and (7) shown below [40]:
𝜀 0 εr A
Cd = (6)
td
Central
CPW Ground CPW Ground
Conductor
| 2 |
Lb Cb Lb |S | f ≪ f = −20 Log| | (7)
| 21 | 0 | 2 + jωC Z |
(a) | d 0|
Rtb = Rb + Rcpw
Thus, from above discussion it is clear that geometrical
arrangement leads to decide the RF characteristics of the
switch [41].

4 Results and discussion

4.1 RF‑FEM simulations

Fig. 4  a Top view of switch with R, L, and C components b equiva- The electromagnetic behaviour of the RF-MEMS shunt
lent R-L-C model
capacitive switch has been analysed using the finite ele-
ment method (FEM) on the HFSS tool by simulating the
switch design using the above-mentioned specifications. The
( )
1 RF characteristics of the switch in on-state and off-state is
Zb = Rtb + j ωLb − (1) represented in terms of scattering parameter S12 (insertion/
ωCb
isolation) as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Insertion loss has been
The resonance of the switch which can be tuned through observed over a range of air gaps (1 μm–3 μm) between
inductance and capacitance components of switch is given the structural layer and the signal conductor in order to
as [35–38] shown in Eq. (2). achieve the above-mentioned specifications. It can be seen

13
Int. j. inf. tecnol.
Fig. 5  On-state RF response of a simulated switch
Fig. 6  Off-state RF response of a simulated switch
from Fig. 5 that for all the switch designs with a gap above
1 μm, the insertion loss is < -0.3 dB within the frequency
band n258. Furthermore, isolation is observed to be more
than -25 dB for the specified band. For switches with a gap
of 1.5–3 μm both insertion loss and isolation response are
found to be as per desired specifications.
4.2 Equivalent R‑L‑C model simulations
Electromagnetic and electrical characterization of RF-
MEMS switches is mostly done using commercial tools.
However, this process lags in providing exact physical
insight of the switching device, thus requiring a clear reali-
zation through a lumped (R-L-C) model as shown in Fig. 4.
This electrical equivalent model of a capacitive switch has
been realized and modelled using the ADS tool. Results
obtained from both the simulation methods converge with
each other and validate the equivalent R-L-C model of the
switch. As the switch is realized on the CPW transmission
line, the transmitter and receiver ports are physically coupled
and behave as an always-on switch without applying actua-
tion voltage. Electrostatic actuation is used to actuate the
bridge placed over the CPW line’s central conductor to alter
the status of the switch from on to off. This design of switch
is represented through a series of R-L-C elements placed on
Fig. 7  Isolation comparison FEM vs equivalent lumped model
Fig. 8  Insertion loss comparison FEM vs equivalent lumped model
a 50 Ω transmission line. The change in capacitance (­ Cup,
­ d) will give us the up and down-state response of the switch
C
in terms of S-parameters. The R-L-C values have been
extracted using S-parameters values obtained from switch
design simulations on the HFSS tool. R = 0.12 Ω has been
extracted using Eq. (7), where R is considered instead of ­Cd
and S21 is taken as 46.3 dB at 24.5 GHz. ­Cd = 1.51 pF has
been extracted by putting S21 = 0.24 dB at 1 GHz in Eq. (7)
and ­Cup = 29.77 fF has been obtained using S11 = 46.6 dB
at 1 GHz in Eq. (5). L = 27.8 pH has been calculated using
extracted value of ­Cd and a resonant frequency of 24.5 GHz.
By using extracted value of R-L-C, an equivalent model has
been simulated. Thus, the R-L-C model has been validated
as the results obtained from FEM simulation and the lumped
model converge with each other (Figs. 7, 8).
The extracted and calculated values of all the lumped
parameters have been tabulated in Table 3, shown below:
4.3 Electromechanical simulations
Pull-in voltage is one of the critical criteria that certi-
fies an electromechanical switch’s compatibility with IC
technology and all on-chip semiconductor components and
devices in terms of voltage and power needs. In order to
analyze pull-in voltage, simulation has been performed on
13

Table 3  Values obtained for RF-MEMS switch parameters
Extracted value Calculated value
Cd 1.51 pF 1.06 pF
Cup 29.77 fF 34.27 fF
R 0.12 Ω –
L 27.8 pH –
Fig. 9  Electromechanical response of simulated switch
the COMSOL FEM tool. The electromechanical response
of the simulated switch has been shown in Fig. 9.
A switch designed with a gap of 1.5 μm is found most
suitable to reduce the voltage required for pull-in below
3 V. Maximum displacement and eigen mode analysis of
the shunt capacitive switch have been shown in Fig. 10.
Switching time has been calculated with the help of the
mechanical resonant frequency of the device, procured
from eigen mode analysis. It is obtained at 4489.4 Hz.
The term switching time is described as the total period
taken by the bridge to fall on the dielectric (pull-in period)
and back to its original state (release time) [42, 43]. The
pull-in time is given by Eq. (8):
Vp
tp = 3.67
Vs ⋅ ωo
VP, ­VS is the pull-in and source voltage, and ω0 is the
mechanical angular frequency.
However, the time to release back is termed as:
1
tr =
4f
where f is the mechanical resonant frequency of the
structure.
The total switching time is calculated at 107.75 μs
(52.07 μs pull-in, 55.68 μs release time) using Eqs. (8) and
(9). Thus, desired specifications for 5G/B5G applications
have been achieved successfully and listed in Table 4.
13
Int. j. inf. tecnol.
Fig. 10  a Beam displacement vs applied voltage b Eigen frequency
analysis of simulated switch
Table 4  Simulation results of the proposed switch
Insertion Isolation Pull-in volt- Resonant Switching
loss (24.25– (maximum) age frequency Time ­(ts)
27.5 GHz)
< − 0.2 dB − 46.3 dB 1.99 V 4.5 kHz μs
(24.5 GHz)
4.4 Discussion and verification
The above analysis clearly shows that the simulated
switch is appropriate for the mmWave spectrum specifi-
cally for n258 frequency region. The comparison of pro-
posed switch with various current designs explored in the
literature has also validated the performance as shown
in Table 5. Proposed device showed good RF response
(8) (< 0.2 dB insertion loss, − 46.3 dB maximum isolation)
with small value of pull-in voltage (1.9 V) and low switch-
ing time (107.75 µs) for n258 band, however response
remains in tolerance band even from 19–31 GHz. The
presented device with a novel circuit topology has supe-
rior RF performance compared to the devices discussed in
(9) Table 5. In terms of its electromechanical characteristics
[48, 49] has approximately the same value of pull-in volt-
age, however it is significantly less compared to designs
discussed in [44–46]. Furthermore, if performance is seen
in terms of switching time, the proposed device showed a
minimum switching time of less than that of other designs,
except switch suggested by in [48]. Therefore, the pre-
sented device is going to be a best possible suite for 5G/
B5G, mmWave applications.
Int. j. inf. tecnol.

Table 5  Comparison results of proposed switch design with existing switches [44–49]

RF-MEMS K. Srinivasa Girija et.al Yasser et.al Vivek et.al Chand et.al P. Ashok et.al Proposed Switch
Switch et.al (2019) [44] (2019) [45] (2020) [46] (2021) [47] (2021) [48] (2022) [49]

Structure

Frequency Ka band K band C-K band 24.5–27.5 GHz 25–40 GHz 25–65 GHz n258 band &
Range (27–40 GHz) (18–26 GHz) (4–26 GHz) (19–31 GHz)
Insertion Loss − 0.44 dB < 1 dB − 0.65 dB < 0.20 dB − 0.95 dB − 0.26 dB − 0.2 dB
@38 GHz 18–27 GHz @24 GHz @40.10 GHz @41 GHz @24.5 GHz
Isolation − 31 dB − 38.3 dB − 18 dB 40.7 dB − 36.25 dB − 46.7 dB − 46.3 dB
@38 GHz @27 GHz @24 GHz @27.5 GHz @25 GHz @38 GHz @24.5 GHz
Pull-in Voltage 11.97 V 4.03 V 18 V – 1.9 V 1.8 V 1.9 V
Switching Time 190 μs 175 μs – – 1.82 μs – 107 μs

5 Conclusion References

This work presented the design and analysis of RF-MEMS
switch for mmWave frequencies, with the goal of making a
transition to future technologies. The device’s FEM analysis
with electrical modelling verification revealed its high RF
performance. The electromagnetic as well as the electro-
mechanical optimization has been achieved to meet B5G
criteria completely. Switching time is also observed to be
very low 107 μs in comparison to the desired (1 ms). The
proposed device is found to be most suitable for 5G/B5G
communication and other mmWave applications operating
at frequencies ranging from 19 to 31 GHz. Besides, the per-
formance of the simulated switch is very good, due to the
very small value of pull-in voltage, the poor stiffness of the
bridge layer may cause stiction issues. In the future, authors
will consider and work on this aspect also by modifying the
structure of the switch.
Acknowledgements Authors would like to give their sincere thanks
to CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani for
providing software help to complete this work.
Funding Funding has not been received from any sources for this
work.
Data availability No new data are created and analyzed in this study.
Declarations
Conflict of interest All authors read and approved the final manu-
script and have no conflict of interest.
Ethical statement The research meets all standards regarding the
ethics of experimentation and research integrity. There are no concerns
about animal or human experimentation.
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