Research
Printed MEMS RF Switches
Project Overview
In this project we are investigating the of use inkjet printing to enable fast and affordable low-volume manufacturing and packaging of RF MEMS. This rapid prototyping approach will significantly reduce the set up cost and fabrication time for RF MEMS parts made in small lot sizes and is directly scaleable to mid- and high-volume manufacturing.
By printing the package at the same time as the MEMS component, we can dramatically reduce the packaging costs and enable precision assembly without the need for expensive alignment jigs and tooling. Inkjet printing of MEMS will also significantly reduce the cost of raw materials and processing since it is a low-temperature, direct-write additive approach that only requires materials where they are needed, as opposed to the subtractive semiconductor fabrication approach that uses blanket deposition and etch of thin films
Our vision is that it will be as fast and easy to print out a packaged MEMS component as it is to print out a document file. This high performance switch technology will enable the development of high frequency, low loss tunable filters for next-generation communications systems and low-loss phase shifters for low-cost, electronically-scanned antennas systems.
Related Images
- RF MEMS switches from MEMtronics. (Left) Schematic diagram. (Right) Switch fabricated with conventional deposit & etch (subtractive) processing.
- RF MEMS microwave stripline test structures printed on Corning 7740 glass wafer using inkjet (additive) processing.