Electrical characterisation of RF capacitive microswitch

The electrical characterisation of an RF capacitive microswitch is presented in this paper which concentrates on the effect of geometries of the bridge has on the microswitch's RF performance measured by S-parameters. The electrical model discussed in this paper provides a means to represent the RF capacitive microswitches. The model is used to accurately determine and characterise the resistance, capacitance, and inductance of the RF capacitive microswitches. Methods of accurately extracting resistance, capacitance, and inductance values using S-parameters from simulated results (or measured) are also presented. The electrical characteristics of the RF capacitive microswitch are mainly dominated by the resistance, inductance, and capacitance of the bridge, which will in turn affect the performance of the RF capacitive microswitch. However, the resistance, inductance, and capacitance of the bridge are also dependent on various factors such as the geometries of the microswitch. The pull-in voltage that is needed to actuate the RF capacitive microswitch is also discussed.