A 460 GHz MEMS-Based Single-Pole Double-Throw Waveguide Switch
- Resource Type
- Conference
- Authors
- Reck, Theodore; Jung-Kubiak, Cecile; Chattopadhyay, Goutam
- Source
- 2018 IEEE/MTT-S International Microwave Symposium - IMS Microwave Symposium - IMS, 2018 IEEE/MTT-S International. :773-775 Jun, 2018
- Subject
- Fields, Waves and Electromagnetics
Switches
Micromechanical devices
Actuators
Silicon
Insertion loss
Waveguide components
Loss measurement
RF-MEMS
micromachining
submillimeterwave
- Language
- ISSN
- 2576-7216
The design, fabrication and measurement of a 460 GHz MEMS-based single-pole double-throw (SPDT) waveguide switch is presented. A silicon etched large-deflection actuator is applied to create two reflective switches that are combined to form the double-throw switch. A hybrid packaging approach combining the silicon MEMS actuator with a metal CNC-milled waveguide housing enables direct integration with standard waveguide components. Insertion loss for the packaged device is 1 dB or less with a return loss of greater than 23 dB across a 17% fractional bandwidth. To the author's knowledge, this is the highest frequency, lowest-loss SPDT switch that has been demonstrated.