Mixed Domain Macromodels for RF MEMS Capacitive Switches

A method to extract macromodels for RF MEMS switches is proposed. The macromodels include both the coupled structural-electric behavior of the switch as well as its RF behavior. The device with distributed parameters is subject to several analyses from which the parameters of the macromodel are extracted, by model reduction. From the coupled structural-electrostatic analysis the parametric capacitance and the effective stiffness coefficients of the switch are extracted. From the RF characteristics in the up stable state, the transmission line parameters are extracted. Finally, all parameters are combined in a Spice circuit model, which is controlled by the MEMS actuation voltage and is excited with the RF signal. The procedure is applied to a capacitive switch. Relative modeling errors with respect to the non-reduced model, considered as reference, of less than 3% for the RF characteristics and less than 1% for the mechanical characteristics are obtained.