A HIGH ON/OFF RATIO MEMS CAPACITIVE SWITCH WITH APPLICATIONS IN SOLAR ENERGY HARVESTING

V. Thakar, Z. Wu, M. Rais-Zadeh
2012 2012 Solid-State, Actuators, and Microsystems Workshop Technical Digest   unpublished
In this paper, a novel electrostatic switch is reported that exhibits an ON/OFF capacitance ratio of 72, an ON capacitance value of 90 pF, and a pull-in voltage of less than 5 V within an area of 750 × 750 µm 2 . These characteristics are achieved by utilizing a slit-shape middle metal layer in-between the top and bottom metal plates. This design makes the capacitance ratio and the ON state capacitance tolerant against fabrication and temperature induced residual stress in the suspended metal
more » ... mbrane, without significantly degrading the electrostatic force between the top and bottom metals. In this three-metal configuration, at the ON state, the ohmic contact between the top membrane and the middle metal layer enables direct charge transfer between these two electrodes. This characteristic is attractive for device applications in solar energy harvesting. As a proof of concept, charging of an external storage capacitor is shown for an exemplary switch, when a constant current is supplied to the top electrode.
doi:10.31438/trf.hh2012.103 fatcat:vqpht7nzwfejfj4mzzcnizmg4y