Copyright 2014. The Korean Institute of Information Scientists and Engineers pISSN: 1976-4677 eISSN: 2093-8020 Regular Paper Journal of Computing Science and Engineering, Vol. 8, No. 3, September 2014, pp. 129-136 Circuit Modelling and Eigenfrequency Analysis of a Poly-Si Based RF MEMS Switch Designed and Modelled for IEEE 802.11ad Protocol Tejinder Singh * Discipline of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India tejinder.singh@ieee.org Farzaneh Pashaie Department of Mechatronics, Islamic Azad University, South Branch, Tehran, Iran st_f_pashaie@azad.ac.ir Abstract This paper presents the equivalent circuit modelling and eigenfrequency analysis of a wideband robust capacitive radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switch that was designed using Poly-Si and Au layer mem- brane for highly reliable switching operation. The circuit characterization includes the extraction of resistance, induc- tance, on and off state capacitance, and Q-factor. The first six eigenfrequencies are analyzed using a finite element modeler, and the equivalent modes are demonstrated. The switch is optimized for millimeter wave frequencies, which indicate excellent RF performance with isolation of more than 55 dB and a low insertion loss of 0.1 dB in the V-band. The designed switch actuates at 13.2 V. The R, L, C and Q-factor are simulated using Y -matrix data over a frequency sweep of 20–100 GHz. The proposed switch has various applications in satellite communication networks and can also be used for devices that will incorporate the upcoming IEEE Wi-Fi 802.11ad protocol. Category: Smart and intelligent computing Keywords: RF MEMS; Equivalent circuit modelling; Eigenfrequency analysis; Capacitive switch; Millimeter wave frequencies I. INTRODUCTION In the last decade, various efforts have been made for radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches that are applicable to devices with switching activities that operate in RF to millimeter wave frequencies. MEMSs that are especially for RF applica- tions have captured the interest of researchers from aca- demia and industry. The RF MEMS has various advantages like high isolation, low insertion loss, low or near-zero power consumption, and low intermodulation distortion over their semiconductor counterparts like the field-effect transistor and p-i-n diode switches [1-5]. MEMS switches suffer from some drawbacks like low switching speed (due to mechanical deflection), high electrostatic voltage requirements of around 20–60 V for reliable switching Received 6 December 2013; Revised 21 May 2014; Accepted 14 July 2014 *Corresponding Author Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.5626/JCSE.2014.8.3.129 http://jcse.kiise.org This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.