Temperature acceleration of dielectriccharging effects in state-of-the-art RF MEMS capacitive switches was characterized and modeled. From the measured charging and discharging transient currents across the switching dielectric, densities and time constants of traps in the dielectric were extracted under different temperatures. It was found that, while charging and discharging time constants ar...

This thesis presents two families of novel waveguide-integrated components based on millimeter-wave microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for reconfigurable systems. The first group comprises V-band (50–75 GHz) and W-band (75–110 GHz) waveguide switches and switchable irises, and their application as switchable cavity resonators, and tunable bandpass filters implemented by integration of novel ...

We report design and fabrication process of MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) actuators for a new type of optical switch integrated with photonic crystal (PhC) waveguides. Thin film poly-silicon electrostatic microactuator (either a cantilever or a bridge style) is placed over a PhC waveguide to induce optical modulation by means of mechanical motion in the evanescent fields. For low volt...

This paper addresses the problem of the fractional sliding mode control (FSMC) for a MEMS optical switch. The proposed scheme utilizes a fractional sliding surface to describe dynamic behavior of the system in the sliding mode stage. After a comparison with the classical integer-order counterpart, it is seen that the control system with the proposed sliding surface displays better transient per...

This paper addresses the problem of the fractional sliding mode control (FSMC) for a MEMS optical switch. The proposed scheme utilizes a fractional sliding surface to describe dynamic behavior of the system in the sliding mode stage. After a comparison with the classical integer-order counterpart, it is seen that the control system with the proposed sliding surface displays better transient per...

In this article, we report on the successful demonstration of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin film based MEMS devices for use in radio frequency (RF) systems. Individual series switches and single pole multi-throw switching elements operating at or below 10 V have been developed capable of operating over a wide temperature range. The switch technology also provides an enabling technology for...