A Si MMIC compatible ferroelectric varactor shunt switch for microwave applications

• Published in: IEEE microwave and wireless components letters 2005-11, Vol.15 (11), p.739-741
• Main Authors: Subramanyam, G., Ahamed, F., Biggers, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Barium; Capacitive shunt switch; Circuit properties; Coplanar transmission lines; coplanar waveguide (CPW) components; Coplanar waveguides; Dielectric thin films; Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Ferroelectric materials; ferroelectric varactor; Microwave and submillimeter wave devices, electron transfer devices; Microwave circuits, microwave integrated circuits, microwave transmission lines, submillimeter wave circuits; MMICs; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Strontium; Switches; Titanium; varactor shunt switch; Varactors
• ISSN: 1531-1309; 2771-957X; 1558-1764; 2771-9588
• DOI: 10.1109/LMWC.2005.858992

This letter describes a ferroelectric thin-film based varactor shunt switch, for microwave and millimeterwave switching applications. Our implementation is based on a coplanar waveguide transmission line shunted by a ferroelectric varactor. The concept of switching ON and OFF is based on the dielectric tunability of the ferroelectric barium strontium titanium oxide (BST) thin-films. From experimental verification, the isolation of a switch with a varactor area of 75μm 2 was approximately 20dB at 35GHz and the insertion loss was below 4.5dB up to 35GHz. This letter addresses the design and experimental verification of the first ferroelectric varactor shunt switch with an Si monolithic microwave integrated circuit compatible process.