Thermal cycling reliability of RF-MEMS switches

Thermal cycling test are part of the standard space qualification procedure for RF-MEMS devices. Standardized tests are rather demanding in terms of equipment and experimental time. In this paper we present a fast thermal cycling test aimed at obtaining a rapid selection among different switch geometries in terms of thermal cycling resistance. Seven different switch typologies are examined and tested, evidencing that the most important source of deterioration is the mechanical deformation of the movable membrane. The principal characteristic found in the most resistant typologies is a more uniform distribution of the thermal strain over the whole membrane. To this respect, a careful design of the membrane anchors is extremely important for achieving a good thermal cycling resistance.