500-750 GHz Contactless Rotating MEMS Single-Pole Double-Throw Waveguide Switch

This paper presents a Single-Pole Double-Throw MEMS waveguide switch operating at 500−750 GHz. The switch consist of a U-bend waveguide surrounded by an electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) surface. The EBG surface is used to isolate the electromagnetic wave without mechanical or electrical contact. The U-bend is placed on a rotating arm, that moves between two positions. The arms movement is controlled by a rotating MEMS motor that can rotate ±4.5◦ at 70 V . The switch is fabricated using silicon micromachining and is designed to be in-plane with the connecting waveguides. This allows it to be implemented into a silicon micromachined waveguide network. The waveguide switch has a measured insertion loss less than 2.5 dB and an isolation larger than 30 dB between 550 − 750 GHz. Since the electromagnetic wave can be routed with the EBG surface instead of needing electrical or mechanical contact, the MEMS waveguide switch can operate without the need for mechanical contact and avoids common MEMS switch issues such as stiction between the switch and its ports.