Design, Technology and Test Protocols for Microsystem High Frequency Devices

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "E:Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 8079

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
CNR-IMM Roma, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
Interests: metamaterials for high-frequency applications; microwave components with a focus on RF MEMS and NEMS; microwave and millimeter wave components for space and security; scanning microwave microscopy for magnetic, semiconducting, and dielectric materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
CNR-IMM Roma, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
Interests: microwave measurements for cultural heritage applications; microwave tomography; RF MEMS
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Institute for microelectronics and microsystems, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: electromagnetism; antennas; metamaterials; microwave devices; microwave microscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico, Roma, Italy
Interests: microwaves; circuits; electromagnetics; RF circuit simulation

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Microsystem technology for high frequency applications is a well-established research field for a huge number of microwave to millimeter wave tunable devices and subsystems. Applications encompass ground and space architectures for signal routing, RADAR systems, radio-link communications, satellite reconfiguration, and redundancy purposes. The main advantages are related to an all-passive architecture overwhelming the typical drawbacks of semiconductor devices, like diodes in digital signal processing, with no signal distortion and very low-level losses. The main open issues, i.e., reliability, power handling, packaging, and integration, and charging effect limitations were effectively addressed across the last 10–15 years, making RF-MEMS technology readiness compatible with commercial applications.

Recently, several configurations have been developed using advanced technological solutions to make both analog and digital signal processing possible, with a lifetime extended to more than ten years, making high frequency microsystems appealing again even for long-term applications. Moreover, novel design approaches are contaminating classical microsystem configurations with a possible extension towards miniaturization and smart functionalities, useful in perspective also for 5G and IOT structures, including micro- and nano-systems, i.e., MEMS and NEMS. Additional capabilities can also relate to sensing and microfluidics.

The current focus is to develop components for signal transmission and irradiation subsystems in the K (18–26.5 GHz), Ka (26.5–40 GHz), and Q (33–50 GHz) bands, which are of great interest for RADAR and telecommunications via satellite. The main purpose is to determine the technological solutions suitable for wide band performance, easily reconfigurable and with superior miniaturization capabilities of passive components.

In this Special Issue, research papers, short communications, and review article contributions are welcome in describing the state-of-the-art for design, technology, and test protocols for high frequency microsystems.

Dr. Romolo Marcelli
Dr. Emanuela Proietti
Dr. Giovanni Maria Sardi
Prof. Dr. Giancarlo Bartolucci
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • MEMS
  • NEMS
  • microwaves
  • millimeter waves

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 49602 KiB  
Article
Broadband Lumped-Element Parameter Extraction Method of Two-Port 3D MEMS In-Chip Solenoid Inductors Based on a Physics-Based Equivalent Circuit Model
by Jiamian Sun, Haiwang Li, Sifan Wu, Tiantong Xu, Hanqing Li, Hanxiao Wu and Shuangzhi Xia
Micromachines 2020, 11(9), 836; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11090836 - 03 Sep 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3038
Abstract
Integrated 2D spiral inductors possess low inductance per unit area, which limits their application range. However, the state of investigation into the lumped-element parameter extraction method for integrated 3D in-chip multi-turn solenoid inductors, which possess higher inductance per unit area, is inadequate. This [...] Read more.
Integrated 2D spiral inductors possess low inductance per unit area, which limits their application range. However, the state of investigation into the lumped-element parameter extraction method for integrated 3D in-chip multi-turn solenoid inductors, which possess higher inductance per unit area, is inadequate. This type of inductor can thus not be incorporated into fast computer-aided design (CAD)-assisted circuit design. In this study, we propose a broadband two-port physics-based equivalent circuit model for 3D microelectromechanical system (MEMS) in-chip solenoid inductors that are embedded in silicon substrates. The circuit model was composed of lumped elements with specific physical meanings and incorporated complicated parasitics resulting from eddy currents, skin effects, and proximity effects. Based on this model, we presented a lumped-element parameter extraction method using the electronic design automation software package, Agilent Advanced Design System (ADS). This method proved to be consistent with the results of two-port testing at low to self-resonant frequencies and could thus be used in CAD-assisted circuit design. The lumped element value variations were analyzed based on the physical meaning of the elements with respect to variations in structures and the substrate resistivity of inductors. This provided a novel perspective in terms of the design of integrated in-chip solenoid inductors. Full article
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14 pages, 3900 KiB  
Article
A Novel High Q Lamé-Mode Bulk Resonator with Low Bias Voltage
by Tianyun Wang, Zeji Chen, Qianqian Jia, Quan Yuan, Jinling Yang and Fuhua Yang
Micromachines 2020, 11(8), 737; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11080737 - 29 Jul 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2623
Abstract
This work reports a novel silicon on insulator (SOI)-based high quality factor (Q factor) Lamé-mode bulk resonator which can be driven into vibration by a bias voltage as low as 3 V. A SOI-based fabrication process was developed to produce the resonators [...] Read more.
This work reports a novel silicon on insulator (SOI)-based high quality factor (Q factor) Lamé-mode bulk resonator which can be driven into vibration by a bias voltage as low as 3 V. A SOI-based fabrication process was developed to produce the resonators with 70 nm air gaps, which have a high resonance frequency of 51.3 MHz and high Q factors over 8000 in air and over 30,000 in vacuum. The high Q values, nano-scale air gaps, and large electrode area greatly improve the capacitive transduction efficiency, which decreases the bias voltage for the high-stiffness bulk mode resonators with high Q. The resonator showed the nonlinear behavior. The proposed resonator can be applied to construct a wireless communication system with low power consumption and integrated circuit (IC) integration. Full article
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14 pages, 4987 KiB  
Article
Piezoelectric Performance of a Symmetrical Ring-Shaped Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Using PZT-5H under a Temperature Gradient
by Nannan Zhou, Rongqi Li, Hongrui Ao, Chuanbing Zhang and Hongyuan Jiang
Micromachines 2020, 11(7), 640; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11070640 - 29 Jun 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1960
Abstract
With the rapid development of microelectronics technology, low-power electronic sensors have been widely applied in many fields, such as Internet of Things, aerospace, and so on. In this paper, a symmetrical ring-shaped piezoelectric energy harvester (SR-PEH) is designed to provide energy for the [...] Read more.
With the rapid development of microelectronics technology, low-power electronic sensors have been widely applied in many fields, such as Internet of Things, aerospace, and so on. In this paper, a symmetrical ring-shaped piezoelectric energy harvester (SR-PEH) is designed to provide energy for the sensor to detect the ambient temperature. The finite element method is used by utilizing software COMSOL 5.4, and the electromechanical coupling model of the piezoelectric cantilever is established. The output performance equations are proposed; the microelectromechanical system (MEMS) integration process of the SR-PEH, circuit, and sensor is stated; and the changing trend of the output power density is explained from an energy perspective. In the logarithmic coordinate system, the results indicate that the output voltage and output power are approximately linear with the temperature when the resistance is constant. In addition, the growth rate of the output voltage and output power decreases with an increase of resistance under the condition of constant temperature. In addition, with an increase of temperature, the growth rate of the output power is faster than that of the output voltage. Furthermore, resistance has a more dramatic effect on the output voltage, whereas temperature has a more significant effect on the output power. More importantly, the comparison with the conventional cantilever-shaped piezoelectric energy harvester (CC-PEH) shows that the SR-PEH can improve the output performance and broaden the frequency band. Full article
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