Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Electrostrictive or electrostatic
Reexamination Certificate
2003-04-10
2004-10-05
Barrera, Ramon M. (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Electrostrictive or electrostatic
Reexamination Certificate
active
06800820
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to mesoscale structures and micro-electromechanical systems (“MEMS”).
BACKGROUND
Semiconductor-based switches are known in the art. Though effective when serving as, for example, a single-pole double-throw switch, a typical gallium arsenide switch tends to be relatively costly. Depending upon complexity and other design requirements, such switches can range upwardly in cost from approximately U.S. $0.50 to nearly U.S. $10.00.
MEMS devices and apparatus are also known in the art. Much work (though few commercial breakthroughs) has been directed at small (a very few microns) systems that typically use semiconductor materials and processing techniques. Though such technology may eventually yield commercially feasible switches at a satisfactory price point, at present, commercially useful devices based upon such technology tend either to be relatively expensive and/or unavailable.
It has also recently been proposed that printed wiring board fabrication techniques could be utilized to realize mesoscale MEMS structures (having overall dimensions on the order of, for example, ten to a few hundreds mils). For example, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/929,750 as filed on Aug. 14, 2001 by the same assignee as this application describes a Micro-Electro Mechanical System that can be fabricated within the context of a printed wiring board using high density interconnect substrate technology (the contents of which reference are incorporated herein). Further, such an approach has also been shown to be useful and effective to facilitate construction and provision of a mesoscale MEMS electrostatic switch (see in particular U.S. application Ser. No. 10/133,913 as filed on Apr. 26, 2002 by the same assignee as this application and which discloses a Micro Electro-Mechanical System and Method, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by this reference).
Unfortunately, while such mesoscale MEMS structures hold out the promise of considerably less expensive alternatives to semiconductor switches, to date, it has not been demonstrated that more complicated switch structures can be effectively fabricated and fielded using such methodologies. For example, cost-effective and commercially useful multiple-pole and/or multiple-throw switches are not available in practice or theory, with actuation voltage concerns presenting at least one significant challenge. For example, at least some prior art suggestions for multiple-throw mesoscale MEMS switches requires an ever-increasing actuation voltage with each increase in the throw count (that is, actuation voltage for a SP3T switch of this type is considerably higher than for a SP2T switch of the same type).
REFERENCES:
patent: 6162230 (2000-12-01), Polla et al.
patent: 6307169 (2001-10-01), Sun et al.
Gabriel M. Rebeiz and Jeremy B. Muldavin, “RF MEMS Switches and Switch Circuits,” IEEE Microwave Magazine, ISSN 1527-3342/01, Copyright 2001 IEEE, Dec., pp. 59-71.
MPD Microwave Product Digest, “RF to Light”, Sep. 2002, Circle Reader Service Nos. 1, 3, and 202.
“MEMS RF Switch And Relay Solutions”, Teravicta Technologies, Inc., Copyright 2002, printed from the Teravicta website at http://www.teravicta.com, Homepage and Products (2 pages).
Product Brochure, Hittite Microwave Corporation, “GaAs Switches,” undated, 1 page.
Liu Junhua
Olson William
Barrera Ramon M.
Motorola Inc.
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