Sony Corporation

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V.

Markus Nowack

Koichi Ikeda

Akira Akiba

Thomas Gessner

Andreas Bertz

Christian Kaufmann

Joerg Froemel

Steffen Kurth

Stefan Leidich

Jörg Frömel

An electrostatically actuated micro-mechanical switching device with movable elements formed in the bulk of a substrate for closing and releasing at least one Ohmic contact by a horizontal movement of the movable elements in a plane of the substrate. The switching device has a drive with comb-shaped electrodes including fixed driving electrodes and movable electrodes. A movable push rod is mechanically connected with the movable electrodes, extends through the electrodes, has a movable contact element at one side, and at least one restoring spring. A signal line has two parts interrupted by a gap. The micro-mechanical switching device is in shunt-configuration with low loss, high isolation in a wide frequency range, low switching time at low actuation voltage and sufficient reliability. The line impedance of the signal line and its variation is as small as possible. The switching device is in shunt-configuration for closing and releasing the Ohmic contact between a ground line and the signal line. The contact element has a movable contact beam extending at least partially opposite to the signal line and being electrically and mechanically connected to both parts of the signal line, respectively. The ground line is formed with a contact bar that leads through the gap of the signal line for forming the Ohmic contact between the contact beam and the ground line. A contact metallization is provided at least on top and on the side walls of the contact beam, of the signal line and of the ground line.

Electrostatically actuated micro-mechanical switching device

Growing community of inventors

Pockau, Germany

Markus Nowack