A New Generation of Particle-Based Radio Frequency (RF) Switches for Portable and High-Frequency Applications

Abstract

Reconfigurable and tunable designs which provide multi-functionality are highly desirable in wireless communication systems. Amongst different methodologies to design RF switching, a directly connected biasing circuitry is not required for Static Field Micro-Particle Components (SFM-PCs); therefore, not only power consumption is lowered but also these particle-based switches can be used in complex geometries. However, the traditional structure has low-frequency bandwidth for both ON and OFF states and fails to operate correctly when undergoing rotation, these result in difficulties in using them in portable higher band applications. To address these issues, here two new techniques to increase the frequency bandwidth of ON and OFF states were proposed. Furthermore, a novel 360-degree rotatable structure was developed. The efficacy of these structures were evaluated by embedding them into discontinuous microstrip transmission lines. Both HFSS simulations and measurements show the accuracy of the analysis and the efficacy of the proposed designs.