Analysis of alternative capacitor topologies for MEMS switches fabricated with printed circuit technology

New architectures to reduce the actuation voltage of a cantilever beam MEMS switch are presented. Voltage reduction is achieved through manipulation of the shape of the capacitor plates to increase the effective area and decrease the effective distance between plates. Improvements are achieved without a physical increase in footprint dimensions, beam to substrate separation, or a decrease in the spring constant of the beam. The architectures are particularly applicable to applications that require a small footprint, high degrees of electrical isolation, and low switching times.