ULTRA NANOCRYSTALLINE DIAMOND BASED RF MEMS

This project titled" NIRT: Nanocrystalline Diamond Thin Films for MEMS and Biomedical Devices is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0404137.
 

Disclaimer: Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation

The RF Microsystems group is one among the few research groups in the world exploring the application of diamond films for MEMS based circuit applications. We are actively collaborating with Dr. Erhard Kohn and the University of Ulm, Germany and with Dr. Ashok Kumar at the Advanced Materials Research Lab at the University of South Florida to produce reliable NanoCrystalline Diamond films and apply in RF MEMS circuits. The advantages of using diamond films in MEMS circuits are -

• High power handling capability

• Extreme high temperature operation (hundreds of °C), compatible with high power RF technologies (SiC, GaN) resulting in Improved RF Switch Reliability

• Hardness and thermal conductivity will minimize contact wear, surface hardening and cold welding

• Lack of oxidation will minimize charge trapping and stiction

• High Young’s modulus will increase switching speed

                   Additional applications include High power terminations (loads, attenuators) and Integrated diamond/BST phase shifters

Research on diamond based RF MEMS is still in its nascent stages. Click here to see a poster on the basics of diamond film synthesis and characterization. More conclusive results are expected soon. Please check back in a few months.

RF Microsystems Group

A part of the Center for Wireless and Microwave and Information Systems, USF