Distributed 2- and 3-bit W-Band MEMS phase shifters on glass substrates

This paper presents state-of-the-art RF microelectromechanical (MEMS) phase shifters at 75-110 GHz based on the distributed microelectromechanical transmission-line (DMTL) concept. A 3-bit DMTL phase shifter, fabricated on a glass substrate using MEMS switches and coplanar-waveguide lines, results in an average loss of 2.7 dB at 78 GHz (0.9 dB/bit). The measured figure-of-merit performance is 93degrees/dB-100degrees/dB (equivalent to 0.9 dB/bit) of loss at 75-110 GHz. The associated phase error is +/-3degrees (rms phase error is 1.56degrees) and the reflection loss is below - 10 dB over all eight states. A 2-bit phase shifter is also demonstrated with comparable performance to the 3-bit design. It is seen that the phase shifter can be accurately modeled using a combination of full-wave electromagnetic and microwave circuit analysis, thereby making the design quite easy up to 110 GHz. These results represent the best phase-shifter performance to date using any technology at W-band frequencies. Careful analysis indicates that the 75-110-GHz figure-of-merit performance becomes 150degrees/dB-200degrees/dB, and the 3-bit average insertion loss improves to 1.8-2.1 dB if the phase shifter is fabricated on quartz substrates.