Bendable high-frequency microwave switches formed with single-crystal silicon nanomembranes on plastic substrates

This letter presents realization of bendable rf switches operating at microwave frequencies formed with single-crystal Si nanomembranes (SiNMs) on a plastic substrate. Selectively doped 200-nm-thick SiNM is lifted off from silicon-on-insulator and transferred to a polymer substrate to form lateral P-intrinsic-N (PIN) diodes with minimized parasitic resistances. A single-pole single-throw switch, consisting of two PIN diodes connected in a shunt-series configuration, demonstrated very low insertion loss and high isolation from dc up to 20 GHz. The level of performance indicates a promise of properly processed single-crystal semiconductor nanomembranes for high-frequency applications in a number of consumer and military systems.