SBIR Phase II: Low Cost, High Bandwidth RF Switch

这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目旨在开发用于射频（RF）微机电系统（MEMS）开关的微金属球（MMS）制造技术。目标应用是可用于包括手机在内的无线通信系统的高带宽RF开关和数字可调谐RF模块。MMS技术与传统的悬臂或桥式MEMS开关的区别在于，它不具有悬挂元件，并且在开关致动中不涉及恢复力。在传统的MEMS开关中，随着时间的推移，恢复力通常不能克服界面力，并导致导致永久故障的臭名昭著的静摩擦。由于MMS开关设计为自由体开关，因此不会受到机械磨损，也可能不会受到静摩擦。此外，MMS技术可以提供一种非常具有成本效益的封装解决方案，取代常用的劳动密集型和昂贵的晶圆级封装技术。由于MMS技术与传统的硅CMOS技术集成友好，它可以放置在任何CMOS IC的顶部。因此，MMS技术的预期益处扩展到尺寸减小。此外，MMS技术有望将激活电压降低到10 V以下。Nano Liquid Devices（NLD）是第一家发明和开发RF-MMS工艺和成本效益封装技术的美国公司，该技术将使移动的手机制造商能够设计更小、更低成本的智能手机、入门级手机和其他移动的设备，这将加速手机和计算的融合，以迎接下一波移动的创新。NLD的技术将使低成本的智能手机成为可能，这将补充和取代移动的商务人士和学生的笔记本电脑，他们可以在任何地方访问数据和通信，用于工作、学习、社交网络和娱乐。 2011年将生产约15亿部手机，其中67%将是多频段手机，因此全球影响将是巨大的。NLD的RF-MMS技术将为全球普通用户提供更快、更好的集成语音、文本和视频的手机通信。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase-II project is aimed at developing Micro Metal Sphere (MMS) fabrication technology for Radio-Frequency (RF) Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS) switch. The target applications are high-bandwidth RF switches and digitally-tunable RF modules that can be used in wireless communication systems including cell phone. The MMS technology is distinguished from conventional cantilever or bridge type MEMS switches in that it does not have suspended element and no restoring force is involved in the switch actuation. In conventional MEMS switches, the restoring force is often not able to overcome interfacial forces over time and causes the infamous stiction that leads to permanent failure. Since the MMS switch is designed to switch with free body, it does not suffer from mechanical wear and possibly free from stiction. In addition, the MMS technology can provide an extremely cost effective packaging solution replacing commonly used labor intensive and costly wafer level packaging technology. Since the MMS technology is integration-friendly with conventional silicon CMOS technology, it can be placed on top of any CMOS IC. Therefore, anticipated benefit with the MMS technology extends to size reduction. Also the MMS technology is expected to lower the activation voltage below 10V.Nano Liquid Devices (NLD) is the first U.S. company invented and developed RF-MMS process and cost effective packaging technologies that will enable mobile phone makers to design smaller, lower-cost smart phones, entry-level handsets and other mobile devices, which will accelerate the convergence of cell phones and computing for the next wave of mobile innovations. NLD's technology will enable lower-cost smart phones, which will complement and replace notebook PCs among mobile business people and students who access data and communications anywhere for work, study, social networking, and entertainment. About 1.5 billion cell phones will be produced in 2011, of which 67% will be multiband handsets, so the global impact will be enormous. NLD's RF-MMS technology will enable faster, better cell phone communications integrating voice, text and video for the average user worldwide.