MEMS Parallel Plate Beam Actuator: Correlation Study of Pull-In Voltage and Dielectric Layer Beyond 1µm Displacement

MEMS parallel plate beam actuators can be comprehended within pull-in with the existence of an intermediate dielectric layer, which has a major outcome of the performance of such actuators. In this research, MEMS parallel plate actuator with an intermediate dielectric layer was simulated to study the relationship between pull-in voltage and thickness of the dielectric layer. Higher dielectric thickness gives more regular and predictable behavior, thus variable dielectric thickness was tested with a view to obtaining desired characteristic beyond pull-in. Many MEMS devices operate beyond pull-in, e.g., capacitive switches, zipper varactors, and coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonators. The actuator designed consists of two parallel plate electrodes with a dielectric layer in between, and dielectric layer with varying thickness were simulated using Intellsuite in order to observe pull-in voltage beyond 1µm displacement required