JP2000348594A - Micro machine switch and manufacture thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To actuate a micro-machine switch at low drive voltage and suppress warpage of a contact electrode by providing an intermediate electrode arranged opposed to a lower electrode on a flexible girder member supported by a support member on a substrate and providing the girder member with a reinforcing member arranged opposed to the contact electrode in the opposite side of a face, having the contact electrode in a position opposed to a gap. SOLUTION: An upper electrode 9 (a part of a girder member) composed of silicon is provided in the tip of a cantilever arm 8. The upper electrode 9 is set opposed to a lower electrode 4 on a substrate 1 via spatial clearance. An intermediate electrode 15 is provided on an insulating member 6 so as to be opposed to the lower electrode 15. The provision of the intermediate electrode 15 can substantially shorten the distance between the upper electrode 9 and the lower electrode 4, so that the drive voltage of a switch can be reduced. A reinforcing member 10 mode of silicon is provided in the upper side of the insulating member 6 opposed to the contact electrode 5, and warpages due to strain generated between the contact electrode 5 and the insulating member 6 can be suppressed to be small.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a micromachine switch and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a micromachine switch capable of turning on / off a wide signal frequency from DC (direct current) to gigahertz or more, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a "fine electromechanical switch" by Yun Jason Yao of Rockwell International Corporation (JP-A-9-17300).
The prior art will be described by taking the invention described in (1) as an example.

FIG. 18 shows a plan view (a) of a micromachine switch disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-17300 and a sectional view taken along line EE ′. As shown in the figure, an anchor structure 52 made of thermosetting polyimide and a lower electrode 53 made of gold are provided on a substrate 51 made of gallium arsenide.
And a signal line 54 made of gold.

A cantilever arm 55 made of a silicon oxide film is provided on the anchor structure 52. The cantilever arm 55 extends to the position of the signal line 54 beyond the lower electrode 53. They are opposed to each other via a spatial gap.

On the upper side of the cantilever arm 55, an upper electrode 56 made of aluminum is connected to the lower electrode 53 by the anchor structure 52.
Are manufactured up to a position opposed to. A contact electrode 57 made of gold is provided below the cantilever arm 55 at a position facing the signal line 54.

When a voltage of 30 V is applied between the upper electrode 56 and the lower electrode 53 in the micromachine switch having such a structure, the upper electrode 56 is attracted toward the substrate (downward by the arrow 58) by the electrostatic force. Works.
Therefore, the cantilever arm 55 is deformed toward the substrate, and the contact electrode 57 contacts both ends of the signal line 54.

In a normal state, as shown in FIG. 19B, a gap is provided between the contact electrode 57 and the signal line 54, so that the two signal lines 54 are separated from each other. Therefore, when no voltage is applied to the lower electrode 53, no current flows through the signal line 54.

However, when a voltage is applied to the lower electrode 53 and the contact electrode 57 is in contact with the signal line 54, the two signal lines 54 are short-circuited and a current can flow between them. Therefore, by applying a voltage to the lower electrode 53, on / off of a current or a signal passing through the signal line 54 can be controlled.

However, in order to reduce the loss of the switch, it is important that the upper electrode 56 and the contact electrode 57 be electrically insulated sufficiently. That is, if the upper electrode 56 and the contact electrode 57 are electrically short-circuited, a signal (including DC) flowing through the signal line 54 also flows out to the upper electrode 56.

Further, even if the upper electrode 56 and the contact electrode 57 are not short-circuited, in a state where the capacitance is considerably large, an AC signal flowing through the signal line 54 is still applied to the upper electrode 5.
6 and leak to the outside. Thus, the upper electrode 56
When the insulation between the electrode and the contact electrode 57 is not sufficient, signal leakage increases and the characteristics of the switch deteriorate.

[0011]

However, it has been found that the above-mentioned conventional micromachine switch has the following problems. Switch on (ie,
In order for the contact electrode 57 to come into contact with the signal line 54), a sufficient voltage must be applied between the upper electrode 56 and the lower electrode 53 so as to generate an electrostatic force exceeding the restoring force of the cantilever arm 55. is necessary. At this time, the electrostatic force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the upper electrode 56 and the lower electrode 53 (more precisely, the value obtained by subtracting the thickness of the cantilever arm 55 from this distance). It is important to design the distance to be small.

By the way, in the structure of the conventional example, FIG.
As shown in (b), the distance between the upper electrode 56 and the lower electrode 53 is larger than the distance between the contact electrode 57 and the signal line 54 in addition to the thickness of the cantilever arm 55.
Increase by the thickness of For example, in order to reduce signal loss in high frequency applications, the thickness of the contact electrode 57 and the signal line 54 needs to be about 2 μm.

When turned off, the signal line 54 and the contact electrode 57 are turned off.
In order to reduce the capacitive coupling between the two, it is necessary to provide a configuration in which both are separated by 4 μm or more. For this reason, the upper electrode 5
6 and the lower electrode 53 are spaced apart by about 6 μm in addition to the thickness of the cantilever arm 8.

At this time, if the area where the upper electrode 56 and the lower electrode 53 overlap is set to 10,000 μm ^2, and the width of the cantilever arm 8 is set to 20 μm and the length is set to 130 μm, about 1 μm is required.
It has been confirmed by the present inventors that a voltage as high as 00 V is required. Of course, it is possible to design the restoring force of the cantilever arm 8 to be small by increasing the length or the width of the cantilever arm 8. Alternatively, the cantilever arm 8 may be damaged during operation of the device.

On the other hand, by increasing the area where the upper electrode 56 and the lower electrode 53 overlap, a large electrostatic force can be generated and the applied voltage can be reduced. Would. In the conventional example, the applied voltage is reduced by such a method. However, this method obviously has the cost of increasing the size of the entire device, and there is a great limitation on miniaturization of the switch.

Further, since a voltage as high as 100 V is required, it is necessary to improve the film quality of the cantilever arm 8 so that the device is not destroyed by dielectric breakdown. However, in a method in which the cantilever arm 8 of the oxide film is formed on the contact electrode 57 made of gold by a low-temperature deposition process (a plasma CVD process at 250 ° C. or lower) as in the conventional example, sufficient withstand voltage characteristics are obtained. It is difficult to form an oxide film having the same.

Further, when the applied voltage increases, the power consumed by the driving circuit increases, so that the conventional microswitch cannot be applied particularly to an application such as an antenna in which a large number of switches are arranged. I understood.

Further, in the conventional manufacturing process, there is a problem that the contact electrode is warped and hits one side against the signal line.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a micromachine switch operable at a lower driving voltage than a conventional one and a method of manufacturing the same. Another object of the present invention is to improve the device characteristics by increasing the withstand voltage characteristics of the insulator film in case that the applied voltage cannot be reduced. Another object of the present invention is to suppress the warpage of the contact electrode.

[0020]

In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of a micromachine switch according to the present invention includes a first signal line provided on a substrate, and a first signal line provided on the substrate; A micromachine switch for controlling conduction / non-conduction between a first signal line and a second signal line provided with an end at a predetermined gap from an end of the first signal line. A flexible beam member supported on the substrate by a support member provided as above, a contact electrode provided at a position on the substrate side of the beam member at least facing the gap, and A lower electrode provided to face a part of the beam member, and an intermediate electrode provided to the beam member to face the lower electrode, wherein the beam member has a surface on which the contact electrode is provided. Opposite side of , In which the contact electrode and the counter to the reinforcing member.

Further, the present invention includes the following configuration as another embodiment. That is, the conductive member is made of a semiconductor material. Further, the semiconductor material is a single crystal semiconductor. Further, the semiconductor material is an amorphous semiconductor or a polycrystalline semiconductor. Further, the angle formed on the surface of the connecting portion between the support member and the beam member is an obtuse angle. Further, the contact electrode is provided in the first electrode.
And an insulating film capable of being capacitively connected to the second signal line.

Further, the substrate is a glass substrate or a ceramic substrate. Further, the substrate is a gallium arsenide substrate. Further, the intermediate electrode is electrically short-circuited with the conductive member forming the beam member, and the conductive member forming the beam member is in an electrically floating state. Further, the lower electrode is constituted by a plurality of electrodes having the same area facing the conductive member constituting the beam member.

Further, a part of the conductive member constituting the beam member is constituted by a plurality of electrodes having equal areas facing the lower electrode. Further, both the part of the conductive member constituting the beam member and the lower electrode are constituted by a plurality of electrodes having equal areas facing each other. Further, the micromachine switch is used for a phased array antenna device.
In addition, a plurality of beam members that support the same contact electrode and a plurality of support members that support these beam members are provided. Further, the beam member has a multilayer structure made of at least two or more materials.

Next, a method for manufacturing a micromachine switch according to the present invention includes the steps of: providing a first signal line provided on a substrate;
A method of manufacturing a micromachine switch for controlling conduction / non-conduction between a second signal line provided on the substrate and having an end provided at a predetermined gap from an end of the first signal line. Forming a lower electrode on the substrate, a supporting member having a beam member having flexibility at a predetermined height, a contact electrode provided on the beam member, and a contact electrode provided on the beam member. Bonding a member made of an intermediate electrode onto the substrate in a state where the contact electrode faces the gap and is separated from the first and second signal lines. A reinforcing member is provided on a surface opposite to the surface on which the electrode is provided, facing the contact electrode.

Further, the present invention includes the following configuration as another embodiment. That is, the present invention includes aspects similar to those of the above-described micromachine switch regarding the configuration of each unit.

As described above, according to the present invention, by providing the intermediate electrode, the drive voltage of the switch is reduced by substantially shortening the distance between a part of the beam member (upper electrode) and the lower electrode. Things. For example, an intermediate electrode having the same thickness as the contact electrode is provided below the upper electrode with the insulator film interposed therebetween. It is assumed that this intermediate electrode is not directly connected to an external voltage circuit. Voltage (V) between upper electrode and lower electrode
Is applied, the potential of the intermediate electrode is calculated from the following equation.

V · C ₁ / (C ₁ + C ₂ )

Here, the capacitance between the intermediate electrode and the upper electrode is C ₁ , and the capacitance between the intermediate electrode and the lower electrode is C _{1
And 2} . Since C ₁ is larger than C ₂ , the potential of the intermediate electrode is almost equal to that of the upper electrode.

When this intermediate electrode is applied to the case of the above-mentioned conventional example, the distance between the intermediate electrode and the lower electrode is equal to 4 μm, which is the distance between the contact electrode and the signal line. At this time, the distance between the electrodes to which the voltage is applied is substantially 2/3 (= 4
[Μm] / 6 [μm]), the required voltage can be reduced to about 67 V, which is ２ of the conventional example.

Furthermore, since this intermediate electrode can be produced simultaneously with the production of the contact electrode, it is notable that the production cost of the device is not increased at all. The structure of the intermediate electrode can be variously modified as described in detail in the following embodiments, and each has a significant feature.

As described above, the present invention can be driven with an applied voltage lower than that of the related art, and can improve the device characteristics by increasing the breakdown voltage characteristics of the insulator film.

[0032]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a reference example.

Reference Example 1 FIG. 1 shows a plan view (a) of Reference Example 1 and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA 'of FIG. As shown in the drawing, in the present reference example, a switch body 14 made of silicon is placed on a glass substrate 1 having a large dielectric constant.
And a lower electrode 4 made of gold and a signal line 3 made of gold. An earth plate 2 is formed on the back surface of the substrate 1.

The switch body 14 has an integral structure of the supporting member 7, the cantilever arm 8, and the upper electrode 9. From the support member 7, two cantilever arms 8 made of silicon extend substantially horizontally with respect to the substrate surface. The two cantilever arms 8 can reduce the rotational movement of the arm as compared with a single arm in the conventional example, and help prevent a contact of the switch with one side. However, the number of the cantilever arms 8 may be changed according to the conditions. In this embodiment, one and two or more cantilever arms 8 are provided.
Are included.

In the connection portion between the support member 7 and the cantilever arm 8, angles α, β
Are preferably adjusted so as to satisfy obtuse angles (90 ° <α, β <180 °). By doing so, the strength of the cantilever arm 8 can be increased, and 1M
The switching operation of a high frequency such as Hz or more is enabled.

An upper electrode 9 made of silicon is provided at the tip of the cantilever arm 8. The upper electrode 9 faces the lower electrode 4 via a spatial gap. The support member 7 is connected to a signal line 3 a formed on the substrate 1, and the signal line 3 a is electrically connected to the upper electrode 9 via the support member 7 and the cantilever arm 8. .

The insulating member 6 made of an insulating film such as a silicon dioxide or silicon nitride film is
From the position facing the lower electrode 4 to the position facing the signal line 3. A contact electrode 5 made of gold is provided at a position below the insulating member 6 facing the signal line 3. Similarly, an intermediate electrode 15 is provided on the insulating member 6 so as to face the lower electrode 4.

By providing the insulating member 6 in this manner, a short circuit between the contact electrode 5 and the upper electrode 9 can be prevented. However, the insulating member 6 is provided at least between the contact electrode 5 and the upper electrode 9 and between the intermediate electrode 15 and the upper electrode 9.
It should be between When switching a high-frequency signal, the surface of the contact electrode 5 may be covered with an insulating film as long as the signal line 3 can be capacitively coupled. Conversely, signal line 3
May be covered with an insulator film.

As described above, since the upper electrode 9 which is thicker than the cantilever arm 8 is provided above the insulating member 6 facing the contact electrode 5, the contact electrode 5 and the insulating member 6 Warpage due to distortion generated during the process can be suppressed. Therefore, the contact electrode 5 can be constantly kept parallel to the substrate 1, and an increase in contact resistance due to one contact can be suppressed.

Here, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When a voltage of 70 V is applied between the upper electrode 9 and the lower electrode 4 via the signal line 3a, an attractive force acts on the upper electrode 9 toward the substrate (downward) due to the electrostatic force. For this reason, the cantilever arm 8 bends downward and the contact electrode 5 comes into contact with the signal line 3.

The signal line 3 is provided with a gap at a position facing the contact electrode 5 as shown in FIG. Therefore, no current flows through the signal line 3 when no voltage is applied, but current can flow through the signal line 3 when the voltage is applied and the contact electrode 5 is in contact with the signal line 3. As described above, the ON / OFF of the current or the signal passing through the signal line 3 can be controlled by applying the voltage to the lower electrode 4. When a signal of 30 GHz is handled, the conventional H
While the insertion loss of the EMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor) switch was 3 to 4 dB, the switch of the present embodiment obtained a result of 2.5 dB.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the upper electrode 9 is electrically connected to the conductive support member 7 via the conductive cantilever arm 8, it is easy to apply a voltage to the upper electrode 9. Can be done. However, the upper electrode 9 may be in an electrically floating state. In that case, the signal line 3a is unnecessary, and only a voltage needs to be applied to the lower electrode 4 to operate the switch.

Further, the support member 7, the cantilever arm 8, and the upper electrode 9 can be made of a semiconductor in which impurities are partially or wholly diffused. In that case, the current flowing between the upper electrode 9 and the lower electrode 4 during the operation of the switch is:
Since they are extremely small, it is not necessary to precisely control the content of these semiconductor impurities.

Further, as described in the following manufacturing method, it is easy to control the thickness of the cantilever arm 8 to be thinner than other components. By controlling the thickness of each element in this manner, a soft cantilever arm 8 can be manufactured in a component having high rigidity. Therefore, in the case of an element having high rigidity, the deformation at the time of applying a voltage is performed horizontally with respect to the substrate 1, and most of the deformation is performed by the thin cantilever arm 8. This helps to keep the switch hitting low.

However, the present invention includes a case where the thickness of the upper electrode 9 is the same as that of the cantilever arm 8. Such a structure has an advantage that the manufacturing method is simplified.

Table 1 shows typical dimensions of this embodiment.

[0047]

[Table 1]

Here, the width is the length in the vertical direction with respect to the plan view of FIG. 1A, the length is the length in the horizontal direction with respect to the plan view of FIG. The length in the vertical direction is shown for the cross-sectional view of FIG. Further, the intermediate electrode 15 and the lower electrode 4
Is 4 μm. However, these dimensions are to be designed according to the individual application, and are not limited to the above numerical values. In the present invention, a wide range of design is possible due to the increased design flexibility. For example, if the thickness of the intermediate electrode 15 is designed to be slightly smaller than that of the contact electrode 5, the contact force between the contact electrode 5 and the signal line 3 increases, and the contact resistance between them decreases. This can be said to be a design particularly suitable for a switch for turning on / off a DC signal.

If the thickness of the intermediate electrode 15 is designed to be slightly thicker than the contact electrode 5, the contact electrode 5 does not directly contact the signal line 3 even when the switch is turned on. However, resistive contact is not always necessary for high frequency applications,
Because it is possible to transmit signals even with capacitive contacts,
The contact electrode 5 does not need to directly touch the signal line 3. In this case, since the contact electrode 5 does not directly touch the signal line 3, there is an advantage that mechanical wear can be suppressed low and the life of the switch can be maintained long.

Further, as an example of the switch driving method, a voltage is applied between the lower electrode 4 and the supporting member 7 which is electrically short-circuited to the upper electrode 9, but the potential of the supporting member 7 is not necessarily fixed. In addition, the switch can be operated only by applying a voltage to the lower electrode 4 only. At this time, the potential of the support member 7 (that is, the upper electrode 9) is not fixed but floats. In such a state, the voltage of the upper electrode 9 is usually influenced by the surrounding potential, and it is possible to make the state close to the ground voltage by arranging the ground line around the upper electrode 9. In addition, the arrangement of the ground line is generally provided near the switch body 14. As described above, when the potential of the support member 7 is floated, the trouble of providing the wiring on the support member 7 can be omitted, and thus there is an advantage that the wiring of the device is simplified as a whole.

Here, a manufacturing process of the micromachine switch according to FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 2 and 3
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a manufacturing process of the micromachine switch according to FIG. 1. The manufacturing process will be described sequentially.

First, as shown in FIG. 2A, a pattern 1 made of a silicon dioxide film is formed on a substrate 11 made of silicon.
2 to form tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMA
The substrate 11 is etched by about 6 μm using an etching solution such as H). Here, as the substrate 11, (100)
When silicon having a main surface as the main surface is used, the (111) plane has a trapezoidal shape with the side surfaces exposed after etching due to the plane orientation dependence of the etching rate.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, a new pattern 13 is formed on the substrate 1, boron is diffused into a region without the mask by using the pattern 13 as a mask, and then deep diffusion of boron is performed. For example, thermal diffusion is performed at 1150 ° C. for about 10 hours. At this time, high-concentration boron is diffused to a depth of about 10 μm. As a result, the support member 7 and the upper electrode 9 are manufactured.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2 (c), after removing the pattern 13 in the area corresponding to the cantilever arm 8,
Using the remaining pattern 13 as a mask, boron is diffused into a region without the mask. As a result, a switch body 14 including the support member 7, the cantilever arm 8, and the upper electrode 9 is completed. In this case, to diffuse boron shallowly,
For example, thermal diffusion is performed at 1150 ° C. for about 2 hours. At this time, high concentration boron is diffused to a depth of about 2 μm.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2D, the upper electrode 9 has a silicon dioxide of 1 μm and a nitride film of 0.05 μm.
The insulating member 6 made of is manufactured.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3E, the contact electrode 5 and the intermediate electrode 15 are formed on the insulating member 6 by using gold plating.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (f), the substrate 11 thus manufactured was placed on the lower electrode 4 made of gold.
And the signal lines 3 and 3a made of gold. This substrate 1 is prepared in advance in a step separate from the above-described silicon process. After that, the support member 7 is bonded onto the substrate 1. At this time, electrostatic bonding technology can be used for bonding silicon and glass.

Finally, as shown in FIG.
1 is introduced into an etching solution having a high boron concentration selectivity such as ethylenediamine pyrocatechol, and a portion where boron is not diffused is dissolved. As a result, a micromachine switch can be manufactured on the substrate 1.

If the substrate 1 is made of ceramic, gallium arsenide, or the like, the support member 7 can be bonded to these substrates using an adhesive. Alternatively, apply 2 to 5 μm of glass on the surface of these substrates.
If m is sputtered, it is also possible to use electrostatic bonding technology.

As described above, in this embodiment, the switch main body 14 including the cantilever arm 8 and the like is manufactured by etching the single crystal silicon substrate. As described above, this embodiment has an advantage that a structure with the highest mechanical characteristics can be manufactured by using a single crystal as a material.

Further, since the cantilever arm 8 is made of only a single crystal, warpage due to the thermal expansion coefficient does not occur as compared with a structure in which a plurality of materials are bonded as in the conventional example. That is, the change in the coefficient of thermal expansion of the cantilever arm 8 along the direction orthogonal to the surface of the substrate 1 is symmetrical between the substrate surface side and the opposite surface side.
Warpage is suppressed.

On the other hand, other than the method described here, the substrate 1
It is also possible to fabricate a switch having the structure of the present invention by depositing various thin films thereon and using selective etching. For example, the switch body 14 is not made of single-crystal silicon but is made of amorphous silicon, polysilicon, or a high-resistance semiconductor material (such as GaAs or iron-doped InP).
It may be produced by using. Further, the switch body 14 may be made of a metal such as gold or aluminum instead of a semiconductor.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 4 shows a plan view (a) of the first embodiment of the present invention and a sectional view (b) taken along the line BB 'of the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, a support member 7 made of silicon, a lower electrode 4 made of gold, and a signal line 3 made of gold are provided on a glass substrate 1 having a large dielectric constant. ing. An earth plate 2 is formed on the back surface of the substrate 1.

The switch body 14 has an integral structure of the support member 7, the cantilever arm 8, and the upper electrode 9. From the support member 7, two cantilever arms 8 made of silicon extend substantially horizontally with respect to the substrate surface. The two cantilever arms 8 can reduce the rotational movement of the arm as compared with a single arm in the conventional example, and help prevent a contact of the switch with one side. However, the number of the cantilever arms 8 may be changed according to conditions, and the present invention includes a structure having one and two or more cantilever arms 8.

In the connection between the support member 7 and the cantilever arm 8, the angles α, β
Are preferably adjusted so as to satisfy obtuse angles (90 ° <α, β <180 °). By doing so, the strength of the cantilever arm 8 can be increased, and 1M
The switching operation of a high frequency such as Hz or more is enabled.

An upper electrode 9 made of silicon is provided at the tip of the cantilever arm 8. The upper electrode 9 faces the lower electrode 4 via a spatial gap. The support member 7 is connected to a signal line 3 a formed on the substrate 1, and the signal line 3 a is electrically connected to the upper electrode 9 via the support member 7 and the cantilever arm 8. .

The insulating member 6 made of an insulating film such as a silicon dioxide or silicon nitride film is
And extends to a position facing the signal line 3. A contact electrode 5 made of gold is provided at a position below the insulating member 6 facing the signal line 3. Similarly, an intermediate electrode 15 is provided on the insulating member 6 so as to face the lower electrode 4. When switching a high-frequency signal, the surface of the contact electrode 5 may be covered with an insulating film as long as it can be capacitively coupled to the signal line 3. Conversely, the signal line 3 may be covered with an insulator film.

A reinforcing member 10 made of silicon is provided above the insulating member 6 facing the contact electrode 5. This is provided in order to suppress warpage due to distortion generated between the contact electrode 5 and the insulating member 6. Thus, by providing the reinforcing member 10,
The contact electrode 5 can always keep a state parallel to the substrate 1 and can suppress an increase in contact resistance due to a contact. The reinforcing member 10 is not always necessary depending on the material and the thickness of the insulating member 6, and a structure without such a member is also included in the present invention.

Here, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When a voltage of 30 V is applied between the upper electrode 9 and the lower electrode 4, an attractive force acts on the upper electrode 9 toward the substrate (downward) due to the electrostatic force. For this reason, the cantilever arm 8 bends downward and the contact electrode 5 comes into contact with the signal line 3.

The signal line 3 has a gap at a position facing the contact electrode 5 as shown in FIG. 4B. Therefore, no current flows through the signal line 3 when no voltage is applied, but current can flow through the signal line 3 when the voltage is applied and the contact electrode 5 is in contact with the signal line 3. As described above, the ON / OFF of the current or the signal passing through the signal line 3 can be controlled by applying the voltage to the lower electrode 4. When a signal of 30 GHz is handled, the conventional H
While the insertion loss of an EMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor) switch was 3 to 4 dB, the switch of the present embodiment obtained a result of 0.2 dB.

In the present embodiment, since the upper electrode 9 is electrically connected to the conductive support member 7 via the conductive cantilever arm 8, voltage can be easily applied to the upper electrode 9. be able to. However, the upper electrode 9 may be in an electrically floating state. In this case, the signal line 3a is unnecessary, and the lower electrode 4 is required to operate the switch.
It is only necessary to apply a voltage to.

The support member 7, the cantilever arm 8, the upper electrode 9, and the reinforcing member 10 can be made of a semiconductor in which impurities are partially or wholly diffused. In this case, since the current flowing between the upper electrode 9 and the lower electrode 4 when the switch operates is extremely small, it is not necessary to precisely control the impurity content of these semiconductors.

Further, as described in the following manufacturing method, it is easy to control the thickness of the cantilever arm 8 to be thinner than other components. By controlling the thickness of each element in this manner, a soft cantilever arm 8 can be manufactured in a component having high rigidity. In the case of an element having high rigidity, the deformation at the time of applying a voltage is performed horizontally with respect to the substrate 1, and most of the deformation is performed by the thin cantilever arm 8. This helps to keep the switch hitting low.

However, the present invention includes a case where the thickness of the upper electrode 9 and the reinforcing member 10 is the same as that of the cantilever arm 8. Such a structure has an advantage that the manufacturing method is simplified.

Table 2 shows typical dimensions of the present embodiment.

[0076]

[Table 2]

Here, the width is the length in the vertical direction with respect to the plan view of FIG. 4A, the length is the length in the horizontal direction with respect to the plan view of FIG. The length in the vertical direction is shown for the cross-sectional view of FIG. Further, the intermediate electrode 15 and the lower electrode 4
Is 4 μm. However, these dimensions are to be designed according to the individual application, and are not limited to the above numerical values. In the present invention, a wide range of design is possible due to the increased design flexibility. For example, if the thickness of the intermediate electrode 15 is designed to be slightly smaller than that of the contact electrode 5, the contact force between the contact electrode 5 and the signal line 3 increases, and the contact resistance between them decreases. This can be said to be a design particularly suitable for a switch for turning on / off a DC signal.

If the thickness of the intermediate electrode 15 is designed to be slightly thicker than the contact electrode 5, the contact electrode 5 does not directly contact the signal line 3 even when the switch is turned on. However, resistive contact is not always necessary for high frequency applications,
Because it is possible to transmit signals even with capacitive contacts,
The contact electrode 5 does not need to directly touch the signal line 3. In this case, since the contact electrode 5 does not directly touch the signal line 3, there is an advantage that mechanical wear can be suppressed low and the life of the switch can be maintained long.

Further, as an example of the switch driving method, a voltage is applied between the lower electrode 4 and the supporting member 7 which is electrically short-circuited to the upper electrode 9, but the potential of the supporting member 7 is not necessarily fixed. In addition, the switch can be operated only by applying a voltage to the lower electrode 4 only. At this time, the potential of the support member 7 (that is, the upper electrode 9) is not fixed but floats. In such a state, the voltage of the upper electrode 9 is usually influenced by the surrounding potential, and it is possible to make the state close to the ground voltage by arranging the ground line around the upper electrode 9. In addition, the arrangement of the ground line is generally provided near the switch body 14. As described above, when the potential of the support member 7 is floated, the trouble of providing the wiring on the support member 7 can be omitted, and thus there is an advantage that the wiring of the device is simplified as a whole.

Here, a manufacturing process of the micromachine switch according to FIG. 4 will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 5 and 6
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a manufacturing step of the micromachine switch according to FIG. 4. The manufacturing process will be described sequentially.

First, as shown in FIG. 5A, a pattern 1 made of a silicon dioxide film is formed on a substrate 11 made of silicon.
2 to form tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMA
The substrate 11 is etched by about 6 μm using an etching solution such as H). Here, as the substrate 11, (100)
When silicon having a main surface as the main surface is used, the (111) plane has a trapezoidal shape with the side surfaces exposed after etching due to the plane orientation dependence of the etching rate.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, a new pattern 13 is formed on the substrate 1 and boron is diffused into a region without the mask using the pattern 13 as a mask. For example, thermal diffusion is performed at 1150 ° C. for about 10 hours. At this time, high-concentration boron is diffused to a depth of about 10 μm. As a result, the support member 7, the upper electrode 9, and the reinforcing member 10 are manufactured.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, the pattern 13 in the region corresponding to the cantilever arm is removed, and then the remaining pattern 13 is used as a mask to diffuse boron into the region without the mask. As a result, a switch body 14 including the support member 7, the cantilever arm 8, and the upper electrode 9 is completed. In this case, in order to perform shallow diffusion of boron, thermal diffusion is performed at, for example, 1150 ° C. for about 2 hours. At this time, high concentration boron is diffused to a depth of about 2 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5D, from the upper electrode 9 to the reinforcing member 10, silicon dioxide 1 μm
Then, an insulating member 6 made of a nitride film having a thickness of 0.05 μm is manufactured.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6E, the contact electrode 5 and the intermediate electrode 15 are formed on the insulating member 6 facing the reinforcing member 10 by using gold plating.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (f), the substrate 11 thus manufactured was placed on the lower electrode 4 made of gold.
And the signal lines 3 and 3a made of gold. This substrate 1 is prepared in advance in a step separate from the above-described silicon process. After that, the support member 7 is bonded onto the substrate 1. At this time, electrostatic bonding technology can be used for bonding silicon and glass.

Finally, as shown in FIG.
1 is introduced into an etching solution having a high boron concentration selectivity such as ethylenediamine pyrocatechol, and a portion where boron is not diffused is dissolved. As a result, a micromachine switch can be manufactured on the substrate 1.

If the substrate 1 is made of ceramic, gallium arsenide, or the like, the support member 7 can be bonded to these substrates using an adhesive. Alternatively, apply 2 to 5 μm of glass on the surface of these substrates.
If about m is sputtered, it is possible to use electrostatic bonding technology.

As described above, in this embodiment, the switch main body 14 including the cantilever arm 7 and the like is manufactured by etching the single crystal silicon substrate. As described above, this embodiment has an advantage that a structure with the highest mechanical characteristics can be manufactured by using a single crystal as a material.

Further, since the cantilever arm 8 is made of only a single crystal, warpage due to the coefficient of thermal expansion does not occur as compared with a structure in which a plurality of materials are bonded as in the conventional example. That is, the change in the coefficient of thermal expansion of the cantilever arm 8 along the direction orthogonal to the surface of the substrate 1 is symmetrical between the substrate surface side and the opposite surface side.
Warpage is suppressed.

On the other hand, besides the method described here, the substrate 1
It is also possible to fabricate a switch having the structure of the present invention by depositing various thin films thereon and using selective etching. For example, the switch body 14 and the reinforcing member 10 may be formed using amorphous silicon, polysilicon, or a high-resistance semiconductor material (such as GaAs or iron-doped InP) instead of single-crystal silicon. Further, the switch body 14 and the reinforcing member 10 may be manufactured using a metal such as gold or aluminum instead of a semiconductor.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 7 shows a plan view (a) and a sectional view (b) of a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the components having the same reference numerals as those in FIG.
Indicates that the components are the same or equivalent.

This embodiment is significantly different from the second embodiment in that the insulating member 6b extends from the end face of the upper electrode 9. The insulating member 6b can be formed by an insulating thin film such as an oxide film or a nitride film, but can be formed by using the same semiconductor material as the upper electrode 9. In this case, the insulating member 6 is made of, for example, a high-resistance semiconductor material (GaAs, InP doped with iron, or the like).
b, cantilever arm 8 and upper electrode 9 excluding b
A method of lowering the resistance by diffusing impurities only into the impurity, a method of implanting ions such as oxygen into the region of the insulating member 6b, and increasing the resistance can be used. In the present embodiment, the reinforcing member 10 is provided at a position facing the contact electrode 5, but a structure without such a member is also included in the present invention.

The reinforcing member 10 may have either low resistance or high resistance. In the present embodiment, an insulating member 6a is provided below the upper electrode 9 separately from the insulating member 6b. This is to prevent a short circuit from occurring when the voltage is applied between the upper electrode 9 and the lower electrode 4 due to contact with each other. This insulating member 6a
Is preferably thinner than the contact electrode 5.

In the present embodiment, the insulating member 6b is located above the substrate 1 as compared with the first embodiment, so that the contact electrode 5 and the signal line 3
And a large gap can be obtained. For this reason, the off-state capacitance is reduced, and the off-state leakage current can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, a glass substrate has been described as a specific example of the substrate 1. Glass substrates are cheaper than gallium arsenide substrates and are promising materials for applications such as phased array antennas that require integration of a large number of switches. However, the structure of the present invention is not limited to this, and is also effective for gallium arsenide, silicon, ceramics, printed boards, and the like.

The present invention also includes a method of forming a hole in the upper electrode 9 to reduce the squeezing effect due to the air existing between the upper electrode 9 and the lower electrode 4. In the present invention, it is easy to reinforce the strength of the insulating member 6b by the upper electrode 9 and the reinforcing member 10.
For this reason, even if a plurality of holes are provided inside, the rigidity of the entire movable portion can be kept sufficiently large. Further, holes are formed in the insulating member 6b, the contact electrode 5, and the reinforcing member 10 so that the air can be easily passed through, so that the squeeze effect can be significantly suppressed.

[Third Embodiment] FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals in FIG. 1 indicate the same or equivalent components.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the present embodiment, two signal lines 3 are interposed.
The support members 7 are arranged on the substrate 1. Therefore, the upper electrode 9 is connected to the cantilever arms 8 extending from the support members 7 and supported on both sides. In order to generate a sufficient electrostatic force, the lower electrode 4 is provided at two places under the upper electrode 9 with the signal line 3 interposed therebetween.
Are arranged.

As described above, a configuration in which the upper electrode 9 is supported using the plurality of support members 7 is also included in the present invention. Also,
The number of support members 7 may be further increased to two or more, and such a structure is also included in the present invention. That is, the configuration shown in FIG. 8 is replaced with FIGS.
The same applies to the configurations 2 and 13.

[Fourth Embodiment] FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a fourth embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals in FIG. 1 indicate the same or equivalent components. As shown in FIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the surface of the switch body 14 is oxidized, and the cantilever arm 8 is divided into a silicon layer 8a and a silicon oxide layer 8b sandwiching the silicon layer 8a from both sides.
It is a structure that has a certain structure. Thus, if the thicknesses of the silicon oxide layers 8b on both sides are made equal, the thermal expansion coefficients of the substrate 1 side and the opposite side become symmetrical, so that the warp of the cantilever arm 8 is suppressed even when high temperature processing is performed. You. Such a structure of the cantilever arm 8 can be similarly applied to the configurations of FIGS. 4, 6, and 8 and FIGS. 11, 12, and 13 described later.

[Fifth Embodiment] FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a fifth embodiment. 9, the same reference numerals in FIG. 9 denote the same or equivalent components. As shown in FIG. 10, the present embodiment has a superlattice structure in which cantilever arms 8 are alternately stacked with thin films made of two or more types of materials. Similarly to the above-described fourth embodiment, also in this embodiment, since the thermal expansion coefficient on the substrate 1 side and the thermal expansion coefficient on the opposite side can be made symmetric, the cantilever arm 8 due to a temperature change can be obtained. Warpage can be suppressed. Such a structure of the cantilever arm 8 can be similarly applied to the configurations of FIGS. 4, 6, 8 and FIGS. 11, 12, and 13 described later.

[Sixth Embodiment] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
It is a sectional view taken on the line D '(b). 4, the same reference numerals in FIG. 4 denote the same or equivalent components.
As shown in FIG. 11, in the present embodiment, the intermediate electrode 11 is short-circuited to the upper electrode 4 via a buried wiring 18 in an opening provided in a part of the insulating member 6. The difference from the second embodiment is that the surfaces of the intermediate electrode 15 and the contact electrode 5 are covered with insulator films 16 and 17, respectively.

Since the intermediate electrode 15 is short-circuited with the upper electrode 9, the potential of the intermediate electrode 15 is exactly the same as the potential of the upper electrode 9. The insulator film 16 on the intermediate electrode 15 is provided to prevent a short circuit between the intermediate electrode 15 and the lower electrode 4. The insulator film 17 on the contact electrode 5 is symmetrical so that the insulator film 17 and the signal line 3 can be in contact with each other when the insulator film 17 and the lower electrode 3 come into contact with each other (at the time of ON). It is provided in.

Here, the short-circuit between the intermediate electrode 15 and the upper electrode 9 is caused by the embedded wiring 18 provided in the insulating member 16.
The present invention is not limited to this, and may be performed via a wiring provided at an end of the insulating member 6, or by omitting the insulating member 6 provided between the intermediate electrode 15 and the upper electrode 9. Is also good.

The insulator films 16 and 17 can be provided on the lower electrode 4 and a part of the signal line 3, and such a structure is also included in the present invention. Further, the insulator film 17 on the contact electrode 5 is omitted, and the sum of the thickness of the intermediate electrode 15 and the thickness of the insulator film 16 is made smaller than the thickness of the contact electrode 5, so that the DC signal is turned on / off. A switch for turning off can be manufactured.

The thickness of the intermediate electrode 15 is made smaller than the thickness of the contact electrode 5 or the sum of the thickness of the contact electrode 5 and the thickness of the insulator film 17 by omitting the insulator film 16. Accordingly, a short circuit between the intermediate electrode 15 and the lower electrode 4 can be prevented. Further, an insulator film may be provided on both the intermediate electrode 15 and the lower electrode 6. Similarly, an insulator film may be provided on both the contact electrode 5 and the signal line 3. further,
The insulator films 16 and 17 do not need to cover the entirety of the intermediate electrode 4 and the contact electrode 5, and the effects of the present invention can be obtained even if they are provided on a part of them.

[Seventh Embodiment] FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In the figure,
1 indicate the same or equivalent components. As shown in FIG. 12, in the present embodiment, the lower electrode is separated into lower electrodes 4a and 4b so that the lower electrode can have two different electric potentials below the intermediate electrode 15. This is a point different from the second embodiment.

In the structure of the present embodiment, the applied voltage is applied between the lower electrodes 4a and 4b, and the support member 7 connected to the upper electrode 9 is in an electrically floating state. At this time, half of the voltage applied between the two lower electrodes 40a and 40b acts between the lower electrodes 4a and 4b and the intermediate electrode 15.

As a result, the voltage that is used to close the switch due to electrostatic attraction is reduced by half. Therefore, the switch can be closed by applying a voltage twice that in the first embodiment. it can. On the other hand, since the upper electrode 9 is in a floating state, the upper electrode 9 and the lower electrodes 4a and 4b
There is no problem that the insulating member 6 between them is destroyed due to high pressure. And, above all, it is not necessary to connect the signal line 3a for applying a potential to the support member 7,
There is an advantage that the wiring as the whole device is greatly simplified.

The driving method in the state where the support member 7 is floated as described in the first embodiment may sometimes be problematic in that it is affected by the surrounding wiring (for example, a large number of cases). When the switches are arranged, the driving voltage of each switch may be different), and in the present embodiment, the switches can be driven without being greatly affected by surroundings.

In the present embodiment, an example in which the upper electrode 6 is connected to the cantilever arm 8 has been described.
Can be determined by the two lower electrodes 4a and 4b, so that the upper electrode 9 can be omitted. Further, the upper electrode 9 may be used simply as a reinforcing plate, or may be separated from the cantilever arm 8. Further, the support member 7, the cantilever arm 8, and the upper electrode 9 can be manufactured using a material such as an insulator or a high-resistance semiconductor.

[Eighth Embodiment] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an eighth embodiment of the present invention. In the figure,
The same reference numerals in FIG. 12 indicate the same or equivalent components. As shown in FIG. 13, in the present embodiment, the lower electrodes 4c and 4d which can electrically have two different potentials under the intermediate electrode 15 have a comb-toothed structure. This is a different point from the third embodiment.

In the seventh embodiment, the switch body 1
When bonding 4, the portion where the lower electrodes 4 a and 4 b face each other must be located exactly in the middle of the upper electrode 9. That is, if the overlapping area of the intermediate electrode 15 and the lower electrodes 4a and 4b does not become equal in magnitude, the potential of the intermediate electrode 15 does not become half of the voltage of the two lower electrodes, and is drawn toward the lower electrode having a larger area. May be used. And there is a possibility that the displacement of the torsion may occur in the cantilever arm 8.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to solve such a problem, by forming the lower electrode in a comb-teeth structure, even if a slight shift occurs when the switch main body 14 is bonded, the lower electrode is connected to the lower electrode. The size of the region overlapping with the upper electrode is made equal. Note that the number of comb teeth is not limited to the illustrated example, and more comb teeth can be provided. Further, the direction of the comb teeth can be arbitrarily changed. The separation of the electrodes in the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 is not limited to the lower electrode. That is, similarly, the upper electrode may be electrically separated into two or more, or both the upper electrode and the lower electrode may be separated. The number of electrodes to be separated is not limited to two, and may be any number as long as it is plural.

[Ninth Embodiment] An example in which the micromachine switch according to the first to eighth embodiments is applied to a phased array antenna will be described. As described below, the above-described micromachine switch can be widely applied to DC to high-frequency signals, and is particularly effective when applied to a phased array antenna device.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a phased array antenna device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 10-176367. As shown in the figure, the phased array antenna device has M antennas (M is a natural number of 2 or more).
3 and the antenna 23 is connected to the phase shift circuit 24. The phase shift circuit 24 includes a data distribution circuit 24a, M data latch circuits 24b connected to the data distribution circuit 24a, and a phase shifter 24c connected to the data latch circuit 24b.

Therefore, each antenna 23 is connected to an N-bit (N is a natural number) phase shifter 24 c, and each phase shifter 24 c is connected to the feeder 21 via the divider / combiner 22.

The data distribution circuit 24a is connected to the control device 20. Note that the data distribution circuit 24a and the data latch circuit 24b are realized by a thin film transistor circuit (TFT circuit) on a substrate.

The phase shifter 24c has the above-described micromachine switch for each bit, and each data latch circuit 24b is connected to the micromachine switch of each phase shifter 24c. As described above, in the phased array antenna device shown in the figure, the driving circuit of the phase shifter, which has conventionally been an external IC, is constituted by the TFT circuit, and the phase shifter 24c
Etc. are formed in the same layer.

Next, the operation of the phased array antenna device shown in FIG. 14 will be described. Control device 20
Calculates a phase shift amount optimal for directing a radiation beam in a desired direction with N-bit accuracy based on a preset position of the antenna 23 and a frequency to be used, and uses the result as a control signal. Output to the data distribution circuit 24a. The data distribution circuit 24a distributes a control signal to each data latch circuit 24b.

The radiation direction of the radio wave from the antenna 23 is
All antennas 23 can be switched simultaneously. At this time, each data latch circuit 24b rewrites the held data into a control signal as input data in synchronization with a timing signal for switching the beam direction, and requires a phase shifter 24c based on the held data (control signal). Drive voltage is simultaneously applied to the micromachine switch of the bit to be set.

When a drive voltage is applied to a micromachine switch, the micromachine switch closes a circuit and turns on a bit including the micromachine switch. The phase shift amount of the phase shifter 24c is set depending on which bit of the phase shifter 24c is turned on.

Each phase shifter 24c changes the phase of the high-frequency signal by the phase shift amount thus set, and
3 is fed. Each of the antennas 23 emits radiation having a phase corresponding to the feeding phase, and the radiation forms an equiphase plane, thereby forming a radiation beam in a direction perpendicular to the equiphase plane.

Next, a detailed structure of the phased array antenna device according to FIG. 14 will be described. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view showing the phased array antenna device.
As shown in the figure, the overall configuration is a multilayer structure. That is, the distribution / combination layer L1, the dielectric layer L2, the feeding slot layer L3, the dielectric layer L4, a layer (hereinafter, referred to as a phase shift circuit layer) L5 including a radiation element, a phase shifter, and a TFT circuit And the dielectric layer L6 and the parasitic element layer L7 are adhered to each other in close contact.

Each layer is multi-layered using photolithography and etching technology, bonding technology and the like. For example, the parasitic element layer L7 and the phase shift circuit layer L5
Is for the metal film formed on each surface of the dielectric layer L6.
It is formed by performing photolithography and etching techniques. The power supply slot layer L3 is formed by applying photolithography and etching techniques to a metal film formed on one surface of the dielectric layer L4.

A plurality of parasitic elements 32 are formed in the parasitic element layer L7. This parasitic element 32
The dielectric layer L6 is used to extend the band of the antenna.
Through the radiating element of the phase shift circuit layer L5. Further, a dielectric having a relative dielectric constant of about 2 to 10 is used for the dielectric layer L6. For example, if glass is used, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and it is desirable to use glass for at least one of the dielectric layers. If the problem of the manufacturing cost is ignored, a dielectric such as alumina having a high relative dielectric constant or a foam material having a low relative dielectric constant may be used for the dielectric layer L6.

Next, on the phase shift circuit layer L5, a part of the antenna 23 shown in FIG. 12, a phase shift circuit 24, a strip line for feeding power to the antenna 23, and the like are formed.

Next, the dielectric layer L4 is formed of a dielectric having a relative dielectric constant of about 3 to 12, such as alumina. Next, the power supply slot layer L3 is formed of a conductive metal, and the power supply slot 3 serving as a power supply coupling unit.
A plurality of 0s are formed. The power supply slot layer 30
Is connected to the phase-shift circuit layer L5 via a through hole appropriately provided in the dielectric layer L4, and functions as a ground for the phase-shift circuit layer L5.

Next, a plurality of distribution / synthesizers 22 are formed in the distribution / synthesis layer L1. The distributor / synthesizer 22 is electromagnetically coupled to the phase shift circuit layer L5 via a power supply slot 30 provided in the power supply slot layer L3. One distributor / combiner 22 and one feed slot 30 constitute one feed unit, and the units are arranged in a matrix. However, those not arranged in a matrix are also included in the present invention.

The radiating elements 2 may be arranged in a matrix or may be simply arranged two-dimensionally. Alternatively, they may be arranged in one direction. In FIG. 15, the divider / combiner 22 and the phase shift circuit layer L
5 is electromagnetically coupled via the power supply slot layer L3, but when the distributor / synthesizer 22 and the phase shift circuit layer L5 are connected by another power supply coupling means such as a power supply pin. May be formed on the same surface.

Next, the phase shift circuit layer L5 shown in FIG. 15 will be described in detail. FIG. 16 shows one of the phase shift circuit layers L5.
It is a top view showing a unit. As shown in the figure, a radiating element 41 and a phase shifter group 4 are provided on a dielectric layer L6 such as a glass substrate.
0 and a data latch circuit 46 are formed. However, the data latch circuit 46 is provided for each bit of the phase shifters 40a to 40d.

The strip line 42 is provided from the radiating element 41 via the phase shifter group 40 to a position corresponding to the power supply slot 30 shown in FIG. And as the radiating element 41, for example, a patch antenna,
A printed dipole, a slot antenna, an aperture element, and the like are used. As the strip line 42, a distributed constant line such as a microstrip line, a triplate line, a coplanar line, and a slot line is used.

The group of phase shifters 40 shown in FIG. 16 constitutes a 4-bit phase shifter as a whole, that is, is constituted by four phase shifters 40a, 40b, 40c and 40d. Each of the phase shifters 40a to 40d can change the power supply phase by 22.5 °, 45 °, 90 °, and 180 °, respectively, and includes a strip line and a micromachine switch.

Here, the phase shifters 40a to 40c are composed of two strip lines 44 connected between the strip line 42 and the ground 43, and a micromachine switch 45 connected in the middle of the strip line 44. Have been. These phase shifters constitute a loaded line type phase shifter.

On the other hand, in the phase shifter 40d, the micro machine switch 45 connected in the middle of the strip line 42
a, a U-shaped strip line 44a, and a micromachine switch 45a connected between the strip line 44a and the ground 43. This phase shifter constitutes a switched line type phase shifter.

In general, when the phase shift amount is small, the characteristics of the loaded line type are better, and when the phase shift amount is large, the characteristics of the switched line type are better.
Therefore, the loaded line type is used as the 22.5 °, 45 °, and 90 ° phase shifters, and the switched line type is used as the 180 ° phase shifter. Of course, the phase shifter 40
It is also possible to use a switched line type for a to 40c.

The two micromachine switches (45 or 45a) included in each of the phase shifters 40a to 40d are connected to a data latch circuit 46 disposed in the vicinity thereof, and are driven by a drive voltage output from the data latch circuit 46. Works at the same time. As described above, the power supply phase of the high-frequency signal flowing through the strip line 42 is changed by the operation of the phase shifter group 40.

Instead of arranging the data latch circuit 46 in the vicinity of each micromachine switch, a plurality of data latch circuits are arranged in one place, and wiring is extended therefrom to drive each micromachine switch. You may. Further, one data latch circuit may be connected to a plurality of different units of micromachine switches.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged plan view of the periphery of the micromachine switch 45 used in the loaded line type phase shifter. As shown in the figure, the two micromachine switches 45 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the two strip lines 44. These micromachine switches 45 are connected to one data latch circuit (not shown), and a driving voltage (external voltage) is simultaneously supplied from the data latch circuit. Of course, as the micromachine switch 45, those described in the first to seventh embodiments can be used.

[0140]

As described above, the present invention has an intermediate electrode between a lower electrode and a part (upper electrode) of a beam member,
In addition, a reinforcing member facing the contact electrode is provided. Therefore, by providing such an intermediate electrode, the applied voltage for driving the switch can be reduced. For example,
When the contact electrode and the signal line have a gap of 4 μm, the voltage can be reduced to about ／ of the conventional example. Further, when the distance between the contact electrode and the signal line is set to 4 μm or less, the effect of reducing the applied voltage further increases, and it is easy to suppress the applied voltage to 1/2 or less of the conventional example.

Since the intermediate electrode can be manufactured at the same time when the conventional contact electrode is manufactured, there is no need to add an additional step to the switch manufacturing process, and the advantage that the increase in cost can be suppressed. is there. Further, since the applied voltage can be reduced, it is possible to prevent a large voltage from being applied to the insulator film between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and it is not necessary to manufacture a high-quality insulator film. It leads to widening the selectivity of the fabrication process. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the destruction of the device which has conventionally occurred due to the limit of the breakdown voltage characteristic of the insulator film. In addition, the voltage required by the external drive circuit also decreases,
The structure was simplified and the power consumption was reduced. Further, by providing the reinforcing member, the warpage of the contact electrode can be suppressed, and the contact electrode can be prevented from hitting the signal line in one direction.

On the other hand, by providing two lower electrodes,
Compared with the structure having the same size and one lower electrode, the applied voltage is higher but the voltage is not applied to the insulator film. Therefore, even if a low-quality insulator film is used, dielectric breakdown does not occur. The increase in applied voltage can be compensated for by increasing the size of the device, and can be employed in applications where the device size does not need to be particularly small. Above all, the presence of the upper electrode is not necessary, and the switch can be driven only by applying a voltage to the lower electrode. Therefore, a remarkable effect that the wiring of the switch is simplified is produced. For this reason, defects such as an increase in cost associated with wiring, a complicated device structure, and a decrease in long-term reliability are remarkably improved.

The switch manufacturing process according to the present invention can use a high-temperature process, so that the following effects can be obtained. 1) The selection of materials for forming the beam members and the like is widened, and various conductors and semiconductors are used. And increase the degree of freedom in material selection. 2) The electrical characteristics of the device are improved because the withstand voltage characteristics of the insulator film manufactured at a high temperature are excellent. 3) Since the degree of freedom in the thickness direction is increased, the width of the beam member can be reduced, and the size of the switch can be reduced.

Because of the advantages described above, the micromachine switch according to the present invention is not limited to a simple switch used individually and is required to be integrated on a large-area substrate in the order of tens of thousands. New applications such as phased array antennas are possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a plan view showing Reference Example 1 and FIG.
FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along line A ′.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a manufacturing process of the micromachine switch according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing step continued from FIG. 2;

FIG. 4A is a plan view showing the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along line BB ′ of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a manufacturing step of the micromachine switch according to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing step continued from FIG. 5;

FIG. 7A is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along the line CC ′ of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 11A is a plan view showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11B is a sectional view taken along line DD ′ of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a phased array antenna device (a ninth embodiment of the present invention).

15 is an exploded perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the phased array antenna device according to FIG.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the phase shift circuit according to FIG.

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the periphery of the micromachine switch according to FIG. 16;

18A is a plan view showing a conventional example, and FIG.
FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along line E ′ of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Board, 2 ... Ground plate, 3, 3a ... Signal line, 4, 4
a, 4b, 4c, 4d: lower electrode, 5: contact electrode, 6,
6a, 6b: insulating member, 7: supporting member, 8: cantilever arm, 8a: silicon layer, 8b: silicon oxide layer, 9 ...
Upper electrode, 10 ... reinforcing member, 11 ... substrate, 12, 13 ...
Pattern, 14: switch body, 15: intermediate electrode, 1
6, 17: insulator film, 18: embedded wiring, 20: control device, 21: power supply unit, 22: distributor / synthesizer, 23: antenna, 24: phase shift circuit, 24a: data distribution circuit, 24b
... data latch circuit, 24c ... phase shifter, 30 ... feeding slot, 31 ... phase shifting circuit, 32 ... parasitic element, 40 ... phase shifter group, 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d ... phase shifter, 4
1: radiating element, 42: strip line, 43: ground,
44, 44a: strip line, 45, 45a: micro machine switch, 46: data latch circuit, L1 ...
L2, L4, L6: dielectric layer, L3: feeding slot layer, L5: phase shift circuit layer, L7: parasitic element layer.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01Q 3/26 H01Q 3/26 Z

Claims (30)

[Claims] 1. A first signal line provided on a substrate, and a second signal line provided on the substrate and having an end provided at a predetermined gap from an end of the first signal line. A micromachine switch for controlling conduction / non-conduction between a signal line and a flexible beam member supported on the substrate by a support member provided on the substrate in close proximity to the gap; A contact electrode provided at least at a position facing the gap on the substrate side of the member; a lower electrode provided on the substrate so as to face a part of the beam member; and the lower electrode provided at the beam member. An intermediate electrode provided to face the beam member, wherein the beam member has a reinforcing member provided on a surface opposite to a surface on which the contact electrode is provided, facing the contact electrode. Micromachine switch. 2. The micromachine switch according to claim 1, wherein the conductive member is made of a semiconductor material. 3. The micromachine switch according to claim 2, wherein the semiconductor material is a single crystal semiconductor. 4. The micromachine switch according to claim 2, wherein the semiconductor material is an amorphous semiconductor or a polycrystalline semiconductor. 5. The micromachine switch according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion between the support member and the beam member has an obtuse angle on the surface thereof. 6. The micromachine switch according to claim 1, wherein the contact electrode is covered with an insulator film capable of being capacitively connected to the first and second signal lines. 7. The micromachine switch according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a glass substrate or a ceramic substrate. 8. The micromachine switch according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a gallium arsenide substrate. 9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate electrode is electrically short-circuited with the conductive member forming the beam member, and the conductive member forming the beam member is in an electrically floating state. A micromachine switch characterized in that: 10. The micromachine switch according to claim 1, wherein the lower electrode is constituted by a plurality of electrodes having the same area facing the conductive member forming the beam member. 11. The micromachine switch according to claim 1, wherein a part of the conductive member constituting the beam member is constituted by a plurality of electrodes having equal areas facing the lower electrode. 12. The device according to claim 1, wherein both the part of the conductive member constituting the beam member and the lower electrode are constituted by a plurality of electrodes having equal areas facing each other. Micromachine switch. 13. The micromachine switch according to claim 1, wherein the micromachine switch is used for a phased array antenna device. 14. The micromachine switch according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of beam members that support the same contact electrode; and a plurality of support members that support these beam members. 15. The micromachine switch according to claim 1, wherein the beam member has a multilayer structure made of at least two kinds of materials. 16. A first signal line provided on a substrate,
A method of manufacturing a micromachine switch for controlling conduction / non-conduction between a second signal line provided on the substrate and having an end provided at a predetermined gap from an end of the first signal line. A step of forming a lower electrode on the substrate; a supporting member having a flexible beam member at a predetermined height;
A contact electrode provided on the beam member, and a member consisting of an intermediate electrode provided on the beam member, wherein the contact electrode faces the gap and is separated from the first and second signal lines. Adhering on a substrate, wherein the beam member has a reinforcing member provided on a surface opposite to the surface on which the contact electrode is provided, facing the contact electrode. Manufacturing method of micromachine switch. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the conductive member is formed from a semiconductor material. 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the semiconductor material is a single crystal semiconductor. 19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the semiconductor material is an amorphous semiconductor or a polycrystalline semiconductor. 20. The method for manufacturing a micromachine switch according to claim 16, wherein a connecting portion between the support member and the beam member is formed such that an angle formed on a surface thereof is an obtuse angle. 21. The method for manufacturing a micromachine switch according to claim 16, wherein the contact electrode is covered with an insulator film that can be capacitively connected to the first and second signal lines. 22. The method according to claim 16, wherein the substrate is a glass substrate or a ceramic substrate. 23. The method according to claim 16, wherein the substrate is a gallium arsenide substrate. 24. The state according to claim 16, wherein the intermediate electrode is electrically short-circuited with the conductive member constituting the beam member, and the conductive member constituting the beam member is electrically floated. A method for manufacturing a micromachine switch. 25. The method for manufacturing a micromachine switch according to claim 16, wherein the lower electrode is constituted by a plurality of electrodes having equal areas facing each other to the conductive member constituting the beam member. 26. The method for manufacturing a micromachine switch according to claim 16, wherein a part of the conductive member constituting the beam member is constituted by a plurality of electrodes having equal areas facing the lower electrode. . 27. The micromachine switch according to claim 16, wherein both a part of the conductive member constituting the beam member and the lower electrode are constituted by a plurality of electrodes having equal areas facing each other. Manufacturing method. 28. The method according to claim 16, wherein the micromachine switch is used in a phased array antenna device. 29. The method for manufacturing a micromachine switch according to claim 16, comprising: a plurality of beam members for supporting the same contact electrode; and a plurality of support members for supporting these beam members. 30. The method according to claim 16, wherein the beam member has a multilayer structure made of at least two or more materials.