Over the last several years, Argonne National Laboratory has developed ultra-smooth diamond thin films that can be used in many applications. In this phase I project, we propose to develop the processes to fabricate high performance, harsh environment, low noise, RF-MEMS switches, based on this ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) technology. In phase I, we will demonstrate the core technology by fabricating small prototypes of UNCD based RF-MEMS switches and evaluating their electrical and switching characteristics and as well as mechanical properties. In phase II, we will focus on integration and evaluation of many RF-MEMS switches to develop a new class of high performance, mechanically robust RF-MEMS switch which can be used for space and defense applications. Anticipated Benefits/Commercial Applications: Applications of the proposed technology include novel RF MEMS devices, optical switches for telecommunication, biomedical sensors, field emission devices, hard coatings and vacuum microelectronic devices.
Keywords: Diamond, RF , Mems
