A novel packaging approach for RF MEMS switching functions on alumina substrate

This paper reports the design of a hermetic-compatible wafer-scale package for RF MEMS based components. The presented packaging concept consists in encapsulating the whole RF device or subsystem instead of encapsulating each MEMS component separately, which will reduce the device size and cost. This approach is based on the MEMS fabrication technology on ceramic substrate and the use of laser drilled vias hole techniques to realize full metallized vias in alumina substrates. These vias holes will allow a low loss RF signal transmission inside the package without breaking its hermeticity. Hence, several packaged switching networks prototypes, based on ohmic contact MEMS switches, have been designed following this approach and the packaging electromagnetic impact on these components has been especially studied to result on good performance devices.