Non-Volatile CBRAM/MIM Switching Technology for Electronically Reconfigurable Passive Microwave Devices

2Real-World Implementation Challenges of a Low-Cost Non-Volatile RF Switch

2.1. Introduction

In this chapter, we address the real-world implementation challenges of a low-cost non-volatile radio frequency (RF) switch and possible solutions for the same. A reliable and printable low-cost non-volatile RF switch would be a giant step in microwave/RF engineering in this era, this also being a great boost in development of printable passive electronic devices (Cook et al. 2013; Vena et al. 2013a; Amin et al. 2014a; Perret 2014; Gregory and Werner 2015; Borgese et al. 2017). The idea of printing a microwave device like a rewritable/reconfigurable chipless RFID tag or an antenna using a household printer or at least an industrial printer would contribute to reducing the cost and revolutionizing the technology, in comparison to the current market. Classic solutions for RF switching such as PIN diodes (Hong 2009; Chaudhary et al. 2013; Chen et al. 2018), field effect transistors (FETs), varactor diodes and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) (Goldsmith et al. 1998) have proved their mettle with smooth performance up to THz, but one factor that still limits their use in passive RF devices is the need for a continuous power supply to maintain their impedance state. Moreover, these devices in most cases require a costly “clean room” process for their fabrication, and techniques such as conductive gluing or soldering to integrate them to a device. These techniques involve multistep processes ...