Method of and apparatus for protecting a switch, such as a MEMS switch, and to a MEMS switch including such a protection apparatus
AssigneeAnalog Devices Global Unlimited Company
InventorsPadraig Fitzgerald, Eric James Carty
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of and apparatus for protecting a MEMS switch is provided. The method and apparatus improve the integrity of MEMS switches by reducing their vulnerability to current flow through them during switching of the MEMS switch between on and off or vice versa. The protection circuit provides for a parallel path, known as a shunt, around the MEMS component. However, components within the shunt circuit can themselves be removed from the shunt when they are not required. This improves the electrical performance of the shunt when the switch is supposed to be in an off state.
Claims16
A protected microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device, comprising:
- a MEMS switch having a first switch node and a second switch node;
- a protection circuit comprising a diode having a first electrode connected to the first switch node and a second electrode connected to a voltage node, the protection circuit configured to connect the first switch node to the voltage node in response to a switch transition of the MEMS switch;
- and
- a second switch connected between the second electrode and the voltage node, wherein the second switch is configured to electrically connect the second electrode and the voltage node when the MEMS switch is switching between open and closed.
A protected microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device, comprising:
- a MEMS switch having a first switch node and a second switch node;
- a protection circuit comprising a diode having a first electrode connected to the first switch node and a second electrode connected to a voltage node, the protection circuit configured to connect the first switch node to the voltage node in response to a switch transition of the MEMS switch, wherein
- the diode is a first diode, the first electrode is an anode of the first diode, the second electrode is a cathode of the first diode, and the protection circuit further comprises a second diode having a cathode connected to the first switch node and an anode connected to the voltage node.
A protected microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device, comprising:
- a MEMS switch;
- and
- a first diode having a cathode and an anode, a second diode having a cathode and an anode,
- wherein a terminal of the MEMS switch is connected to the anode of the first diode and the cathode of the second diode, and
- wherein the cathode of the first diode and the anode of the second diode are configured to be connected to ground in response to a switch transition of the MEMS switch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.