High Isolation Ka-Band SPST RF-MEMS Switch for Radiometer

Millimeter wave radiometer systems play an important role as sensors in security imaging applications. New array concepts and higher image quality become possible, if RF-MEMS technology is available for the routing of signals in the frontend. This paper presents the principle of a millimeterwave radiometer and its key components. Furthermore, a detailed description of RF-MEMS switches working in a SPST configuration in the radiometer is given. The switches show an insertion loss of about -0.6 dB and an isolation better -35 dB at 35 GHz.