Gold nanorod array structured silicon nitride films for reliable RF MEMS capacitive switches

The electrical properties of gold rods nanostructured silicon nitride are investigated. The paper aims to determine the advantages of the nanostructured material over conventional dielectrics that will mitigate the dielectric charging and provide a potential candidate for insulating films in MEMS capacitive switches. Different nanorod diameters and densities were grown. A model was implemented to describe both the DC and low frequency electrical properties. Finally, the device performance up to 40GHz was assessed.