Design and Repeatability Assessment of an RF MEMS Switching Platform for Automated Microwave SOL Calibration

This work presents a compact RF MEMS switching platform for automated one-port SOL calibration of microwave lines.

The system is based on a Menlo Micro MM5230 SP4T RF MEMS switch integrated on a grounded coplanar waveguide board and driven by a dedicated MM101-based high-voltage control circuit.

The board design is presented, and the repeatability of the calibrated reflection coefficient is assessed through the covariance matrix evaluated from 100 repeated SOL calibration measurements.

The platform is tested from 100~kHz to 20~GHz with a Rohde \& Schwarz ZNB43 VNA and the performance compared with an electromechanical microwave switch.

The RF MEMS fixture shows lower dispersion of the calibrated reflection coefficient and improved temporal stability, demonstrating its suitability for repeatable automated microwave calibration in measurement environments where compactness, low mass, thermal constraints, and reduced power dissipation are key requirements.