Patent ID: 8582254

Claim:
A Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switching array comprising: a plurality of MEMS switches comprising a plurality of gating circuits electrically-connected to one another in series-circuit through a common gate line, a time constant intrinsically formed along the gating line due to aggregation of individual time constants of the gating circuits, the plurality of switches coupled to switch a current in response to a gating signal applied through the common gate line; and circuitry coupled to the common gate line to adjust in view of the time constant intrinsically formed along the gating line a temporal distribution of the gating signal applied to the gating circuits of the plurality of MEMS switches to distribute over time individualized opening times of the plurality of MEMS switches, wherein the temporal distribution is shaped to reduce a voltage surge that can develop in at least some of the plurality of MEMS switches during the switch of current.