This paper presents a novel shunt radio frequency microelectromechanical system switch on a quartz substrate with stiff ribs around the membrane. The buckling effects in the switch membrane and stiction problem are the primary concerns with RF MEMS switches. These effects can be reduced by the proposed design approach due to the stiffness of the ribs around the membrane. A lower mass of the beam and a reduction in the squeeze film damping is achieved due to the slots and holes in the membrane, which further aid in attaining high switching speeds. The proposed switch is optimized to operate in the k-band, which results in a high isolation of -40 dB and low insertion loss of -0.047 dB at 21 GHz, with a low actuation voltage of only 14.6 V needed for the operation the switch. The membrane does not bend with this membrane design approach. Finite element modeling is used to analyze the stress and pull-in voltage.