The State of RF/ Microwave Switches

摘要

RF and microwave switches are used extensively in wireless systems for signal routing, finding wide use in switching signals from antennas to the transmit and receive chains. They are one of the highest volume RF devices in use today as several devices are typically contained in a block diagram. RF and microwave switches fall into the two main categories of electromechanical and solid-state switches. While electromechanical switches have not found wide use in RF and microwave applications since the PIN diode was developed, they are making some new in-roads in certain applications in the form of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) devices. Solid-state switches are typically more reliable and exhibit longer lifetime than electromechanical switches, plus offer faster switching times. However, solid-state switches typically have higher intrinsic ON resistance and more harmonic distortion than mechanical switches.