A DC-to-18 GHz SP10T RF Switch Using Symmetrically-Routed Series- TL-Shunt and Reconfigurable Single-Pole Network Topologies Presenting 1.1-to-3.2 dB IL in 0.15 $\mu$ m GaAs pHEMT

Abstract

As a rule of thumb, the number of throws, bandwidth (BW), and insertion losses (IL) limit each other in a single switch circuit. This paper proposes three topologies, i.e. symmetrically-routed structure, series-transmission-line-shunt unit, and reconfigurable matching network, to breakthrough these limits. Demonstrations show this work attains a single-pole ten-throw (SP10T) switch and achieves an impressive BW from DC-to-18 GHz with a favourable IL performance (1.1-3.2 dB) compared to prior arts. RF input power for 1-dB compression is 21.2 dBm, and isolation is higher than 24 dB.