Experimental characterization of packaged switch devices for RF and millimeter-Wave applications

In this paper we present experimental characterization of packaged switch devices in terms of their RF attributes: isolation, insertion loss, power consumption, and linearity. Packaging and Board assembly significantly reduce their RF and mm-Wave performances. A broadband experimental setup is developed for the qualification of packaged switch devices accounting for deembedding effects both with on-board/on-package and on-chip probing. Module-based switch devices have been measured then, plastic molding, Si cap, and bonding wires have been sequentially removed to investigate their influences. Different challenges with packaged switch devices are identified and effective solutions are proposed for their qualification.