Product Detail

MACOM’s MA4AGSW1 is an Aluminum-Gallium-Arsenide, single pole, single throw (SPST),PIN diode switch. The switch features enhanced Al-GaAs anodes which are formed using MACOM’s patented hetero-junction technology. This technology produces a switch with less loss than conventional AlGaAs processes. As much as a 0.3 dB reduction in insertion loss can be realized at 50GHz. The fabrication process is designed for high device uniformity and extremely low parasitics. The diodes themselves exhibit low series resistance, low capacitance, and fast switching speed. They are fully passivated with silicon nitride and have an additional polymer layer for scratch protection. The protective coating prevents damage to the diode junction and anode air-bridges during handling and assembly. Off chip bias circuitry is required. The high electron mobility of AlGaAs and the low capacitance of the PIN diodes makes this switch ideal for fast switching, high frequency, multi-throw switch designs. These versatile AlGaAs PIN switches can be used in a variety of microwave applications such as switching arrays for radar systems, radiometers, test equipment and other multi-assembly components.