Product Detail

The MA4AGSW2 is an Aluminum-Gallium-Arsenide, single pole, double throw (SPDT), PIN diode switch. The switch features enhanced AlGaAs anodes which are formed using MACOM’s patented heterojunction technology. This technology produces a switch with less loss than conventional GaAs processes. As much as a 0.3 dB reduction in insertion loss can be realized at 50GHz. These devices are fabricated on an OMCVD epitaxial wafer using a process 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 AlGaAs PIN switches are use in switching arrays for radar systems, radiometers, test equipment and other multi-assembly components.