MA4AGSW8-1

MACOM's MA4AGSW8-1 is an Aluminum-Gallium-Arsenide (AlGaAs) anode enhanced, SP8T PIN diode Series Switch. Operation is accomplished with 10 mA applied to the low loss port and 0 V for the isolated ports. MACOM's AlGaAs process utilizes a patent pending hetero-junction technology which produces lower insertion loss than conventional GaAs devices. These devices are fabricated on an OMCVD epitaxial wafer using a process designed for high device uniformity and extremely low parasitics. The diodes exhibit low series resistance, ( 3 W ), low capacitance ( 20 fF ), and fast switching speed ( 20 ns ). The MA4AGSW8-1 device is fully passivated with silicon nitride, and has an additional layer of a polyamide for impact protection. This protective coating prevents damage to the junction and the anode air bridges during assembly and test. RF to DC bias networks are required. This allows the MA4AGSW8-1 device to be optimized for a particular operating band. Applications The low capacitance of the PIN diodes makes this device ideal for use in microwave multi-throw switch designs. The low series resistance of the diodes reduces the insertion loss of the devices at microwave/millimeter-wave frequencies. These AlGaAs PIN switches are used as switching arrays on radar systems, optical switching networks, instrumentation, and other wideband multi-throw switch assemblies.