A Low-Loss, Wideband, 0-110 GHz SPDT Using PCM RF Switches with Integrated CMOS Drivers

A single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) switch circuit using phase-change material (PCM) RF switches was fabricated, bumped, and mounted to an evaluation board before being tested across two frequency ranges (<tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$0-67 \text{GHz}$</tex> and <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$0-110 \text{GHz}$</tex>). The PCM RF switches were actuated using integrated CMOS drivers available in the base process, which is a combination of a traditional RFSOI CMOS process with the monolithic integration of PCM RF switches. Using a thru to de-embed evaluation board losses, the SPDT measured less than 1.0 dB of insertion loss with more than 35 dB of isolation from <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$0-67 \text{GHz}$</tex>, and less than 2.5 dB of insertion loss with more than 20 dB of isolation from <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$0-110 \text{GHz}$</tex> (which includes the bump transition losses). The SPDT also had a measured power handling of 29 dBm and IP2/IP3 of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$132 / 63 \text{dBm}$</tex>, respectively, which is approximately 20 dB higher than comparable RFSOI CMOS switches. The PCM RF switches are functional down to DC, making it a true wideband DC-110+ GHz switch technology.