Menlo Microsystems, Inc. announced the formal qualification and production release of its MM5120 single-pole/four-throw (SP4T) DC-to-18 GHz switch and MM5140 DC-to-6 GHz SP4T switch. These two switches provide the industry’s highest performance, reliability, and integration for RF switching applications, 5G network infrastructure, and test and measurement equipment. 

Built on Menlo Micro’s market-proven Ideal Switch technology, the MM5120 and MM5140 SP4T switches offer 25W power handling, ultra-low insertion loss, and the industry’s highest linearity, significantly outperforming electromechanical relays (EMRs) and conventional solid-state switches. Both switches feature an integrated charge pump and driver circuit with SPI and GPIO interface control options 

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“Wireless system and test and measurement equipment designers are seeking new and innovative ways to reduce the cost and complexity of their applications and shrink board space and component count,” said Chris Giovanniello, co-founder and senior VP of marketing at Menlo Micro. “We’ve expanded our Ideal Switch portfolio with the production release of two new high-performance, highly integrated SP4T switches that offer best-in-class linearity, switching speeds, and reliability. The switches enable developers to meet their size, weight, power, and cost targets for a wide range of demanding RF switching applications.”

Menlo Micro’s MM5120 and MM5140 SP4T switches represent the culmination of several important industry firsts:

  • Reliability: The SP4T switches provide unmatched reliability and can operate with more than three billion switching cycles, resulting in reduced downtime, maintenance, and cost and a 1000x longer lifetime compared to conventional EMRs. 
  • Compact design: The MM5120 and MM5140’s small-footprint/low-profile design features a custom-designed, built-in high-voltage charge pump/driver circuit integrated into a miniature 5.2 mm x 4.2 mm LGA package, eliminating the need for external components, simplifying customer layouts, and reducing BOM cost.
  • Power efficiency: The switches operate at less than 10 mW, a 99 percent reduction in power consumption compared to EMRs, making them the most energy efficient broadband SP4T switches available.
  • Leading IP3 linearity: Both switches feature best-in-class IP3 linearity of 90 dBm, enabling significant reductions in distortion, which is critical for applications such as beam-steering antennas used in 5G network infrastructure. IP3 is a figure of merit in determining how much distortion a switch will introduce into a system, impacting the quality of transmitted or received signals.