Menlo Micro, a company responsible for reinventing the electronic switch has introduced a new single-pole four-throw (SP4T) switch that operates from DC to 6 GHz and provides excellent performance, reliability and integration for 5G network infrastructure, test and measurement equipment, and other high-power RF switching applications. Built on Menlo Micro’s market-proven Ideal Switch® technology, the MM5140 SP4T switch can handle 25 W of power, has ultra-low insertion loss and has very high linearity. Menlo Micro claims that this switch significantly outperforms electromechanical relays (EMRs) and conventional solid-state switches.

Featuring an ultra-low insertion loss of 0.2 dB at 3 GHz, the MM5140 switch provides an ideal solution for replacing large RF EMRs as well as RF/microwave solid-state switches in applications requiring maximum reliability, such as antenna tuning and beam-steering equipment used in 5G base stations. The rapid rollout of 5G services worldwide is driving ever-increasing demand for sub-6 GHz connectivity, especially in the coveted C-band spectrum. Emerging mid-band 5G networks with advanced beamforming antennas require exceptionally reliable, high-performance RF switching technology exemplified by the MM5140 SP4T switch.

Like all Menlo Micro Ideal Switch products, the MM5140 helps RF developers achieve a 99 percent reduction in size, weight, cost and power loss while providing an operating lifetime of more than 3 billion switching cycles with no degradation in performance. This highly reliable SP4T switch enables RF operation at high power levels over a wide temperature range from -40C to +85C and superior linearity from DC to 6 GHz. The MM5140’s industry-leading IP3 of 95 dBm enables significant reductions in distortion, which is a critical factor for demanding RF applications such as 5G beam-steering antennas.

The MM5140 switch 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. The integrated charge pump circuit offers both flexible SPI and GPIO digital interfaces, enabling easy control from any host processor or test system.

The switch’s highly integrated design reduces cost and design complexity and simplifies the development of numerous RF front-end systems including transmitters and receivers, RF filters, and beamforming antennas used in advanced radio architectures and radar systems. The high channel density and low losses also make the MM5140 ideal for ultra-compact switch matrices and multiplexers used for RF test and measurement applications.

“The MM5140 switch eliminates the compromises developers often face when deciding between electromechanical relays or solid-state switches for RF designs,” said Chris Giovanniello, co-founder and SVP marketing, Menlo Micro. “Ideal Switch technology enables the MM5140 to outperform EMRs across all application-critical metrics while offering the size, reliability and speed benefits of a solid-state switch. Following the success of our MM5130, MM5600, and MM5120 products, we are excited to be bringing yet another high performance Ideal Switch to the market.