Sub-6 GHz GaAs pHEMT SPDT Switch with Low Insertion Loss and High Power Handling Capability Using Dual-Gate Technique

Abstract

This paper presents a sub-6 GHz dual-gate single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch fabricated in a 0.5 μm GaAs pHEMT technology. All ports are matched by a single inductor which allows to achieve low insertion loss and high isolation in the operating frequency range of 3–5 GHz. Dual-gate technique and OFF-state voltage optimization were used to enhance linearity while reducing the insertion loss. The input and output return losses measured at 3–5 GHz were > 15 dB. The insertion loss was measured < 0.3 dB and isolation was > 32.7 dB at 3–5 GHz. At 3 GHz, the measurement result of the input 1-dB compression point (IP <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1dB</inf> ) was higher than 34.2 dBm. The chip area of the proposed SPDT switch, including pads, is 0.97 × 0.86 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> .