The commutation quality factor of electrically controlled microwave device components

Abstract

Various circuit components based on electrically controlled capacitors can be compared using an integral criterion, called the commutation quality factor and determined by the efficiency of capacitance tuning and the losses in the control device. The value of commutation quality factor is independent of the physical nature of controlled components, which ensures objective comparative analysis of the efficiency of electrically tunable capacitive components operating in the microwave frequency range: p-i-n diodes, microelectromechanical switches, diodes with variable p-n junction capacitance (varactors), and ferroelectric capacitors.