Withwave, a designer and manufacturer of a broad range of RF, microwave and high-speed test solutions has selected the Ideal Switch technology from Menlo Microsystems, Inc. (Menlo Micro), to develop three new reflective RF switch modules. The newly released reflective RF switch modules provide differentiated RF performance advantages for customers, bringing significant improvements over traditional electromechanical and solid-state switch modules.
- WM1018NKU – 18 GHz SP10T RF Switch Module, 25 W CW Power, 3B switch cycles, USB Type-C
- WM418NKU – 18 GHz SP4T RF Switch Module, 25 W CW Power, 3B switch cycles, USB Type-C
- W4MS-NKU – 20 GHz 4-Port Matrix Switch Module, 25 W CW Power, 3B switch cycles, USB Type-C
Withwave’s customers will achieve an overall improved cost of ownership across increasingly complex test and measurement platforms. Some of the key benefits of these new RF switch modules include:
- 1000x longer lifetime when compared to traditional RF electromechanical relays
- Higher RF power handling and drastically improved insertion loss over solid-state solutions
- Improved reliability and performance enabling reduced testing costs and enhanced throughput and efficiency
“Withwave selected Menlo Micro’s Ideal Switch technology based on measurable improvements around size, weight, power, and cost (SWAP-C), enabling bolder design configurations for our customers. The Ideal Switch addresses many of the biggest concerns with traditional electromechanical switches, such as size, speed and reliability,” said M.Y. Lee, Director of the Automatic & Test Solution Business Unit at Withwave. “In addition, the Ideal Switch handles higher frequency bands which are increasingly important as we move into 5G and 6G environments that push the boundaries of both data infrastructure and wireless applications.”
Menlo Micro’s Ideal Switch technology utilizes innovative materials and scalable switch configurations integrated in a unique glass-based System-in-Package (SiP) which provides differentiated RF performances with wide frequency response, high RF power rating and low loss, along with unmatched linearity, all in a small form factor. Armed with the best of both worlds for RF switch technology, the Ideal Switch is leading the industry with superior performances and features:
- RF power handling: > x50 higher than leading solid-state switches
- Insertion loss: > 1 dB lower than leading solid-state switches
- RF linearity (IP3): > 40 dB higher than leading solid-state and EMR switches
- Speed: > 1000x faster than leading EMR switches
- Operating life: > 1000x longer than leading EMR switches
- DC power and size: significantly lower and smaller than leading EMR switches
“Menlo Micro is thrilled to collaborate with Withwave to introduce a new generation of high-performance RF switch modules. Our overarching goal as a company is to partner with innovative companies like Withwave to break the mold of traditional relays and switches,” said Chris Giovanniello, Co-Founder, SVP of Sales and Marketing at Menlo Microsystems. “We are committed to delivering revolutionary switching performance improvements, with best-in-class reliability, and compelling new form factors. It’s truly exciting to see how Withwave’s customers will take advantage of these features to enable the next generation of high-performance, high-throughput test and measurement equipment.”
Withwave was showcasing these modules at DesignCon in Santa Clara last month.
Click here to learn more about Withwave.
