A high-power Ka-band single-pole single-throw switch MMIC using 0.25 µm GaN on SiC

A single-pole single-throw switch monolithic microwave integrated circuit using 0.25 µm GaN HEMT technology is presented for Ka-band downlink frequencies 17 - 22 GHz. On-wafer small-signal measurements demonstrated a low insertion loss of <=1 dB, a high on-to-off isolation of >=28 dB and a switch figure-of-merit R(on)C(off) of 330 fs. Large-signal measurements at 20GHz revealed input compression points `P(-1dB)' of 40dBm and 36dBm in the transmit (V(c) = -20 V) and isolation (V(c) = 0) states, respectively. The low insertion loss, high isolation, high power handling, and negligible static power consumption in compact dimensions of 1.75mm × 1.75mm form a baseline for an advanced design of a reconfigurable switch matrix based on GaN passive-HEMT.