The RF-MEMS is, according to the company, a breakthrough in switch technology that provides a long-sought replacement for electromechanical relay designs first adopted by the electronics industry more than 100 years ago.
This switch technology enables faster, smaller, lower power, more reliable instrumentation equipment by resolving multiple performance limitations commonly attributed to relays. With the commercial release of products enabled by this technology, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can significantly improve the accuracy and versatility of automatic test equipment (ATE) and other instrumentation tools to help their customers reduce testing costs, power and time to market.
The ADGM1304 and ADGM1004 MEMS switches have precision and RF performance from 0 Hz (dc) to 14 GHz. Each switch contains two die – an electrostatically actuated switch in a hermetically sealed silicon cap, and a low-voltage, low-current driver IC. The switching element has a highly conditioned, reliable metal-to-metal contact that is actuated with an electrostatic force generated by the companion driver IC.
The ADGM1304 and ADGM1004 increase cold-switching lifetime by a factor of 10 compared. Additionally, the small height of the switch packages suits surface-mounting needs. An integrated charge pump removes the need for external drivers, further reducing ATE system size, while a multiplexer configuration simplifies the fan-out structure compared to DPDT relay designs.
Analog Devices
Analog.com
Filed Under: Switches
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