Integrated Device Technology (IDT) released two 50 MHz to 8 GHz switches for communications and public safety systems, radar and general purpose switching. The IDT F2932 and F2933 are 50 Ω, SPDT, absorptive switches designed on a silicon process and assembled in 4x4 mm, 16-pin QFN packages. The pin-outs are drop-in compatible with competitive GaAs switches.

At 4 GHz, the F2932 and F2933 have 0.93 dB insertion loss, greater than 35 dBm 1 dB compression point, 64 dBm input IP3 (with 15 dBm tones at 1 MHz channel spacing) and 66 dB isolation. Compared with other switches, particularly GaAs-based, the F2932 and F2933 offer better RF performance, greater reliability, easier integration and lower total solution cost, according to IDT's release announcing the products.

The two switches have similar RF performance, pin-out and control, with the F2932 having an additional enable/disable feature that allows all RF paths to be put into an off state with the VCTL feature disabled.

“These two new devices offer one of the industry’s highest isolation values, and when combined with their low distortion and low insertion loss they provide superior performance for many different high-isolation applications,” said Chris Stephens, general manager of IDT’s RF division.

The new switches join other products in IDT's silicon-based portfolio, including RF mixers, RF and IF variable gain amplifiers (VGA), digital step attenuators (DSA), demodulators, broadband modulators and wideband voltage variable attenuators (VVA).