Menlo Microsystems, Inc. released to production a new differential double-pole/triple-throw (2x DP3T) switch at European Microwave Week in Paris, France. Built on the success of Menlo Micro’s industry-leading MM5620 2x DP3T loopback relay, the MM5622 provides a DC-coupled version with improved RF performance. Offering unprecedented reductions in size and power consumption and unmatched increases in performance and reliability, the MM5622 will bring significant cost savings to a much broader segment of the high speed SerDes market.

The switch’s system-in-package solution fully integrates a driver, charge pump and 12 high performance switch channels, offering significant board footprint reduction for production loopback test solutions. The MM5622 Ideal Switch® supports the differential signal switching required for numerous high speed SerDes buses to 64 Gbps data-rates, with applications for smartphones, GPU, CPU, network processors, as well as other high performance computing and high speed memory products.

“Nearly 15 months after the enormously successful release of our first, highly differentiated loopback relay, the MM5620, Menlo Micro continues to expand the applications space for these unique loopback test solutions with the launch of the MM5622,” remarked Chris Giovanniello, co-founder and senior vice president of the RF business unit at Menlo Micro. “With superior test-coverage and the ability to perform all the necessary performance and functional validation using a single load-board, the MM5622 will bring hundreds of thousands of dollars of test cost savings to an even broader portion of the high performance-computing (HPC) market.  We will continue to expand our roadmap of high speed I/O test solutions to keep up with the exploding market for HPC devices.”

The MM5622 brings a long list of benefits to the market, including:

• Fully Integrated Loopback: The MM5622 provides a complete, end-to-end Tx to Rx differential loopback solution for DC-coupled SerDes lanes, while also providing multiple high speed connections back to the automated test equipment
• Compact design: The MM5622’s small-footprint and low-profile 8.2 x 8.2 x 1.6 mm LGA package provides a 90 percent reduction in size over conventional electromagnetic relay (EMR) solutions. The fully integrated signal delivery eases significantly the routing and signal integrity challenges for PCB designers
• All-in-one test solution: The MM5622’s unique design provides the only solution on the market for performing the three key test requirements on DC-coupled buses: (1) at-speed loopback testing, (2) high speed digital I/O and scan and (3) true DC parametric measurements. All with a single test board
• 1000x faster switching: The MM5622’s ultra-fast switching speed (< 10 µs turn on/off time) is 1000x faster than EMRs, enabling reduced test time and cost-of-test
• 1000x more reliable: The MM5622 provides unmatched reliability and can operate with more than three billion switching cycles, resulting in reduced downtime, maintenance and cost and a 1000x longer lifetime compared to conventional EMRs.

Visit RFMW’s booth 502J at European Microwave Week to see the MM5622 on display.