A Monolithic, Dual Channel, 0.5 to 20GHz Limiter

This paper details a dual channel limiter IC, fabricated as a single die using a commercially available PIN diode process. The measured performance shows a small-signal insertion loss of less than 0.8dB from 0.5 to 20GHz with excellent channel matching. The limited output power (at 10dB saturation) measures between 15 and 16.5dBm, across the band. The IC can handle CW power levels of 4W and had an RF yield of 93%.