A high-power, low-loss W-band SPDT switch using SiGe PIN diodes

This paper presents a W-band SPDT switch implemented using PIN diodes in a new 90 nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The SPDT switch achieves a minimum insertion loss of 1.4 dB and an isolation of 22 dB at 95 GHz, with less than 2 dB insertion loss from 77-134 GHz, and greater than 20 dB isolation from 79-129 GHz. The input and output return losses are greater than 10 dB from 73-133 GHz. By reverse biasing the off-state PIN diodes, the P1dB is larger than +24 dBm. To the authors' best knowledge, these results demonstrate the lowest loss and highest power handling capability achieved by a W-band SPDT switch in any silicon-based technology reported to date.