Characterization of a DC to 40 GHz SPDT switch based on GaAs mHEMT technology at cryogenic temperature

In this paper a DC to 40 GHz single pole double throw (SPDT) switch based on GaAs metamorphic high electron-mobility transistors (mHEMTs) is presented. Characterization is carried out at ambient temperature and at 15 K. The insertion loss from DC to 40 GHz is smaller than 2.2 dB and 1.5 dB at 295 K and 15 K, respectively. The isolation is better than 17 dB. The switch with a size of 1 × 1 mm
²
is dedicated to multi-purpose measurement setups at cryogenic temperature, but also operates at room temperature. Bias dependency, switch design and influence of illumination are discussed additionally.