RF switch design

Switches are widely used in many RF systems, from low power transmit-receive switches in time division duplex wireless transceivers to millimetric wave beam-squinting systems for satellite tracking to high power (often military) phased array systems. This paper examines the operation of the PIN diode as a switching element and presents a number of design techniques for a variety of applications. Consideration is also given to switch design using FET-based switching technology. The paper concludes with a comparison of PIN and FET based switching components.