Solid state RF switch with high cutoff frequency

US6486511B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION · US

Inventors

• Harvey C. Nathanson · Pittsburgh, US
• Philip C. Smith · Melbourne, US
• R. Chris Clarke · Sykesville, US
• David Krafcsik · Crownsville, US
• Lawrence E. Dickens · Baltimore, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 30, 2001
• Grant date: Nov 26, 2002
• Expiry date: Aug 30, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D64/605

Abstract

A solid state microwave switch having a plurality of adjacent parallel fingers covered with an oxide layer. One end of a finger is an N+ source region while the other end is an N+ drain region, with a current conducting N region between them. The oxide layer is covered with a gate layer to which a gate signal is applied for control of current between the N+ regions through the N region. The gate layer is highly resistive and has a sheet resistance on the order of millions of ohms per square. The length from the source to drain region is around 2 &mgr;m, and the fingers are spaced with a pitch of around 1 &mgr;m.