A Novel Wideband RF Turbo Switch Using Phase-Change-Material in a SiGe BiCMOS Process

This paper presents a novel wideband RF Turbo switch using phase-change material (PCM) switch monolithically integrated into a SiGe BiCMOS process. The Turbo switch enables the integration of PCM switches with traditional RF switch topologies using a high-performance and a high-speed mode. The high-performance mode uses PCMs whereas a traditional RF switch throw is used for fast toggling in high-speed mode. As a proof of concept, a CMOS switch is used in this work in high-speed mode. In the presence of traditional high-parasitic CMOS switches, Turbo switch preserves the superior performance offered by the PCM devices in the high-performance mode. The Turbo switch achieved an insertion loss (IL) of less than 0.45 dB and 0.7 dB for frequencies up to 20 GHz and 50 GHz, respectively in the high-performance mode. The return losses are better than -18 dB and an isolation of more than 26 dB is achieved using a series only PCM switch for frequencies up to 50 GHz.