W-band quasioptical integrated PIN diode switch

Abstract

A quasioptical reflection/transmission switch using 464 PIN diodes in a 2.3-cm-diameter grid array has been designed and tested. In the reflection state (diodes off), reflection loss was less than 0.5 dB at 94 GHz, and transmission loss exceeded 20 dB over a 12-GHz bandwidth. In the transmission state (diodes on), the array's transmission loss fell to as little as 3.7 dB, with a corresponding return loss of 9 dB, at 94 GHz. The motivating application for the switch was a quasioptical radiometric imaging system. Advantages include the ability to switch multiple beams simultaneously, and potentially high power-handling capability.<>