Markets - Aerospace & Defense

THE IDEAL SWITCH MAKES TECHNOLOGY IN THE FIELD SMALLER, MORE EFFICIENT, AND MORE CAPABLE.

Weight reductions drive increased agility and energy savings.

Space saved increases room for added equipment and more functionality.

Power saved delivers longer run-time or smaller, lighter power units or batteries.

Costs saved frees up budget for other gains.

CASE IN POINT:

Tactical Radios

As switches have improved, tactical radios have gotten smaller, lighter, more efficient, and more capable.

Weight: 54 pounds (4 bowling balls)

Capabilities: FM, Voice Encryption

Weight: 14 pounds (1 bowling ball)

Capabilities: +SRW, MUOS, SINCGARS, SATCOM, WNW, V/U LOS, HQII, IW, HF SSB w/ ALE, GPS Data Encryption

Weight: 5 Pounds (half-gallon of milk)

Capabilities: + Better reception, mesh network

Weight: 7.3 ounces (1 iPhone)

Capabilities: Superior reception, mesh network, texting, maps, video, image, every soldier has one and is connected.

IMPACT:

Securing field advantages.

The Ideal Switch can save over 3dB in RF power budget with switched filter banks, enabling truly game-changing form-factors and system integration.

Traditional Filter Banks vs. the Ideal Switch

	MM6005 7-Channel Reconfigurable Filter	Traditional 7-Channel Switched Filter Bank	Key Benefits
Size	7 x 4.6 x 1.6 cm = 51.5 cm³	20.3 x 20.3 x 2.54 cm = 1,047 cm³ or greater depending on heat sink needs	95% reduction in size
Weight	106 g	>1,000 g	90% reduction in weight
# of Components	4 Ideal Switches 30 other components	7 PIN Diodes 150 other components	70% reduction in components
RF Power	60 W in, >43 W out	100 W in, <40 W out	Greater power efficiency
Speed	<10 µs	30 µs	>3x faster speed
RF Insertion Loss	1.4 dB	3—4 dB	~2dB RF power budget improvement

Reduced Size & Weight

Go from many power-hungry, lossy PIN diodes and massive metal housings to a few Ideal Switches in a miniaturized case. The result? 95% board size and weight reduction.

Increased RF Performance

Go from 3-4dB to 1.4dB with ~2dB radio chain budget improvement. Higher budget increases radio range.

Reduced Power Consumption

Go from 100 W in, < 40 W out to 60 W in, > 43 W out for smaller PA, simpler thermal management, longer operation in the field.

Reduced Switching Speed

Go over 3x faster (from 30µs to <10µs) for more rapid channel access.

Enabling Technology

With new systems architecture and capabilities afforded by the Ideal Switch, soldiers and first responders can share more information across larger areas more securely.

IN THE LAB

Benefits of the Ideal Switch

The Ideal Switch delivers unprecedented performances across key RF specifications for your next mission critical hardware design.

Rethinking Switched Filter Banks

Unmatched Linearity

With IP3 greater than 90 dBm in RF transmitter unit, it improves spectrum purity and increases more radio users.

Low Insertion Loss

With less than 1 dB loss in high RF power radio chain, it reduces heat dissipation and increases radio range.

High RF Power Handling

With up to 25 W (150 W pulsed) handling in high RF power unit, it increases radio power rating and coverage.

Extreme Environments

We designed the Ideal Switch to maintain its properties in the most severe circumstances. Whether it is the material or the structure, the Ideal Switch is built to last.

Extreme Hot & Cold Temps

Superior temperature performance from -40C to +85C with much lower operational variation compared with solid-state technologies.

Extreme Shock & Vibration

Proven reliability that meets the demanding Mil-STD-810G requirements.

“The decades old promise of RF MEMS becoming mainstream technology has up to now, not been realized, but the key problems now appear to have been solved by Menlo Micro.”

RODD NOVAK
VP CORPORATE PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
PSEMI / MURATA

Mission-critical technology.

Tactical Radios

Securing field advantages.

IN THE LAB

Benefits of the Ideal Switch

Extreme Environments