Microwave Journal — Fabs & Labs Feature: Menlo Micro

Microwave Journal  — November 13, 2025

Menlo Micro, founded in 2016, is on a mission to set a new standard in switch technology. Menlo Micro’s foundational technology is its Ideal Switch, which incorporates the benefits of electromechanical and solid-state switches. Menlo leverages this technology to create solutions for industries, including test and measurement, aerospace and defense, industrial, medical, telecommunications, consumer and automotive.

The Ideal Switch combines the nuances of semiconductor manufacturing with a micro-mechanical actuator, creating a high isolation airgap when OFF and a near-zero resistance when ON. The foundation of the switch platform is a 100 µm x100 µm unit cell, approximately 90 percent smaller than traditional switches, and is configurable in series or parallel designs to allow for a multitude of product configurations.

In addition to these sizing advantages, the Ideal Switch uses proprietary alloys that are resilient to high temperatures and mechanical stress. The Ideal Switch draws low power compared to EMRs, improving system energy efficiency and eliminating the need for heat sinks. It also has a < 10 µs switching time and operates for over 3 billion switching cycles.

The Ideal Switches are hermetically sealed using wafer bonding with through-glass copper vias creating miniaturized, chip-scale packages. They are then implemented in a variety of products designed in collaboration with industry-leading customers.

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