Distortion properties of MESFET and PIN diode microwave switches

The authors present a comparison of the distortion properties of microwave switches that employ PIN diodes or GaAs MESFET semiconductor devices. They analyzed the distortion properties of both devices in a typical switch application. The results of the analysis indicated that either device is capable of performing with a third-order intercept point at approximately 40 dBm or better at frequencies from 10 MHz through beyond the X-band. This level of distortion is generally satisfactory for many small signal applications. If better distortion performance is required, the PIN diode is superior.<<ETX>>