New optimized negative voltage drivers compatible with high performance AlGaAs and HMIC PIN diode switches

     MACOM Technology Solutions introduces two new negative voltage drivers that are seamlessly compatible with MACOM's full line of AlGaAs and HMIC PIN diode switches. The newly integrated MADR-011020 and MADR-011022 are used to drive MACOM's industry-leading PIN diodes, which simplify PCB layouts, reduce component costs and shorten project development cycles.

     The MADR-011020 supports reverse bias voltages between -20V and -50V for driving medium-power SPDT switches capable of providing bias charge and bias pull currents up to 50 mA, while the MADR-011022 supports reverse bias voltages from -10V to -25V for driving low-power SPDT switches. It can provide up to 25 mA of bias filling current and 20 mA of bias pulling current. Both drivers come in a compact 4mm 16-pin PQFN package with a built-in power sequencer that eliminates the need for external power timing control and can be easily controlled with standard TTL logic. Achievable switching speeds range from below 50ns (MADR-011020) to below 80ns (MADR-011022).

     The MADR-011020 and MADR-011022 drivers can be used as components, supporting the parallel connection of 2 or more drivers to control 2 to 8 single-pole double-throw switch configurations. In addition, the RF switch can be fully turned off using the enable pin of the driver.

     Graham Board, Senior Director of Product Marketing at MACOM, said: "Relying on MACOM's proprietary AlGaAs and HMIC technologies, designers are able to deliver the most powerful PIN diode switches in the industry. "The new drivers introduced today are highly valuable complementary products that provide a complete solution to help designers construct and evaluate their RF switch designs with great ease."

     For more than 60 years, MACOM's design and application experts have led innovations in RF, microwave and millimeter wave, and have developed the industry's richest portfolio of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC) and components that span the entire RF signal chain. MACOM's heterogeneous semiconductor and packaging strategies apply advanced, proprietary technology designed to ensure that every RF system function is fully optimized to provide optimal performance and maintain cost advantages. MACOM always delivers superior technology, expertise, cost structure and supply chain without compromise, thus providing customers with a real competitive advantage.

     As a complete solution provider for high-performance RF control components, MACOM offers discrete PIN diodes from 1 micron to 400 micron thickness for frequency-specific switching and power-limiting applications, discrete chip capacitors and quartz chip inductors for custom bias networks/filters, plug-in wideband (2 to 18 GHz) bias decoupling networks for discrete or integrated switching circuits, based on MACOM Multi-throw switches with HMIC or AlGaAs technology and on-chip bias networks, as well as TTL-compatible PLus-negative voltage switches /PIN diode drivers with ultra-fast switching speeds. In addition, MACOM offers standard band-specific control circuits and offers customers devices for custom designs and circuits.