Menlo Micro, the pioneer of an entirely new category of electronic switches with its Ideal Switch™ technology, has released its latest 3.6 GHz, 2-bit digitally controlled differential delay shifter. Engineered to support the demanding needs of 5G beam steering and phased array antenna systems, this new device delivers four discrete delay states with exceptional RF performance. Leveraging Menlo Micro’s proprietary Ideal Switch™ technology, the delay shifter achieves key performance benchmarks including ultra-high linearity, extremely low insertion loss, and minimal supply current consumption. It also exhibits a rapid delay state change time of just 10 microseconds, while ensuring long-term reliability with a switching endurance of over 3 billion cycles.
The Ideal Switch™-based design sets this delay shifter apart from conventional switched phase shifters. It offers a true differential time delay rather than approximated phase shifts, thereby enabling more precise beam steering capabilities. Additionally, the component is designed in a compact 13mm x 13mm package, which can be further miniaturized to suit space-constrained applications. This miniaturization does not compromise its robust RF characteristics, making it highly suitable for deployment in both standalone analog beamforming and hybrid beamforming architectures. Its flexibility extends to its adaptability for wider broadband frequency coverage and customizable delay line configurations, ensuring scalability for future wireless systems.
The 3.6 GHz CBRS-Band Beam-Steering Antenna developed by Menlo Micro demonstrates the performance of the Ideal Switch Delay Shifter in a real-world application. The design highlights the shifter’s capability to steer the beam in both azimuth and elevation directions using a limited number of compact and efficient delay units. This represents a significant advancement in phased array antenna design, particularly for applications where precision, reliability, and footprint are critical considerations.
The differential delay shifter supports operation in the 3.6 GHz frequency band and features four programmable delay states. It can handle input powers up to +44 dBm, with a third-order intercept point (IP3) exceeding 90 dBm, and maintains an impressively low insertion loss of just 0.2 dB. These features collectively ensure that the device delivers high-fidelity signal processing even under strenuous operating conditions. Built to endure harsh environments, the device remains reliable over billions of switching events, a testament to the durability of the Ideal Switch™ platform.
This differential delay shifter has a wide range of applications, including beam-steering antennas, distributed antenna systems (DAS), and various phased array configurations. It is also highly relevant for weather monitoring and military radar systems, where both performance and reliability are of utmost importance. The markets poised to benefit from this innovation include 5G cellular infrastructure, aerospace communications, and general-purpose RF front-end systems.
Click here to learn more about this differential Delay Shifter.