At European Microwave Week (EuMW) 2026, everything RF met with Tagore Technology, a developer of high-power RF switches and GaN semiconductor solutions, to learn about the company’s latest developments in broadband power amplifiers and RF switching technology. The company showcased an approach to improving broadband amplifier efficiency through integrated switching, along with high-power RF tuning switches designed for tactical communication and radar applications.
EuMW 2026 was held from 4-9 October in London. This is Europe’s premier event for the RF, microwave, mmWave, and radar industry, bringing together the companies and technologies shaping the future of high-frequency engineering.
Broadband Power Amplifiers Using Integrated RF Switching Technology
Geoffrey Tucker, Director of RF Engineering at Tagore Technology, introduced the company’s approach to developing broadband RF power amplifiers using integrated switching technology. Tagore, historically known for its high-power silicon RF switches, is now combining its switching expertise with power amplifier technology to address some of the challenges associated with achieving high efficiency and output power across multi-octave bandwidths.
The company is developing a new line of power amplifiers that incorporates RF switches within a multi-chip module (MCM). This approach enables the amplifier’s impedance matching to be adjusted for different operating frequency ranges, allowing it to achieve performance characteristics closer to those of a narrowband amplifier while supporting wideband operation.
One of the main challenges in designing broadband power amplifiers is maintaining an effective impedance match between the RF transistor and the matching network implemented on the printed circuit board (PCB). As the operating bandwidth increases, particularly across multiple octaves, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the impedance conditions required for high output power and efficiency.
Conventional broadband amplifier designs must accommodate these impedance variations across the entire operating frequency range, which can involve compromises in performance. Narrowband amplifiers, on the other hand, can be optimized for a smaller frequency range, making it easier to achieve favorable impedance matching and higher efficiency.
Tagore’s approach addresses this challenge by incorporating RF switching technology into the amplifier module. The switches allow the amplifier’s matching conditions to be adjusted according to the operating frequency range, effectively enabling narrowband-like optimization within a broadband amplifier architecture.
During the demonstration, Tucker explained that the underlying concept of adjustable impedance matching is not new. However, Tagore is applying this approach to higher-power amplifier products by integrating its existing switch technology with power amplification circuitry.
By optimizing the amplifier’s impedance matching for different portions of its operating bandwidth, Tagore aims to improve RF output power, power utilization, and overall amplifier efficiency compared with conventional broadband matching approaches.
Higher amplifier efficiency can also reduce the electrical power required to achieve a given RF output level. According to Tucker, these improvements are intended to support smaller, lighter RF electronics with lower power consumption.
Tagore Technology also showcased its TAS9210M Tunable Power Amplifier, which incorporates the company’s switch-based impedance matching technology to improve amplifier performance across different operating frequencies. The amplifier is designed to provide higher power-added efficiency (PAE), improved gain, better harmonic performance, and improved overall efficiency. Target applications include private mobile radio handsets, public safety communication devices, cellular infrastructure, and data links.
GaN RF Tuning Switches for Tactical Communication and Radar Systems
In another demonstration, Pasi Tikka, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Tagore Technology, showcased the company’s latest RF tuning switches designed for tactical communication systems. The demonstration highlighted a switch capable of handling 100 V peak RF voltage while offering an on-state resistance of just 0.5 ohms. The company also talked about how its GaN-based switching technology can replace conventional PIN diode switching networks, reducing circuit complexity and bias power consumption in communication and radar systems.
Tactical radios typically operate across a wide frequency range, often extending from 30 MHz to 520 MHz. These systems require low-pass filters to suppress the harmonics generated by their RF transmitters and maintain the required spectral performance. Supporting this wide operating range can require tunable filter networks that adjust their characteristics according to the selected transmission frequency.
Tagore’s tuning switches are designed for these applications, providing the low on-state resistance and high RF voltage handling required for high-power tunable filtering. The 0.5-ohm on-resistance helps minimize losses in the switching path, while the 100 V RF voltage capability supports operation in higher-power RF circuits.
During the demonstration, Tikka explained that Tagore is developing a complete demonstration board to show how its switches can be incorporated into a tunable low-pass filter covering approximately 30 MHz to 500 MHz. The demonstrated filter performance was described as covering 30 MHz to 520 MHz, with second-harmonic rejection of approximately 50 dB and return loss better than 20 dB. The company expects to make the demonstration board available in December 2026.
Another focus of the demonstration was Tagore’s GaN-based RF switch technology and its advantages over traditional PIN diode switching circuits.
PIN diodes have been widely used in RF switching applications for decades, particularly in high-power communication and radar systems. However, implementing a complete PIN diode switching network can require complex biasing circuitry, multiple discrete components, and relatively high DC power consumption.
According to Tikka, a conventional PIN diode switching implementation may require approximately 30 to 50 components, including the diodes and associated biasing circuitry. Tagore’s GaN switching technology integrates much of this functionality into a single device, requiring only a small number of external components, such as capacitors.
This integration can reduce PCB area and simplify RF front-end design while also lowering the power required to control the switches.
One of the significant advantages highlighted during the demonstration was the reduction in switch bias power consumption. Conventional PIN diode switches can consume power measured in watts, depending on their configuration and biasing requirements. In comparison, Tagore’s integrated GaN RF switches typically require approximately 1 mW of bias power.
Although the power savings associated with an individual switch may appear relatively small, they become substantial in systems incorporating thousands of switching elements, such as phased-array radars.
Tikka illustrated how the use of GaN switches could reduce the switching-related bias power requirement of a large array from the kilowatt range to only a few watts. In the example discussed, the reduction could be from approximately 4 kW to 4 W, depending on the switching architecture and number of elements.
Lower bias power consumption also reduces the amount of heat generated by the switching circuitry, potentially simplifying thermal management and reducing the size, weight, and power requirements of the overall system.
Tagore Technology showcased the TS8043N, a broadband GaN-based Single-Pole Four-Throw (SP4T) RF switch designed for high-power communication applications. Operating from 30 MHz to 2.5 GHz and capable of handling up to 100 W of continuous RF power, the switch enables signal routing between multiple RF paths while maintaining low insertion loss, high isolation, and high linearity. Its compact design and simplified control circuitry make it suitable for military and tactical radios, public safety communication systems, cellular infrastructure, and satellite terminals.
The also showcased the TS63560D, a GaN-based binary tuning switch designed for high-power tunable antenna and filter applications. The device operates from 30 MHz to 1 GHz and incorporates multiple independently controlled switching paths with different on-state resistances, enabling engineers to implement configurable impedance matching and filtering networks. Its low on-resistance, high RF voltage handling, and integrated control circuitry help reduce signal losses and simplify circuit design compared with conventional discrete switching solutions. The switch is particularly suited for tactical radios, antenna tuning, and other applications requiring adjustable RF filtering with minimal bias power consumption.
Tagore’s RF switch portfolio currently includes devices supporting power levels from 10 W to 200 W, addressing applications ranging from tactical communication equipment to high-power RF and radar systems.