AlGaA PIN Diode

MACOM's MA4AGBLP912 is an Aluminum-Gallium-Arsenide anode enhanced, beam lead PIN diode. AlGaAs anodes, which utilize MACOM's patented hetero-junction technology, produce less diode “On” resistance than conventional GaAs or silicon devices. This device is fabricated in a OMCVD system using a process optimized for high device uniformity and extremely low parasitics. The result is a diode with low series resistance, 4?, low capacitance, 28fF, and an extremely fast switching speed of 5nS. It is fully passivated with silicon nitride and has an additional polymer coating for scratch protection. The protective coating prevents damage to the junction and the anode air bridges during handling and assembly. The ultra low capacitance of the MA4AGBLP912 device makes it ideally suited for use up to 40GHz when used in a shunt configuration. The low RC product and low profile of the beamlead PIN diode allows for use in microwave switch designs, where low insertion loss and high isolation are required. The operating bias conditions of +10mA for the low loss state, and 0V, for the isolation state permits the use of a simple +5V TTL gate driver. AlGaAs, beamlead diodes, can be used in switching arrays on radar systems, high speed ECM circuits, optical switching networks, instrumentation, and other wideband multi-throw switch assemblies.