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M539: Drivers for GaAs FET MMIC Switches and Digital Attenuators

From M/A-COM
 

 
M/A-COM's Microelectronics Division produces a silicon CMOS Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) that drives GaAs Field Effect Transistor (FET) based switches or digital attenuators from a single TTL or compatible IC. These ASICs are available in single (SW-109) or quad-channel (SWD-119) plastic packages. This application note provides technical and application information to simplify the use of these drivers. GaAs MMIC control devices like switches and digital attenuators typically employ FET technology. The most common FET is the N-channel depletion mode device which has low source-to-drain resistance when there is no bias. When a negative voltage is applied to the gage, the electric field narrows the channel, increasing the source-to-drain resistance. The voltage that closes off the channel and creates the highest resistance of the FET is known as the "pinch off" voltage. For MA-COM FETs, the pinch-off voltage is typically -2.5 volts.
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Topics of Interest
Many of M/A-COM's GaAs FET switches and digital attenuators cannot operate directly with simple TTL or CMOS logic, but instead require external circuits to provide appropriate control voltages. This... (Read More)
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