Menlo Micro Launches Industry’s First 40 Gbps DPDT Differential Switch for High-speed Switching Applications

Menlo Microsystems, Inc. (Menlo Micro), known for reinventing the electronic switch with its Ideal Switch technology, has announced a new double-pole/double-throw (DPDT) switch providing the industry’s highest performance and data rates for high-speed differential switching applications. Based on Menlo Micro’s market-proven Ideal Switch technology, the new MM5600 DPDT switch offers high-speed operation from DC to 20 GHz or 40 Gbps, significantly outperforming conventional electromechanical (EM) relays and solid-state switches. The MM5600 switch’s flexible configuration also enables internal differential crossover capabilities, greatly simplifying board routing.

The MM5600 provides a best-in-class differential switching solution for high-speed digital applications based on the latest PCI Express standard, PCIe Gen 5, which doubles interconnect speeds over the PCIe 4.0 specification (32 Gigatransfers per second versus 16 GT/s). Faster PCIe speeds are essential for next-generation artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), 5G infrastructure, data center and cloud-based applications, as well as automated test equipment (ATE) device interface boards and high-speed computer peripheral interfaces. The MM5600 switch also can be configured for single-ended operation for RF and microwave applications.

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“We designed the MM5600 DPDT switch to meet the increasing performance demands of today’s high-speed digital and RF device interface board applications,” said Chris Giovanniello, co-founder and senior vice president of marketing at Menlo Micro. “Existing electromechanical relays and semiconductors fall short in meeting the extreme performance requirements of PCIe Gen 5 and other high-speed data interfaces such as InfiniBand, USB4, and 112G Ethernet. No other EM relay or solid-state switch can match the combined switching speed, size, power efficiency, reliability and versatility of our new MM5600 switch operating at up to 40 gigabits per second.”

Fast switching: The MM5600’s ultra-fast switching speed (< 10 µs operation time and < 2 µs release time) is 1000x faster than EM relays, enabling reduced test time and cost-to-test.

Reliable solution: The MM5600 provides unmatched reliability and can operate with more than three billion switching cycles, resulting in reduced downtime, maintenance and cost and a 1000x longer lifetime compared to conventional EM relays.

Compact design: The MM5600’s small-footprint/low-profile 64 mm² design in an 8 mm x 8 mm x 1.6mm QFN package provides a 90 percent reduction in size over conventional EM relay solutions. This significant volume reduction enables more parallel tests and easier top and/or bottom routing.

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Power efficient: The MM5600 operates at less than 0.08 mW, a 99 percent reduction in power consumption compared to EM relays, making it the most energy-efficient high-speed DPDT switching solution available.

Differential modes: The MM5600’s integrated driver offers two modes of operation and can be controlled through a serial or parallel interface to drive the switch’s high-voltage gate lines.

ESD protection: The MM5600 is designed with full electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection on all input/output ports.

Leading IP3 linearity: The MM5600 achieves an IP3 linearity of more than +90 dBm with a power handling capability of +33 dBm, enabling large reductions in distortion and delivering up to a 10,000x improvement over existing EM relays and solid-state switches. IP3 is the figure of merit in determining how much distortion a switch will introduce into a system, impacting the quality of transmitted or received signals.

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