World's first twelve-throw RF MEMS ohmic switch developed

DelfMEMS, a leading developer of innovative RF MEMS switching solutions, has announced the development of what it believes is the world's first twelve-throw RF MEMS ohmic switch. The SP12T switch, made using FreeFlex MEMS technology, will deliver the performances needed for next generation LTE-A handsets, says the company. Commenting, Cybele Rolland, DelfMEMS, CEO, said: "Until now, companies have tended towards the capacitive switch solution route. We chose the harder route of contact or Ohmic switching because of the superior performance and have succeeded in creating the world's first, fully functional version that we will be showing customers and press at MWC in Barcelona. This is a key milestone for the company and we have already signed several contracts, with more in the pipeline, and anticipate shipping in the second half of 2016. RF MEMS switches have been known for many years as outstanding potential solutions for mobile handset RF performance, but have so far failed to see any reasonable level of success either due to cost or reliability concerns. We have solved these issues with our FreeFlex MEMS technology." The benefits of DelfMEMS RF-MEMS switching solution are being able to deliver the performances required for the next generation of handsets, LTE-A and beyond, with ultra-low insertion loss, outstanding isolation and superior linearity to enable full uplink carrier aggregation. Early samples of the switch have performance levels that are comparable to the current market leading solutions but for production devices the performance levels will be significantly higher, enabling the full potential of LTE-A and beyond data rates for both upload and download to finally be achieved. A DelfMEMS SP12T demo board is also available. Early samples of the SP12T switch will be shown at Mobile World Congress (MWC) March 2-5, 2015, Barcelona.