A comparison of Bulk and Epitaxial PIN diodes in low cost wideband RF switching

Both bulk and Epi PIN diodes offer dissimilar properties for various niches in RF switching. RF switches in CATV system is a fine example of stringent requirements for wide bandwidth and low cost. Compared to FET or CMOS based switches, PIN diodes have two important advantages: 1) higher linearity—especially critical in a multi-carrier environment and 2) ease of cascading additional switches in series without the need to duplicate control lines. Being two terminal devices, PIN diodes are also less complicated to model in simulators.