Patent ID: 8049574

Claim:
A single pole multiple-throw microwave switch for selectively switching an RF signal to one of a plurality of output ports comprising: a transmission line for coupling the signal to a throw junction, said throw junction having connected thereto a plurality of switch legs, each said leg including a high voltage shunt diode spaced about one quarter-wavelength from the throw junction; each said diode mounted at its cathode end to a corresponding plurality of parallel DC blocking capacitors and adapted to receive a bias voltage; a controller that applies a first DC bias voltage to a selected one of the shunt diodes to cause the selected shunt diode to operate in a reverse bias mode and applies a second DC bias voltage to the other shunt diodes to cause the other shunt diodes to operate in a forward bias mode such that the selected shunt diode mounted on the corresponding capacitors provides a low insertion loss to pass the signal from the transmission line through a selected leg and to a selected output port; and wherein the other shunt diodes provide a high insertion loss for blocking the signal from the transmission line to the remaining plurality of output ports.