Patent ID: 7609126

Claim:
A diode switch comprising: an input terminal and an output terminal; diodes connected between said input terminal and said output terminal, each of said diodes having a cathode and an anode; a first capacitor; and a control voltage terminal connected between said input terminal and said diodes, said diode switch outputting to said output terminal an RF power input to said input terminal when a voltage at least equal to a predetermined voltage is applied to said control voltage terminal, wherein said diodes are arranged in a plurality of stages including a former stage including a former stage diode and a latter stage including a latter stage diode, the former stage and the latter stage are connected in parallel, and the cathode of said latter stage diode is connected to the anode of said former stage diode only through said first capacitor so that a common DC current flows through said former stage diode and said latter stage diode.