everything RF stopped by the Menlo Micro booth at IMS 2026, where the company demonstrated a range of switching solutions based on its Ideal Switch® technology. The demonstrations included the MM5800 millimeter-wave switching platform for DC to 70 GHz applications, the MM5130NLX high-power RF protection switch, and the MM5627 differential DP3T switch for high-speed data and loopback applications. The products target applications ranging from RF and microwave test systems to AI hardware validation, defense electronics, radar systems, telecommunications infrastructure, and next-generation high-speed interconnects.
The MM5800 Millimeter-Wave Switching Platform
Senior Principal Systems Applications Engineer Ian Burke demonstrated the MM5800, an SPDT micro-mechanical switch designed for ultra-wideband RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave applications. During the demonstration, the company showcased approximately 1 dB insertion loss and return loss of 15 dB up to 60 GHz using engineering samples and discussed planned performance improvements in future releases. The demonstration highlighted the switch's suitability for high-frequency test systems and advanced communication infrastructure operating well into the millimeter-wave spectrum.
The MM5800 is part of Menlo Micro's millimeter-wave switching platform and is built around a high-performance SPDT micro-mechanical switch based on the company's Ideal Switch technology. It provides frequency coverage from DC to 70 GHz and is designed to deliver low insertion loss, high linearity, and high-power operation across microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies. The device supports more than three billion switching cycles and is intended to replace both electromechanical relays and solid-state RF switches in high-performance measurement systems. Menlo Micro says the platform is optimized for next-generation test infrastructure supporting technologies such as PCIe Gen7 and 224G SerDes while also targeting satellite communications, aerospace and defense systems, silicon photonics testing, wireless infrastructure, and quantum computing applications. The switch is designed to handle 4 W CW and 40 W pulsed power and is housed in a compact wafer-level chip-scale package.
The MM5130NLX High-Power RF Switch
Burke also demonstrated the MM5130NLX RF switch, highlighting its high-power standoff capability under pulsed RF conditions. During the live demonstration, the switch was subjected to 56 dBm, or approximately 500 W, of pulsed RF power while operating in standoff mode. Thermal imaging showed heating on the RF input path while the switch itself experienced only a small temperature rise of about 2–3°C. The demonstration also showed the switch maintaining approximately 50 dB of isolation while reflecting the applied RF energy away from the protected output path.
The MM5130 family is based on Menlo Micro's Ideal Switch technology and is designed as a high-power RF switch for applications where low insertion loss, high linearity, and high reliability are critical. The device supports operation from DC to 26 GHz and can handle up to 25 W continuous-wave power and 150 W pulsed power in its standard configuration while providing greater than three billion switching cycles. According to Menlo Micro, the MM5130 series is intended for RF front ends, switched filter banks, relay replacement, aerospace and defense systems, wireless infrastructure, and test and measurement equipment. The MM5130-NLX variant demonstrated at IMS was developed as a high-standoff RF front-end protection switch capable of withstanding pulsed RF power levels of up to 500 W for demanding defense and aerospace applications.
The MM5627 Differential DP3T Switch for High-Speed Data Connectivity
Principle Systems Applications Engineer Stewart Yang demonstrated the MM5627 DP3T differential switch, highlighting its use in external loopback applications for high-speed serial interfaces. The demonstration showcased PAM4 PCIe Gen 6 signaling with a clean eye diagram generated without enabling transmitter feed-forward equalization (TX FFE), continuous-time linear equalization (CTLE), or decision feedback equalization (DFE). He also demonstrated how the switch's architecture enables independent control of multiple differential pairs within a single package, allowing flexible signal routing while reducing the number of devices required in high-speed test systems.
The MM5627 is a fully integrated differential DP3T switch designed for advanced semiconductor validation, AI hardware testing, and high-speed connectivity applications. Part of Menlo Micro's MM562x family, the device combines a compact System-in-Package architecture with integrated DP3T switching logic, on-chip loopback circuitry, a charge pump, and high-voltage driver circuitry. The switch supports differential signaling rates up to 80 Gbps, offers a bandwidth of up to 20 GHz, and provides 128 programmable control states that allow independent management of differential signal pairs. According to Menlo Micro, this high degree of configurability enables complex routing and loopback functions while reducing board space, lowering system complexity, and improving signal integrity for automated validation platforms used in AI processors, GPUs, CPUs, and high-speed data infrastructure.
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