Switches
Switch design and manufacturing considerations
The manufacturing of MEMS switches relies on established semiconductor processing steps, such as photolithography, etching, and deposition. This allows for scalable production and consistency, while supporting integration with other electronic components. Actuation methods include electrostatic, thermal, and piezoelectric, with careful design of mechanical structures to achieve optimal switching characteristics including speed, power consumption, and durability. Material selection remains crucial for ensuring conductivity, durability, and environmental robustness.
Packaging is also a significant aspect, as all switches must be protected from contamination, vibration and thermal stress without sacrificing performance. Solutions such as hermetic sealing, advanced encapsulation, and robust interconnects are essential for reliability and long-term operation, especially in demanding settings.
Switches in real-world applications The broad adoption of advanced switch technologies can be seen across communications, aerospace, defence, industrial automation, building management, data centre infrastructure as well as developing markets in high-speed digital test driven by AI and quantum compute. In wireless systems, switches are central to dynamic antenna configuration and signal routing, supporting higher network capacity and improved coverage. Aerospace and satellite applications benefit from compact, reliable, low-loss, and low-power switches, where weight efficiency and longevity are critical.
Power control systems in factories and enterprise buildings can use advanced MEMS switches for efficient, fast and reliable
high-power distribution without the need for heat sinks or other thermal management infrastructure. Data centres can depend on these switches to protect GPUs and CPUs on server boards from high-power events, especially where board server board footprint is at a premium. The ongoing advancements of MEMS switch technology are enabling increasingly efficient, compact and smarter electronic system designs.
A case in point: industry innovation Companies such as Menlo Micro have been at the forefront of switch innovation, launching products that set new benchmarks for RF and power control. Their Ideal Switch platform,
for example, brings together compact form factors with ultra-low resistance, fast switching speeds, and robust reliability, supporting a wide range of applications from next-generation wireless infrastructure to high-voltage power management in data centres.
In practice, these advances have delivered tangible system-level benefits, including improved efficiency, reduced maintenance requirements, and greater operational flexibility. For system designers, this opens the door to performance gains that were previously constrained by the limitations of legacy switching technologies. Notably, Menlo Micro high-speed digital MEMS switches
are being used to test NVIDIA GPUs for deployment in AI data centres.
Shaping next-generation systems Looking ahead, continued innovation is expected to drive switch technology further, with research exploring new materials and integration methods to boost performance and reliability. The ongoing trend toward miniaturization and improved packaging is also opening the door to more complex and demanding applications.
As the industry embraces the Internet of Things (IoT), next-generation wireless, artificial intelligence, quantum systems and advanced power systems, switch technology will remain a critical enabler for smarter, more adaptable electronic solutions.
A call to action for the industry The ongoing evolution of switch technology marks a significant shift in RF and power control, bringing new levels of performance and versatility. As adoption grows, electronics professionals are encouraged to assess the relevance of MEMS switching solutions to their own system design challenges and opportunities. The pace of change in switch design will remain a major force in driving innovation, establishing new standards for quality and efficiency across the sector.
https://menlomicro.com/technology/how- it-works
www.cieonline.co.uk Components in Electronics May 2026 33
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