As wireless systems grow more complex, a new generation of RF switches promises to cut design challenges while improving signal performance across multiple bands.
Qorvo has expanded its RF portfolio with a new family of wideband RF switches designed to simplify multi-band radio architectures across 5G infrastructure, industrial systems, drones and test equipment. Covering frequencies from 50 MHz to 10 GHz, the devices are intended to reduce component count, improve signal integrity and streamline RF system design as radios support broader bandwidths and more frequency bands.
The portfolio includes the QPC6144, QPC6122 and QPC6188, which together provide a common platform for RF signal routing in applications requiring wideband operation, calibration paths and multi-band switching. The switches are designed to help engineers reduce BOM complexity, simplify PCB layouts and accelerate development while maintaining low insertion loss and strong linearity across broad bandwidths.
Among the new devices, the QPC6144 stands out as a high-isolation SP4T switch capable of delivering more than 65 dB isolation in a single device. This allows designers to eliminate cascaded switch architectures commonly used in demanding RF applications, reducing design complexity and saving board space while preserving signal performance.
The QPC6122 and QPC6188 complement the QPC6144 with absorptive wideband switching from 50 MHz to 10 GHz. The QPC6122 is a compact SP2T switch aimed at reducing component count in space-constrained designs, while the QPC6188 provides flexible SP4T routing for multi-path RF networks.
The new switch family arrives as 5G radio architectures continue evolving to support wider bandwidths and an increasing number of frequency bands, including emerging FR3 spectrum. These requirements are placing greater pressure on RF designers to maintain isolation and signal integrity without increasing system size, insertion loss or engineering complexity.
Many current RF architectures rely on cascaded switch configurations or multiple narrowband components to achieve the required performance. However, those approaches can increase insertion loss, compromise linearity and consume additional PCB space. Qorvo’s new wideband switch family aims to consolidate switching functions into fewer components while supporting both high-isolation and general-purpose RF routing requirements.
“Designers no longer have to rely on cascaded switch architectures to achieve high isolation. We’re delivering that performance in a single device across a very wide bandwidth,” said Debbie Gibson, general manager of Qorvo’s infrastructure business.
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