Fast acting microwave switch

This paper describes a novel mechanical microwave switch. In its present embodiment the switch is primarily applicable to low-power circuitry. The switching time is of the order of one millisecond, and the stop-power attenuation is better than 60 db at all frequencies of the useful microwave spectrum. The intrinsic insertion loss in the pass-power condition is negligibly small, and the total insertion loss can be kept negligibly small over a very wide frequency band by the use of proper input and output transitions. The short switching time was obtained by using an elastic inner conductor in a strip transmission line, which upon a small longitudinal displacement of one end experiences a much larger lateral displacement of the center of the section and thereby contacts the outer conductor causing a very effective short. The driving force is obtained from a greatly simplified relay structure. Due to the very small motion of all moving parts and the absence of frictional joints, the switch has shown exceptionally good long-life properties.