Multiport broadband monolithic phase-change radio frequency switch

A method, comprising:

• electrically coupling, by a system comprising at least one processor, a common radio frequency (RF) port of an RF switch to one or more selectable RF ports, wherein the common RF port is electrically coupled to a conductor, and wherein the one or more selectable RF ports are connected to the conductor via a phase change alloy material junction between the selectable RF port and the conductor, the electrically coupling comprising:
• determining which of the one or more selectable RF ports to electrically couple to the common port via the conductor;
• for each selectable RF port determined to be one to electrically couple to the common RF port,
• determining whether the phase change alloy material junction between the selectable RF port and the conductor is in a conductive state or a nonconductive state, and, in response to the phase change alloy material junction being determined to be in a nonconductive state, controlling a heating element corresponding to the selectable RF port to change the phase change alloy material junction to a conductive state that electrically couples the selectable RF port to the conductor;
• and
• for each selectable RF port determined not to be one to electrically couple to the common RF port,
• determining whether the phase change alloy material junction between the selectable RF port and the conductor is in a conductive state or a nonconductive state, and, in response to the phase change alloy material junction being in a conductive state, controlling a heating element corresponding to the selectable RF port to change the phase change alloy material junction to a nonconductive state that electrically decouples the selectable RF port from the conductor.

A multiport switch, comprising:

• a common radio frequency (RF) port;
• conductive material coupled to the common RF port;
• respective selectable RF ports;
• respective phase change alloy junctions between the conductive material and the respective selectable RF ports;
• and
• respective heating elements that are individually controllable to determine whether the respective phase change alloy junctions are in respective conductive states or in respective nonconductive states,
• wherein a phase change alloy junction of the respective phase change alloy junctions, in a conductive state, electrically couples a selectable RF port of the respective selectable RF ports to the conductive material, and wherein the phase change alloy junction of the respective phase change alloy junctions, in a nonconductive state, electrically decouples the selectable RF port of the respective selectable RF ports from the conductive material.