Metal-insulator transition material-based multiport radio frequency switch

A method, comprising:

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

A multiport switch, comprising:

• a group of radio frequency (RF) ports comprising a first port, a second port, a third port, and a fourth port;
• respective metal-insulator transition material switches corresponding to the group of RF ports, the respective metal-insulator transition material switches comprising a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, and a fourth switch;
• and
• a controllable heater network comprising respective heating elements that transfer heat to the respective metal-insulator transition material switches, the controllable heater network being controlled to output heat via energy to selectively determine respective lower resistance states or respective higher resistance states of the respective metal-insulator transition material switches,
• wherein the controllable heater network is controlled to at least one of:
• set a first switch state to electrically couple the first RF port to the second RF port;
• set a second switch state to electrically couple the first RF port to the fourth RF port;
• set a third switch state to electrically couple the second RF port to the third RF port;
• or
• set a fourth switch state to electrically couple the third RF port to the fourth RF port.