Menlo Microsystems has introduced its MM4250 switch, a cryogenic SP6T switch with a near zero thermal footprint. Its application is for switching and control of high speed and RF signals with the dilution fridge of quantum computers. By delivering reliable, high performance ohmic contact switching in cryogenic environments with a near zero thermal signature, the MM4250 addresses a critical bottleneck in superconducting qubit testing, quantum processor calibration, and high-precision cryogenic measurements.
Traditional cryogenic switches can dissipate up to 2W of waste heat per activation, generating thermal loads that can raise the dilution fridge temperature by approximately 20mK. This temperature rise causes significant delays of up to several hours while systems cool back to operating temperature. By contrast, the MM4250’s electrostatic actuation only consumes energy in the hundreds of nanoamps per switching operation, generating no appreciable waste heat and enabling a continuous test and calibration operation while at cryogenic temperatures.
“The MM4250 eliminates one of the biggest bottlenecks in quantum development—slow, resource-intensive calibration cycles. By saving engineers and researchers a significant number of hours per cooldown, it dramatically accelerates device characterization and helps customers and partners bring their products to market faster,” said Russ Garcia, CEO of Menlo Micro.
The MM4250 toolkit enables traceable, turnkey RF scattering-parameter, large-signal, and noise-parameter measurements directly within research laboratories. This allows comprehensive characterization of multiport RF components; interconnects spanning room to cryogenic temperatures; modulated signals; non-linear devices; and both cryogenic semiconductors and superconducting amplifiers.
“This technological advance equips the quantum-computing sector with a robust toolkit tailored to the demands of cryogenic environments,” added Garcia.
