Menlo Microsystems

Menlo Microsystems (often shortened to Menlo Micro) is an American semiconductor company that develops microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches and relays. It is best known for commercializing a technology it markets as the "Ideal Switch" — a tiny, metal-to-metal contact MEMS switch intended to combine the low insertion loss and high linearity of a mechanical relay with the speed, small size and reliability of a solid-state device. The company was founded in 2016 as a spin-out of GE Global Research, where the underlying MEMS switch technology had been developed over many years, and it is headquartered in Irvine, California. Menlo Micro's products are aimed at applications where conventional electromechanical relays and solid-state switches fall short: radio-frequency (RF) front ends for test-and-measurement, wireless infrastructure, defense and aerospace systems, as well as high-power switching for power conversion, battery management and industrial equipment. Its product families include RF MEMS switches and switch matrices, high-power MEMS switches, and integrated modules and subsystems built around the Ideal Switch. The company sells both discrete components and higher-level modules to equipment makers and system integrators. Menlo Micro is a venture-backed private company. It has raised capital from a mix of strategic and financial investors, and it has received support from US government and defense-related programs that value domestically produced, high-performance switching components. The company positions itself as a fab-lite semiconductor supplier, working with manufacturing partners while keeping core MEMS process know-how in-house. In the market, Menlo Micro sits in the specialty semiconductor and electronic components space, competing with established relay makers and solid-state switch vendors. Its pitch is that the Ideal Switch can replace larger, slower or less reliable incumbent parts, enabling smaller and more capable RF systems and more efficient power electronics. The company's customers and design wins are concentrated in test and measurement, defense, aerospace, telecom infrastructure and industrial power.

Menlo Microsystems was founded in 2016 to commercialize MEMS switch technology developed at GE Global Research. The core idea — a microscale metal-to-metal contact switch fabricated with MEMS processes — had been pursued at GE for years as a potential replacement for both electromechanical relays and solid-state switches. Menlo Micro was formed as a spin-out to take that technology from the lab to volume production, and it established its headquarters in Irvine, California. The company built its business around the "Ideal Switch" brand, arguing that a MEMS switch could deliver the near-zero off-state leakage, low on-resistance and high linearity of a mechanical relay while switching far faster and lasting far longer, and while being small enough for dense RF and power designs. Early commercial focus was on RF test-and-measurement and wireless infrastructure, where switch performance directly affects signal fidelity and system size. Over time Menlo Micro expanded its product line from discrete RF MEMS switches to switch matrices, high-power switches and integrated modules, targeting defense and aerospace, telecom, and power-conversion and battery-management applications. The company has been backed by venture capital and strategic investors and has participated in US government and defense-related programs that support domestic development of high-performance electronic components. It operates as a fab-lite supplier, partnering with foundries and manufacturing partners while retaining its proprietary MEMS process technology. As of the mid-2020s Menlo Micro remains a privately held, venture-backed specialty semiconductor company focused on scaling its Ideal Switch technology into higher-volume RF and power markets.

• 2016

  Menlo Microsystems founded as a spin-out of GE Global Research to commercialize MEMS Ideal Switch technology.

• Company established headquarters in Irvine, California.

• Expanded product line from discrete RF MEMS switches to switch matrices, high-power switches and integrated modules.

Specialty semiconductor supplier of MEMS-based switches positioned as a replacement for electromechanical relays and solid-state switches in RF, power and test applications.

• Ideal Switch MEMS technology

• RF MEMS switches

• High-power MEMS switches

• Switch matrices and modules

• 2026.08.19

  Reported2026.08.19

  Menlo Microsystems Appoints Richard Simoncic as CEO[2]Menlo Microsystems 任命 Richard Simoncic 为首席执行官finanznachrichten.de

  Menlo Microsystems Inc. appointed Richard Simoncic as chief executive officer with immediate effect, succeeding Russ Garcia. Simoncic previously spent 35 years at Microchip Technology, most recently as chief operating officer, and had served as a strategic advisor to Menlo Micro.

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1. 1Menlo Micro official websitemenlomicro.com
2. 2Menlo Microsystems 任命 Richard Simoncic 为首席执行官finanznachrichten.de