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RFMD adds low cost high power IPCs to portfolio
HIGH POWER INTEGRATED PASSIVE COMPONENT (IPC) TECHNOLOGY will enable foundry service customers to design integrated matching networks and other passive functions on low-cost GaAs process technology
RF Micro Devices announced it will begin providing IPC technology to customers of its Foundry Services business unit in June 2010.
Complementary to its GaN technology and other power semiconductor technologies, the IPC is suited to the design of multi-chip modules (MCMs) and will reduce costs and achieve higher levels of integration by leveraging scale and cost structure in GaAs and GaN manufacturing.
RFMD’s IPC technology provides all of the passive circuit components necessary to enable matching networks, including MIM capacitors, multi-layer stacked capacitors,
TriQuint GaN modules to aid U.S army missions
TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR announced that it has been awarded a contract by the US Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL) to develop new GaN modules for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The new modules will include 20 Watt and 50 Watt devices. A challenging aspect of the program includes fitting new 20 Watt amplifiers into the same space now occupied by the fleet’s existing 1 Watt devices that limit the range and broadcast power of the aircraft.
“We’re very pleased to be working with the Air Force again,” said TriQuint Program Manager, Doug Cole. “The contract is particularly interesting since we need to increase the power of one device 20-fold without increasing the size. We’re using our proven 0.25-micron GaN process since it
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www.compoundsemiconductor.net June 2010
thin-film resistors and inductors. Additionally, three metal interconnect layers are available for complex routing and increased current- handling capability.
Bob Van Buskirk, president of RFMD’s Multi-Market Products Group (MPG), commented, “RFMD’s leading compound semiconductor scale, built to serve the cellular handset market, allows us to deliver industry-leading cycle time, yields and costs.
We enable our foundry customers to take advantage of a compound semiconductor factory capable of shipping over two million RF components per day to bring speed, predictability and price advantages difficult to match.”
RFMD’s GaN Foundry Services business unit currently offers foundry customers access to two GaN process technologies: GaN1, targeted at high power, and GaN2, targeted at high linearity applications.
offers excellent power density and ruggedness—key requirements for avionic applications.”
By increasing the output power of RF amplifiers in the UAVs, TriQuint will measurably increase the vehicles’ operational range and mission effectiveness, allowing new UAVs to serve in areas and under conditions that were impossible for their predecessors.
TriQuint’s more efficient GaN devices should also reduce the need for thermal mitigation and extend battery life in each vehicle. The AFRL have estimated that these amplifiers can extend UAV patrol time from one to three hours depending on the aircraft involved, payload and other operational conditions.
TriQuint is developing both devices using in- house resources including complete module fabrication. The firm designs and builds both integrated and multi-chip modules (MCMs) based on GaN and GaAs at its Richardson, TX facility. Mr. Cole indicated TriQuint was chosen by the AFRL for the UAV amplifier contract based on the company’s detailed
RFMD’s Foundry Services business unit was formed to supply RFMD’s high- reliability, high-performance and price- competitive GaN processes and associated technologies to external foundry customers immediately upon process qualification and production release.
It offers a secure website to customers for use as a collaboration tool for their work with RFMD’s GaN foundry. All necessary tools and documents are current and readily available.
plan to meet the Laboratories’ accelerated development schedule. Other factors included results from TriQuint’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Wide Bandgap Semiconductor (WBGS) RF GaN program, in which TriQuint led Phase II and is leading Phase III.
TriQuint also leads a DARPA contract for highly-advanced MMIC development using GaN technology in the Nitride Electronic NeXt-Generation Technology (NEXT) program.
The Air Force UAV program is divided into two primary phases. The initial phase includes developing appropriate high-power GaN amplifier MMICs. The MMIC amplifiers and other components will then be integrated into single packages to provide 20 Watt and 50 Watt Ku-band power amplifiers.
TriQuint is on track to deliver the first amplifier MMIC by August 2010.
The first 50 Watt prototype packaged assembly high power amplifier (HPA) is expected to be delivered in April 2011.
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