Contract Manufacturing From prototype to production


Gallium Nitride (GaN) has completely changed the game for high-frequency RF systems. Its advantages over older technologies are obvious: it delivers more power in the same footprint, making it a go-to choice for space, radar, defence and 5G. Building a single working prototype is often doable but taking that design and turning it into thousands of reliable, repeatable units is a whole different story. Here Laurence Scullion, director of product engineering at Filtronic, explains why the mid-stage of Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) is such a critical point in moving from the lab bench to full production, where GaN’s complexity becomes clear and expert engineering truly makes the difference.


T


echnology development is often imagined as a neat funnel, with ideas flowing from research labs into prototypes and, finally, into mass production. In practice, the middle stages are anything but simple. A prototype that performs flawlessly in the lab may fail when scaled, because even tiny variations can push a device out of spec. A slightly long bond wire, a microscopic void in the die attach or subtle shifts in substrate properties can all undermine performance. Add in temperature cycles, automation tolerances and moisture sensitivity, and the scale-up challenge becomes clear.


At TRL 5–6, designs work in principle but are not yet ready for high-volume, repeatable production. For GaN, this stage is particularly demanding — and it is where most of the real learning happens.


Prototypes and beyond Early units are often deliberately over- engineered to showcase technical capability, but production-ready designs must account for natural variation across thousands of devices. This is where the “golden prototype” comes in — the benchmark design that defines the standard for all that follows. Much like a debut album, it is refined through painstaking effort, and once perfected, it sets the tone for production.


Turning prototypes into repeatable designs requires precision at every stage. GaN wafers are expensive and inherently variable, with no two dies behaving the same. Each wafer must therefore be thoroughly tested to meet application-specific criteria. Biasing strategies, matching networks and industrialised test flows all need to be carefully defined and validated. Packaging adds another layer of complexity. Ceramic has long been the default for high- power devices, but it is costly and difficult to scale. Plastic packaging, by contrast, offers a more commercially viable path while still supporting GaN’s demanding performance requirements when engineered correctly. Plastic QFN and over-mould solutions not


50 October 2025


only enable effective thermal management but also maintain high-frequency performance and improve yields. Combining packaging strategy with design-for-manufacture principles, thermal optimisation and statistical process control allows one-off prototypes to evolve into robust, production-ready products.


Learning at scale


Scaling isn’t simply a question of making more units — it’s about producing them consistently and reliably. Pilot production becomes a vital learning phase, where each batch informs the next.


Keeping the engineers responsible for the original prototype involved, alongside design- for-manufacture specialists, ensures that the original performance intent is preserved, even as adjustments are made to address real- world variability.


At higher frequencies, the challenge grows. While many manufacturers handle GaN successfully at lower frequencies, pushing into the upper bands demands deeper expertise and practical know-how. Thermal management, test strategy, packaging and process control all become decisive. Without this engineering discipline, yields fall and reliability suffers.


Filtronic focuses on bridging this gap, turning strong prototypes into high-mix, high-value programmes. This positions the


Components in Electronics


company as a partner to enable transition of complex RF projects from demonstration through to full-scale production. For instance, thermal management illustrates why mid-TRL expertise is necessary. A ceramic prototype might perform perfectly but translating it into a cost-effective plastic package can reduce thermal margins significantly. Device variability, biasing and matching networks all need careful engineering. Without this, yields and reliability suffer.


Test strategy is equally critical. What works in a lab with manual tuning simply won’t support production takt times. Addressing these challenges early transforms the leap from TRL 5–6 designs to TRL 8–9 production into a predictable, replicable process.


UK sovereignty and GaN Domestic manufacturing capability is increasingly important across space and defence. Customers are prioritising UK-based production to protect intellectual property, reduce exposure to geopolitical risk and ensure secure supply chains. Local facilities also enable faster collaboration, quicker iteration cycles and simpler logistics. While GaN represents the future of high- frequency RF systems, GaAs continues to play a role, particularly in defence programmes where 1-4 TDL is essential. Sites are


maintaining domestic GaAs supply, reflecting an established high-frequency supply chain. Meanwhile, new GaN fabs across the UK are ramping up production, supporting the transition to next-generation systems while maintaining security, reliability and domestic sovereignty.


There is also a broader context. For countries like the UK, the ability to scale advanced RF technologies domestically is not just a technical issue but a matter of sovereignty.


Defence and space systems increasingly depend on GaN-based solutions. If those solutions cannot be produced reliably at home, supply chains remain vulnerable and strategic autonomy is compromised.


From promise to production GaN is no longer a niche material confined to research papers. It now sits at the heart of some of the most demanding applications in defence and space. Its success depends not just on what it can achieve in theory, but on how reliably it can be deployed at scale. The mid-TRL stages are where those questions are answered.


Working with partners who understand mid-TRL challenges ensures prototypes evolve into repeatable, reliable products. Careful design, robust processes and experienced partnerships make the leap from a single working unit to thousands of dependable devices achievable, transforming high- frequency innovation from a laboratory curiosity into real-world deployment. That’s why the story of GaN is about more than material science. It’s about bridging the gap between lab success and deployable reality — embedding robust testing processes, managing natural variation and choosing packaging and design strategies that support high-volume production. Filtronic specialise in turning high- frequency innovation into scalable, real-world technology. Learn how their expertise can support your next programme by visiting filtronic.com.


www.cieonline.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60