Embedded solutions provider Microchip Technology has expanded its family of Gallium Nitride (GaN) RF power devices with new monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) and discrete transistors targeting applications that include 5G and a range of aerospace and defense use cases.
Mike Ziehl, senior manager of product marketing for RF and microwave at Microchip, told Fierce Electronics that the announcement leverages capabilities gained from the company’s recently-closed acquisition of Iconic RF, a Belfast, Northern Ireland-based maker of GaN and gallium arsenide MMICs used in aerospace a defense applications like electronic warfare, satellite communications, commercial and defense radar systems and test equipment.
Earlier this month, Microchip president and CEO Ganesh Moorthy briefly mentioned the Iconic acquisition during Microchip’s quarterly earnings call, saying, “The purchase price was in the mid-single-digit million range, with possible future performance-based earnouts. This acquisition is akin to acquiring intellectual property along with domain experts to help us accelerate our business agenda in specific laser-focused areas.”
“Aerospace, radar, defense - you’ll continue to see activity from us in these areas,” Ziehl said. “This was all about pursuing areas of growth for RF. These are important areas of focus for us, and our competitors are doing the same.”
The new GaN MMICs cover frequency ranges between 2 GHz and to 20 GHz, and combine high power-added efficiency (PAE) and high linearity to boost performance, Ziehl said.
Specifically, the new devices cover 2 to 18 GHz, 12 to 20 GHz, and 12 to 20 GHz with 3 dB Compression Point (P3dB) RF output power up to 20 W and efficiency up to 25%, as well as bare die and packaged GaN MMIC amplifiers for S- and X-band with up to 60% PAE, and discrete high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices covering DC to 14 GHz with P3dB RF output power up to 100W and maximum efficiency of 70%.
The devices are fabricated using GaN-on-silicon carbide technology that provides the best combination of high-power density and yield, as well as high-voltage operation and longevity of more than 1 million hours at a 255o C junction temperature. GaN devices are generally seen has having some benefits over gallium arsenide devices, such as greater heat dispersion capabilities.
RELATED: Microchip has key to hardware security in the IoT age