11 Jan 2012

TriQuint drives DARPA GaN program forward

RF semiconductor developer, TriQuint Semiconductor, has started work as the prime contractor on the second phase of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) multi-year Nitride Electronic NeXt-Generation Technology (NEXT) program.

TriQuint has received $12.67m in support of this contract and will develop devices for complex, high dynamic range mixed-signal circuits for defense and aerospace applications.

The second phase will last 18 months and as TriQuint's vice president for defense products and foundry services, James L. Klein says: "NEXT devices provide game-changing technology for substantially improving performance in applications like phased array radar and communications. The devices open-up applications for lower voltage GaN-based products, which achieve power densities at least four times higher than GaAs devices."

According to TriQuint Senior Fellow Dr. Paul Saunier, who leads the NEXT program as principal investigator, his NEXT team achieved an Ft>240 GHz in a GaN circuit.

DARPA’s NEXT Phase I concentrated on fabricating very high frequency devices and meeting defined yield metrics. Phase II will concentrate on process development in the pursuit of increased yields while pushing the operating frequency to 400 GHz.

Phase III will seek to extend the operating frequency to 500GHz with still higher yields and reduced circuit size. NEXT research also focuses on highly-scaled enhancement-depletion (E/D) mode GaN mixed-signal devices, similar to those used in gallium arsenide (GaAs) E/D MMICs. TriQuint creates the latter, with integrated digital control functionality and power handling for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

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