14 November 2011

Nitronex launches smallest L-band 50W MilCom PA

Nitronex Corp of Durham, NC, USA, which designs and makes gallium nitride on silicon (GaN-on-Si) RF power transistors for the defense, communications, cable TV, and industrial & scientific markets, has developed the NPA1004, a 1-2GHz, 50W high-gain power amplifier (PA) for the military communications market.

Fully integrated input matching, inter-stage matching, and RF biasing is provided in a small 0.28in2 package, allowing subsystem designers to significantly shrink the footprint of the PA signal chain compared to competing solutions, it is claimed. The miniature NPA1004 also features an off-chip output match that allows designers to tailor performance response to their unique system needs.

The NPA1004 achieves 27dB small-signal gain, 50W saturated output power and 55% typical drain efficiency across the frequency range 1-2GHz. The high gain of the monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) PA allows designers to eliminate a driver stage, and the high levels of integration reduce board space, while simplifying design and manufacturing processes.

“We worked closely with leading prime contractors and PA suppliers to define and develop the NPA1004,” says VP of sales & marketing Gary Blackington. “Our close relationships with these customers have enabled us to develop products that are ideally suited to their end applications,” he claims.

“The NPA1004 is a prime example of our ability to deliver high-performance, highly integrated GaN MMICs at solution costs as good as or better than discrete FET-based amplifiers,” adds VP of engineering Ray Crampton. “Our proprietary GaN-on-Si process, which has been used to ship over 50,000 production MMICs, allows us to offer more functionality in a smaller footprint than competing technologies.”

The NPA1004 is available in sample and pre-production quantities.

Tags: Nitronex MMIC PA GaN

Visit: www.nitronex.com