5 May 2015

GCS launches GaAs super-low-barrier terahertz mixer diode

Pure-play III-V compound semiconductor wafer foundry Global Communication Semiconductors LLC (GCS) of Torrance, CA, USA says that its proprietary super-low-barrier Terahertz mixer diode MMIC foundry process will now be offered to address millimeter-wave transceiver applications that require low LO drive.

"Up until now, low-barrier diode with a forward voltage (Vf) of 0.3V was mainly dominated by silicon technology," says president & CEO Brian Ann. "However, the drawback of silicon technology is its low electron mobility and high diode resistance, resulting in high mixer conversion loss, which limits its operation to below 6GHz. Through bandgap engineering, we have developed a GaAs-based super-low-barrier (SLB) THz Schottky diode with a Vf of 0.3V that is comparable to silicon technology but offers the advantages of low series resistance and MMIC compatibility," he adds.

"This latest technology breakthrough combines the advantages of low Vf and a high fco of 1.5THz, which has enabled one of our customers to demonstrate broadband MMIC mixers that cover 6-26.5GHz and 25-67GHz bands with low conversion losses of 6dB and 8dB, respectively," Ann continues. "The addition of this SLB diode further expands our THz diode process offering for mixer and multiplier applications where either higher linearity or low LO power is required."

GCS is exhibiting in booth 1730 at the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2015) in Phoenix Convention Center (19-21 May).

Tags: GCS

Visit: www.ims2015.org

Visit: www.gcsincorp.com