7 June 2018

Wolfspeed’s adds LDMOS and GaN HEMT products for telecom and radar markets

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Wolfspeed of Durham, NC, USA — a Cree Company that makes silicon carbide (SiC) power products and GaN-on-SiC high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) — has launched new LDMOS and GaN HEMT products that are said to enable smaller systems with greater reliability and efficiency. Wolfspeed’s recent acquisition of the Infineon RF power business expanded its product portfolio, accelerating its progress in developing innovations for telecom and aerospace/defense applications.

“The acquisition of Infineon’s RF power business has enabled Cree’s Wolfspeed business to transition to the next level of the RF power semiconductor business,” comments Lance Wilson, research director at ABI Research. “Historically, Wolfspeed has been a principal player in GaN technology, but the addition of Infineon’s LDMOS portfolio has put them into the top echelon of high-power RF.”

The acquisition brings LDMOS technology and expertise to Wolfspeed, enabling it to provide the optimal RF power solution to meet customers’ needs, regardless of the type of technology used, the firm says.

The expansion includes Wolfspeed’s new 28V 2620-2690MHz Asymmetric Doherty Transistor, which is an LDMOS Doherty transistor that utilizes LD12 technology. This and other LD12 components use a plastic overmold package that delivers the same performance as open cavity packages, offering significant increases in efficiency at a lower cost. Such plastic packages can bring significant cost savings to telecom applications, says Wolfspeed.

“Wolfspeed is committed to supporting the growth of our LDMOS portfolio, as shown by the release of our new 28V Asymmetric Doherty Transistor,” says Gerhard Wolf, Wolfspeed’s VP & general manager of RF. “The expansion of our LDMOS portfolio delivers on the promise of continued innovation for cellular applications, like improved 4G networks and the shift to 5G networks.”

In the radar market, Wolfspeed is providing aerospace & defense operators better target discrimination and a longer detection range with the launch of the highest-output-power GaN products on the market, including a 1200W packaged GaN HEMT.

The 1200W GaN HEMT delivers what is claimed to be the highest output power for a GaN L-band radar product on the market. The device’s high output power enables fewer devices to be used, resulting in simplified system architectures, lower materials costs, reduced energy consumption and increased system reaction time that is critical in defense and aerospace settings.

The new LDMOS and GaN HEMT technologies are on display in booth #931 at the IEEE MTT International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2018) in Philadelphia, MA, USA (10–15 June).

See related items:

Cree acquires Infineon RF Power business for €345m

Tags: Wolfspeed GaN RF Power electronics

Visit: www.ims2018.org

Visit: www.wolfspeed.com/RF