News: Microelectronics
12 March 2020
Anokiwave’s Gen-2 Ka/Ku-band silicon beam-former ICs for SatComs in large-scale production at GlobalFoundries
Anokiwave Inc of San Diego, CA, USA – which provides highly integrated silicon core chips and III-V front-end integrated circuits for millimeter-wave (mmW) markets and active antenna-based solutions – has announced high-volume availability of its latest generation of Ku- and K/Ka-band silicon ICs for flat-panel electronically steered antennas. The second generation of SatCom ICs - AWMF-0132/0133 and AWMF-0146/0147 quad-channel, dual-polarization beam-former ICs - enable Ku- and K/Ka-band flat-panel phased-array active antennas for SatCom ground terminals and aero equipment for LEO/MEO/GEO and SatCom-on-the-move (SOTM) and are already tested and in use on multiple live satellite links. Anokiwave says it is the only company that has been commercially shipping mmW silicon beam-former ICs in high volume, across SatCom (Ku and Ka), 5G and radar bands.
Combining Anokiwave’s innovation that allows the ICs to span the mmW application spectrum with intelligent array solutions with the strength of its partner GlobalFoundries (GF) of Santa Clara, CA, USA in full turnkey production and mmW test capabilities, the two companies are leveraging high-volume production and technical learning of all mmW markets into SatCom products which reduces risk to customers, provides the lowest-cost solution available, and allows very quick time-to-market.
Anokiwave’s second-generation SatCom beam-former ICs builds on its previous generation of beam-former ICs to improve performance, reduce cost, simplify thermal management, and provide a unique digital functionality to simplify overall system design. Anokiwave says that, compared with multiple other companies that are just beginning to promise their early stage ICs, its ICs are fully released and have been shipping in volume to tier-1 and -2 SatCom OEMS. These ICs have been used to build and deploy radios that have been setup with live satellite communication links and offer a level of confidence to ensure first-pass design success.
“The satellite market is growing fast and, to enable low-profile and low-cost flat-panel active antennas, the SatCom market needs beam-former IC solutions that work today, not months or a few quarters from now,” says VP of sales Abhishek Kapoor. “The market does not have the appetite to wait and risk multimillion-dollar developments with first-generation IC designs,” he adds. “Anokiwave’s Ku- and K/Ka-band SatCom ICs that build upon years of experience and multiple generations of designs have already been delivered to the market for years. Leveraging GlobalFoundries full turnkey production and mmW test capabilities, our new Ku- and K/Ka-band ICs are available today and already used in volume by multiple tier-1 and -2 SatCom OEMs for phased-array-based ground and avionics equipment.”
All Anokiwave SatCom ICs in Ku- and K/Ka-bands are released, available and shipping in volume.
