News: Microelectronics
28 September 2022
Altum RF announces new grant and collaboration with ITRI and TMYTEK
Altum RF of Eindhoven, The Netherlands (which designs high-performance RF to millimeter-wave solutions for commercial and industrial applications) has announced a new grant (from the Eureka Globalstars Taiwan framework) and collaboration with Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and TMY Technology Inc (TMYTEK), a one-stop (design, manufacturing and test) mmWave solution provider targeting the 5G/B5G and SATCOM markets.
Having begun in August and lasting two years, the Antenna and Semiconductor Integrated Modules (AIMS) project aims to develop a millimeter-wave antenna-in-package (AiP) module for phased-array Ka-band satellite communication systems. Developing this module should make satellite communication systems more energy-efficient, cost-effective and better suited for a technology that enables high-volume and low-cost manufacturing, says Altum RF.
“We thank Eureka Globalstars Taiwan for this grant and look forward to collaborating with strong technical partners to develop new technologies that lower costs for satellite communications systems,” comments Altum RF’s CEO Greg Baker. “Altum RF’s MMIC design team has unique gallium nitride experience that will be key to making this technical advancement a reality,” he adds.
“Enabled by AI and IoT, the contest for pursuing the innovation for B5G, LEO satellite, receiving station and mm-wave communication has been a worldwide trend. AiP has become a solution to accelerate the market growth for the satellite communication industry,” notes Dr Shih-Chieh Chang, general director of ITRI’s Electronic and Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories (EOSL). “As an R&D institute with the capacity for fan-out wafer-level packaging and high-precision chip and device bonding technology, it’s our great pleasure to join the project and collaborate with Altum RF and TMYTEK to integrate a GaN semiconductor power amplifier, a silicon-based beam-former IC, and an antenna into a phased-array module,” he adds.
“This is an excellent collaboration between TMYTEK, Altum RF and ITRI to redefine the electronically steered array solution,” comments TMYTEK’s founder & president Su-Wei Chang. “By integrating the GaN PA and packaging with wafer-level package technology, we aim to minimize the array’s size, weight and power. Together with our ecosystem partners, TMYTEK is accelerating the development of the satellite industry by offering a total ground terminal solution.”
