News: Microelectronics
24 September 2026
Qorvo achieves key X-band GaN milestone in DARPA THREADS program
Qorvo Inc of Greensboro, NC, USA (which provides core technologies and RF solutions for mobile, infrastructure and defense applications) says that – in R&D work funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program Thermal Reduction for Electronics through Advanced Devices and Heterogeneous Semiconductors (THREADS) – it has achieved more than a 400% increase in the RF power density for a gallium nitride (GaN) transistor operating at X-band frequencies. This demonstrates the potential to deliver substantially higher RF power for next-generation radar, electronic warfare (EW) and communications systems.
As transistor output power increases, excess heat in the channel can reduce RF performance, shorten device lifetime and constrain the range and effectiveness of RF systems. Under the THREADS initiative for a paradigm shift, Qorvo is developing and integrating new materials, device architectures and processes to reduce the total thermal resistance within the device for transistor-level thermal management while substantially boosting RF performance.
“This achievement reflects the depth of Qorvo’s expertise in GaN device design and thermal management,” says Gangadhar Burra, senior director & chief architect in Qorvo’s HPA business. “By addressing heat at the transistor level, we are opening a path to substantially higher RF output power without increasing system size or weight. That could enable longer-range radar, more effective electronic warfare and stronger communications with the reliability required for demanding defense applications.”
Qorvo achieved this technology milestone at the end of THREADS Phase I, and has been awarded follow-on work in Phase 2 of the program.
Qorvo was selected in 2023 to participate in the four-year THREADS program, through which the firm is helping to advance the state of the art in high-power RF technology. Its work builds on decades of innovation in GaN technology and experience delivering RF solutions for radar, EW and communications applications. Qorvo says that it continues to advance GaN device and process technologies that help customers to increase RF performance while addressing demanding size, weight, power and reliability requirements.
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