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At this week’s IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2007) in Hawaii, RF Micro Devices Inc of Greensboro, NC, USA has launched its RF393X family of five 48V gallium nitride unmatched power transistors, which offer power outputs ranging from 10W to 120W and a wide tunable bandwidth, and which each deliver gain of 14-16dB and peak drain efficiency of more than 65% at 2.1GHz.

The performance characteristics suit wideband, high-efficiency power amplifier applications, such as broadcast television, wireless infrastructure, high-power radar, aerospace and avionics. RFMD estimates that the total addressable market for GaN high power semiconductors is about $1bn, of which GaN unmatched power transistors comprise about $150m. The firm says that it is engaged with top-tier customers in multiple markets and expects to start production in second-half 2007.

RFMD aims to leverage its core competences in manufacturing compound semiconductors for cellular power amplifiers as well as its customer relationships in the wireless industry, says president and CEO Bob Bruggeworth, as the firm expands its GaN product portfolio with the aim of opening up new opportunities in multiple high-growth markets.

RFMD is developing three families of high-voltage GaN products. In addition to GaN power transistors, it is developing high-power GaN matched transistors (which include internal matching elements to improve impedance and efficiency, and are suited to applications such as radar and infrastructure for WCDMA and WiMAX) and high-power GaN RFICs (fully matched high-power amplifiers that deliver high efficiency over multiple octaves of bandwidth, and are suited to applications such as military communications, public mobile radio and software-definable radios).

“RFMD is positioned to capture significant market share in the $1bn high-power semiconductor market,” reckons Bruggeworth.

*Earlier this week, RFMD announced the demonstrations, at IMS 2007, of the RF3934 (the 120W product in its RF393X family of 48V GaN unmatched power transistors) and the RF3825 (a 28V, 10W PowerIC and the widest-bandwidth product in its RF382X family of high-power GaN RFICs).

See related items:

Cree and RFMD showcase GaN HEMTs at IEEE MTT-S 2007

RFMD receives first order for its GaN PAs

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