BAE Systems signs GaN agreement
BAE Systems and the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) have signed a cooperative agreement for Phase 1 of a technical effort to transition gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology to the company’s Advanced Microwave Products (AMP) Center, BAE Systems announced on 17 September.
The GaN semiconductor technology has been developed by the US Air Force. As part of the effort, BAE Systems will transfer and further enhance the technology and scale it to 6-inch wafers to redcue per-chip costs and improve the accessibility of the technology.
As part of the project, the AMP Center team will work closely with the company’s FAST Labs research organisation and monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) design experts from ENGIN-IC, to establish a 140-nanometer MMIC process that will be qualified for production by 2020.
GaN technology provides broad frequency bandwidth, high efficiency and high transmit power in a small footprint, making it ideal for next-generation radar, EW and communications systems.
Products developed under the effort will be available to Department of Defense suppliers through an open foundry service.
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