Panasonic's high-gain, low-noise GaN ICs suit mm-wave communications

The GaN IC features integrated microstrip lines which enable very compact 3-stage amplifier on a single chip. This is accomplished by developing a via-hole through chemically stable sapphire formed by a novel laser drilling technique using a high power pulsed laser. The integrated via-holes ensure good ground contacts resulting in reducing the transmission loss on the cost effective sapphire substrate.

In addition, Panasonic's proprietary metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) transistor with crystalline SiN film as the gate insulator achieves low noise figure of 1.4dB.

These device technologies enable high gain and low noise receiving ICs for the high frequencies at which the signal intensity is drastically reduced in the air. The presented GaN IC would greatly contribute to the future long distance and broadband communication using millimeter-wave frequencies.

Applications for twenty nine domestic and twenty one international patents have been filed. These research and development results have been presented at 2008 IEEE International Microwave Symposium, held at Atlanta, U.S. from June 15 to 20, 2008. This development is partially supported by "the research and development project for expansion of radio spectrum resources" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan.