News Article
ST and Macom make RF GaN-on-Si prototypes
Devices meet cost and performance targets and move effort to qualification stage
STMicroelectronics and Macom Technology Solutions have announced the successful production of RF GaN-on-Si prototypes.
The companies say that prototype wafers and devices manufactured by ST have achieved cost and performance targets that would allow them to effectively compete with the incumbent LDMOS and GaN-on-SiC technologies on the market.
These prototypes are now moving to the next big milestones – qualification and industrialisation. ST is on target to hit these milestones in 2022. With this progress, ST and Macom have begun discussions to further expand their efforts to accelerate delivery of advanced RF GaN-on-Si products to the market.
“We believe that the technology has now reached performance levels and process maturity where it can effectively challenge the established LDMOS and GaN-on-SiC and we can offer attractive cost and supply-chain advantages for high-volume applications, including Wireless Infrastructure,” said Edoardo Merli, Power Transistor Sub-Group general manager and executive VP of STMicroelectronics. “Commercialising RF GaN-on-Silicon products are the next big milestone in our collaboration with Macom and with continued progress, we look forward to fully realising the potential of this exciting technology.”
“Together, we continue to make good progress in moving the GaN-on-Si technology towards commercialisation and high-volume production,” said Stephen G. Daly, Macom president and CEO. “Our collaboration with ST is an important part of our RF Power strategy and I am confident that we can win market share in targeted applications where the GaN-on-Silicon technology meets the technical requirements.”
RF GaN-on-Silicon offers high potential for 5G and 6G infrastructure. The long-term incumbent RF power technology, LDMOS, dominated early-generation RF power amplifiers (PAs). GaN can offer superior RF characteristics and significantly higher output power than LDMOS for these RF PAs. Further, it can be manufactured on either silicon or SiC wafers.
RF GaN-on-SiC can be more expensive because of the competition for SiC wafers from high-power applications and because of its non-mainstream semiconductor processing. On the other hand, the GaN-on-Si technology under development by ST and Macom is expected to offer competitive performance paired with large economies of scale, enabled by its integration into standard semiconductor process flows.
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The 13th CS International conference builds on the strengths of its predecessors, with around 40 leaders from industry and academia delivering presentations that fall within five key themes: Ultrafast Communication; Making Headway with the MicroLED; Taking the Power from Silicon, New Vectors for the VCSEL, and Ultra-wide Bandgap Devices.
Delegates attending these sessions will gain insight into device technology, find out about the current status and the roadmap for the compound semiconductor industry, and discover the latest advances in tools and processes that will drive up fab yields and throughputs.
To discover our sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, contact us at:
Email: info@csinternational.net
Phone: +44 (0)24 7671 8970
To register your place as a delegate, visit: https://csinternational.net/register
Register
