Macom Sets New Benchmark for GaN power transistors
500W GaN-on-Si power transistor for L-Band Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) applications delivers more than 70 percent efficiency
Macom Technology Solutions has introduced a GaN-on-Si power transistor for pulsed L-Band radar systems targeted for airport surveillance radar (ASR) applications at 1.2 to 1.4 GHz.
Delivering what it claims is industry-leading efficiency at peak pulse power levels up to 500W, the new MAGX-101214-500 is expected to outperform premium-priced GaN-on-SiC-based transistors, and far exceed the performance, efficiency and power density of legacy LDMOS-based devices.
Macom's new MAGX-101214-500 enables customers to scale to higher power levels across a host of ASR applications, delivering 500W output power and greater than 70 percent power efficiency under pulsed conditions at 50V operation. Supplied in a small-footprint ceramic flanged package and supporting matching structures that minimise circuit size, MAGX-101214-500 transistors help to enable rugged, compact radar systems underpinned with efficient, simplified cooling and power supply architectures.
The MAGX-101214-500 builds on Macom's portfolio of GaN-on-Si power transistors, which are said to have demonstrated field-proven reliability in harsh environmental conditions. To date, over one million Macom GaN-on-Si devices have been shipped to customers around the world.
"The continued expansion of Macom's GaN-on-Si product portfolio enables customers to address an ever-widening range of RF power requirements while achieving performance profiles that meet and exceed GaN-on-SiC, at significantly less cost at scaled volume production levels," said Greg French, senior product manager, RF Power, at Macom. "Our proven technology leadership in GaN-on-Si combined with our decades-long heritage in civil and defense radar are among the many factors fueling our innovation in these important markets, as evidenced by the new MAGX-101214-500."
Macom will show the MAGX-101214-500 at European Microwave Week (EuMW), October 10-12, Nuremberg, Germany.
