BAE Systems to scale GaN technology for defence MMICs
Company is working to transition short-gate GaN technology developed by the US Air Force to its open foundry service
BAE Systems has successfully completed a Phase 1 effort to transition short-gate GaN semiconductor technology developed by the US Air Force to its Advanced Microwave Products (AMP) Centre. The company was also selected by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for Phase 2 of the program.
As part of Phase 2, the BAE Systems FAST Labs research and development team and the AMP Centre will collaborate to further develop and advance the readiness of the technology.
Specifically, the project will scale the 140-nanometer GaN monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology to 6-inch wafers and increase its manufacturing level of maturity as part of the validation process, which will include optimising performance, ensuring process stability, and maximising wafer-to-wafer uniformity and wafer yields.
ENGIN-IC, a custom MMIC design company, will support the design activities, including process design kit validation. This technology will transition to a foundry service product, available through our open foundry service, at the end of Phase 2, where the technology can be used more broadly across different government initiatives.
"Our foundry is a trusted partner to the defence community because it is dedicated to the design, creation, and implementation of vital technologies such as short-gate GaN," said Chris Rappa, product line director for Radio Frequency, Electronic Warfare, and Advanced Electronics at BAE Systems FAST Labs. "GaN technology fills a unique need for the Department of Defense for low-cost, high-performance amplifier technology, and Phase 2 of this effort brings us one step closer to successfully manufacturing and bringing AFRL's technology to market."
BAE Systems is researching and advancing microelectronic technologies, including GaN, in our 70,000-square-foot Microelectronics Centre (MEC) located in Nashua, New Hampshire. The MEC has been an accredited DoD Category 1A Trusted Supplier since 2008, and fabricates integrated circuits in production quantities for critical DoD programs.
