RF Micro Devices acquires RF Nitro Communications
The acquisition will increase RFMD s portfolio of process technologies and expand its product offerings and is expected to significantly strengthen its competitive position in the wireless infrastructure market.
William Pratt, chairman and chief technical officer of RF Micro Devices, said, ``We believe the acquisition of RF Nitro will greatly strengthen our technology leadership position. Through RF Nitro, we will gain instant access to advanced compound semiconductor processes, such as Gallium Nitride, as well as additional resources to conduct advanced research on this and other technologies.
We believe GaN to be a disruptive and revolutionary technology in wireless infrastructure applications. Since July 2001, RF Nitro has sold prototype quantities of GaN power transistors that exhibit power density approximately ten times greater than conventional GaAs power transistor processes and approximately one hundred times greater than silicon. Using GaN, base station power amplifiers may be built to operate at very high voltages and at higher efficiency and better linearity than existing designs using LDMOS technology. In addition to GaN, RF Nitro produces and sells InGaP transistors and amplifiers, and we expect their expertise in this area will accelerate our previously announced initiatives to introduce InGaP for certain wireless applications.
We re also very pleased to add Dr. Jeff Shealy, RF Nitro s president and CEO, and all the employees of RF Nitro. Dr. Shealy has over 10 years experience in compound semiconductor technology and has assembled a solid management team with more than 50 combined years of experience in developing and manufacturing compound semiconductor devices. We re very eager to begin leveraging their impressive capabilities and deep intellectual capital.
Dr. Jeff Shealy, president and CEO of RF Nitro, said, ``Obviously, we are very enthusiastic about this acquisition. Together, we will provide our customers an unparalleled offering of advanced semiconductor technologies as well as a greater ability to serve their needs.
Jerry Neal, executive vice president of sales, marketing and strategic development of RF Micro Devices, said, ``RF Nitro will immediately provide us a portfolio of InGaP products, such as gain blocks for wireless infrastructure and wireless LANs, as well as additional sales personnel and sales channels. Perhaps most importantly, the addition of RF Nitro bolsters our commitment to our expanding customer base to identify, adopt and commercialize the most promising future technologies.
RF Nitro s operations include a four-inch wafer fabrication facility, which is scheduled for completion this year and will be used both for production and as a technology incubator. The company also operates design, assembly and test facilities, all of which are located at its Charlotte, NC headquarters. RF Nitro s product line encompasses three compound semiconductor IC technologies: InGaP HBT, GaAs PHEMT, and GaN HEMT on both silicon carbide and sapphire substrates.
The GaN technology was developed under a government sponsored ONR-MURI program by Cornell University over the last six years. During the program, Cornell University demonstrated world record power density of 11.2W/mm at 10GHz and 45V operation. In addition, Cornell University has successfully built GaN devices on silicon. Under the terms of the transaction, RF Micro Devices will receive from Cornell Research Foundation an exclusive license agreement in all fields of use, including electronics and opto-electronics, for all applications, including power switching and RF amplification, as well as lighting.
