Emcore and Rockwell Scientific to develop GaN HEMTs
GaN devices offer extremely high temperature operation and can accommodate very high power levels without affecting performance, making them suited to diverse applications. The linearity of GaN HEMTs makes them attractive as PAs in cellular base station applications, and the temperature stability relaxes cooling requirements. In military applications requiring compact devices and the ability to handle high power, GaN-based HEMT amplifiers are being studied extensively. Emcore predicts that the 14 V automotive batteries currently in use will be replaced in the next two to three years by 42 V batteries to accommodate the growing number of electronic instruments installed in automobiles. For this application, the high breakdown fields associated with GaN devices make them an attractive solution to automotive manufacturers.
"The rapidly expanding GaN marketplace offers tremendous opportunities for Emcore and this partnership with Rockwell Scientific will augment Emcore s capability to provide effective GaN-based products," said Tom Miehe, VP of sales and marketing at Emcore. "Having our materials thoroughly "road-tested" by strategic partners such as RSC ensures that our high volume production facilities are fully optimized."
"GaN HEMTs are at a stage of maturity where material uniformity and reproducibility are key to achieving robust microwave devices and circuits," said Karim Boutros, senior scientist and head of the GaN effort at RSC. "We are very pleased to partner with Emcore on GaN HEMT development. Our combined strengths and complementary roles will provide rapid advances in fundamental material and device technologies, and will accelerate the introduction of GaN-based power amplifiers into military and commercial systems."
Emcore Corporation
Michele K. Boudway
Tel: 732/271-9090
Fax: 732/271-9686
E-mail: Michele_Boudway@Emcore.com
Web site: http://www.emcore.com
