TriQuint advances GaAs PHEMT foundry process
TriQuint Semiconductor has launched the first foundry process for high-volume manufacture of enhancement and depletion-mode PHEMTs.
The company says that the “TQPED” process, which has been introduced at its 150 mm Oregon wafer manufacturing facility, will enable designers of RF components to increase integration of PHEMTs, on-chip passives, three-level interconnects and substrate vias.
Combining control functions with an advanced, high-performance PHEMT process allows more integration and performance than was previously possible with single-mode transistor processes, says TriQuint.
“The TQPED process allows customers to increase circuit functionality by integrating features such as logic and control circuitry directly on the IC instead of off-chip, while taking advantage of the performance characteristics of our highly-manufacturable PHEMT technology,” said Rob Christ, TriQuint s director of marketing.
TQPED is an extension of TriQuint s current PHEMT process. The two PHEMT transistor types are targeted at functions such as low-noise amplifiers, high-isolation switches, converters, power amplifiers, and combinations of these blocks.
“TriQuint has a long history of leadership with integrated enhancement-mode and depletion-mode transistor processes, starting with the world s first commercially viable E-D MESFET process in 1986,” added Christ.
“By moving this capability to PHEMT technology, TQPED is the next major step for integrating analog and control functions for important wireless applications.” These applications include RF front-ends, WLAN transceivers, direct broadcast satellite receivers, digital radios, and general RF/mixed signal communications products.
