InP divider circuits set new speed record
California-based Vitesse Semiconductor claims to have set an industry record of 152 GHz for static frequency divider circuits.
The divide-by-2 and divide-by-4 ICs, designed by BAE Systems and manufactured using the InP HBT facility at Vitesse, are 50 times faster than circuits inside desktop PCs.
The speed of the circuit has been verified by the special purpose processor development group at the Mayo Foundation, says Vitesse.
The HBT process used features transistors with an ft and fmax in excess of 300 GHz, four levels of interconnect metals and a breakdown voltage above 4 V.
In developing the circuits, Vitesse and BAE Systems were partnered by the University of Illinois under the DARPA-backed Technology for Frequency Agile Digitally Synthesized Transmitters (TFAST) program.
TFAST program manager John Zolper said: “The demonstration of a 152 GHz static divider is a key milestone in developing circuit technology for a new class of high-performance mixed-signal circuits.”
Although the circuit has been developed initially for the US Department of Defense, commercial applications are expected in automotive cruise control and collision-avoidance systems and high-speed wireless data links.
