News Article
Ammono wins European Space Agency funding
The firm will use the cash to develop gallium nitride substrates for use in space electronics
Ammono has been granted a contract by the European Space Agency, with the aim of developing GaN substrates dedicated for space applications.
Gallium nitride is a key material for boosting the performance of space related electronics. One of its main advantages is a strong robustness against ionising radiation effects which can degrade the performance of electronics in space and reduce their operating life-time.
What's more, the higher power density and higher efficiency offered by GaN allows miniaturisation of electronic payloads, leading to reduced mass and volume of electronics systems launched in space.
Last but not least, compared with today’s generation of space electronics based on GaAs, GaN makes it possible to operate devices at higher frequencies and higher power, which is essential for long distance space communications.
The main electronics application areas are in transistors for RF communication and DC-DC power conversion applications. However, a new promising application is also in the area of GaN based solar cells since they allow the possibility to generate more energy from a square centimetre than offered by existing solutions.
For space applications the material quality is of extreme importance. AMMONO-GaN substrates, which the firm says have the best quality currently available on the open market, have an extremely low dislocation density. This characteristic can potentially improve the reliability of devices which is important for space applications. AMMONO-GaN is therefore ideally suited to provide the high performance requirements of space applications and is the first step towards the design of a novel generation of space electronics.
Ammono S.A. is a Polish semiconductor company founded in 1999. On the basis of a proprietary patented technology it has developed a unique ammonothermal GaN manufacturing method. Today Ammono is an innovator in low dislocation gallium nitride substrate manufacturing, exporting its products world-wide. Main applications of GaN are high power transistors, lasers and LEDs.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. It is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Gallium nitride is a key material for boosting the performance of space related electronics. One of its main advantages is a strong robustness against ionising radiation effects which can degrade the performance of electronics in space and reduce their operating life-time.
What's more, the higher power density and higher efficiency offered by GaN allows miniaturisation of electronic payloads, leading to reduced mass and volume of electronics systems launched in space.
Last but not least, compared with today’s generation of space electronics based on GaAs, GaN makes it possible to operate devices at higher frequencies and higher power, which is essential for long distance space communications.
The main electronics application areas are in transistors for RF communication and DC-DC power conversion applications. However, a new promising application is also in the area of GaN based solar cells since they allow the possibility to generate more energy from a square centimetre than offered by existing solutions.
For space applications the material quality is of extreme importance. AMMONO-GaN substrates, which the firm says have the best quality currently available on the open market, have an extremely low dislocation density. This characteristic can potentially improve the reliability of devices which is important for space applications. AMMONO-GaN is therefore ideally suited to provide the high performance requirements of space applications and is the first step towards the design of a novel generation of space electronics.
Ammono S.A. is a Polish semiconductor company founded in 1999. On the basis of a proprietary patented technology it has developed a unique ammonothermal GaN manufacturing method. Today Ammono is an innovator in low dislocation gallium nitride substrate manufacturing, exporting its products world-wide. Main applications of GaN are high power transistors, lasers and LEDs.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. It is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
