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TriQuint Achieves GaN Defence Production Milestones

GaN processes ready to meet full performance, cost, and capacity goals, with the capability to support full rate production

TriQuint Semiconductor has announced that it has successfully completed the Defense Production Act Title III Gallium Nitride on Silicon Carbide Production Capacity program. "The mission of the DPA Title III program is to create assured, affordable and commercially-viable production capabilities and capacities for items essential for national defence, [which] strengthen the economic and technological competitiveness of the US defence industrial base," said Gene Himes, US Air Force Research Laboratory program manager. "This critical mission strengthens the economic and technological competitiveness of the US industrial base, and TriQuint's GaN technology has achieved that goal."

TriQuint was recognised for its "outstanding contributions to national defence achieved under the Title III Gallium Nitride on Silicon Carbide Radar/Electronic Warfare Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit Production Capacity Project," at the final program management review held in Washington DC, on May 8, 2014. The citation was signed by the Frank Kendall, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.

TriQuint has shipped more than 119,000 0.25µm GaN power amplifier devices in support of ongoing radar production programs. During phased array field testing, approximately 15,000 devices have accumulated more than 3.67 million device hours, with no reported device failures. TriQuint has seen mean time to failure of much greater than 107 hours and a T1 (the time at which 1 percent of failures occur) of more than 106 hours at 200 degC, without pre-conditioning, a notable achievement in this field.

As part of the Title III contract, awarded in 2010, TriQuint progressed through three program phases to prove manufacturing readiness at its Richardson, Texas facility. The first phase assessed TriQuint's initial manufacturing readiness. In the second phase, TriQuint worked to refine and improve the production processes, with the goal of reaching the manufacturing readiness needed for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of GaN monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). In the final phase, TriQuint applied the lessons learned throughout the program, showing that its manufacturing processes are ready to meet full performance, cost and capacity goals, with the capability in place to support full rate production. TriQuint's Texas facility is an accredited DoD Trusted Source for foundry; post-process; assembly and packaging; and RF test services.

Under the guidance of the US Air Force Research Laboratory's Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, rigorous manufacturing readiness assessment criteria were used to benchmark TriQuint's high frequency, high power GaN production capability. TriQuint's ongoing development of GaN-based devices is leading to smaller, more efficient power amplifiers, typically used for Department of Defense radar and electronic warfare programs as well as commercial wireless communications and infrastructure.

 

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