Infineon Introduces first GaN-on-SiC RF power transistors
Infineon Technologies has introduced its first devices in a family of GaN-on-SiC RF power transistors at this year's European Microwave Week, running from September 6-11 in Paris. Infineon says these new devices will allow manufacturers of mobile base stations to build smaller, more powerful and more flexible transmitters.
With higher efficiency, improved power density and more bandwidth than currently used RF power transistors, the new devices are said to improve the economics of building infrastructure to support today's cellular networks. Additionally, they will pave the way for the transition to 5G technology with higher data volumes and thus, enhanced user-experience.
"This new device family combines innovation with knowledge of the application requirements for cellular infrastructure to provide our global customer base with next-generation RF power transistors. They allow significant improvement in the operating performance and reduction in size of the transmitter side of mobile base stations," said Gerhard Wolf, vice president and general manager of Infineon's RF Power product line. "Additionally, with the transition to wide bandgap semiconductor technology, we are setting the pace for the continued evolution of the cellular infrastructure."
The new RF power transistors use GaN technology to achieve ten percent higher efficiency and five times the power density of the LDMOS transistors commonly used today. This translates to smaller footprints and power requirements for the power amplifiers (PA) of base station transmitters in use today, which operate in either the 1.8-2.2GHz or 2.3-2.7GHz frequency range. Future GaN on SiC devices will also support 5G cellular bandsup to the 6 GHz frequency range. This roadmap allows Infineon to build on its long-standing expertise and state-of-the-art production technologies for RF transistor technology.
Infineon says that the new devices also have twice the RF bandwidth of LDMOS, so that one PA can support multiple operating frequencies. They also have increased instantaneous bandwidth available for transmitters, which lets a carrier offer higher dates using the data aggregation technique specified for 4.5G cellular networks.
IGaN technology portfolio
Earlier this year, Infineon described its broadened patent portfolio related to GaN and announced the expansion of its GaN-on-Silicon offering, GaN/Si epitaxy process and 100 to 600 V technologies resulting from the acquisition of International Rectifier. The company also announced a strategic partnership aimed at integrating enhancement mode GaN-on-Silicon transistor structure into Infineon's Surface Mount Device (SMD) packages, providing a highly efficient, easy-to-use 600V GaN power device with the added benefit of dual sourcing.
