GaAs HBT patent

Technology: Microelectronics

SilGaPlGaAs ‘HBT patent

Filtronic splitting off compound business For the six months to endNovember &147.6m

After in June

2000, sales for

granted a patent on the

(up 57% on the same

design and architecture

period of 1999). But despite sales for Filtronic

made an operating

silicon

the unit loss of

&7.4m (up from $1.9m in 1999). The Santa Clara fab increased merchant

combines

of &5. lm (up

from 1999’s &3.lm),

sales (mainly for

GaAs pHEMTs for fibre-optics) but made a 10s~; the pHEMT fab

efficiency Filtronic Compound Semiconductors has made two new appointments for its Newton Aycliffe plant: David Smith, as Strategie Business Manager (left) and Peter Bradb as Product Marketing Manager (right).

Corp

Continuation

In Process

application

the intellectual

Durham, UK is casting

Compound

required

&lm per month to operate

is now being operated

while producing

separate

a larger-than-

Filtonic

yield that outstrips

business

the

technology

timescale

and quali-

Christopher

fy products

power density for ICs operating

covering

at more 20 GHz (360 mW/mm’ at 23 GHz)

to manufacture

potential

commercial

fïnancial

partners.

as CEO)

the transistor.

applications

available while also providing “excellent

has

and

linearity and power-

added efficiency”. formance

on other

“High per-

microwave

power

amplifiers are a key require-

products.

with

- at least twice that

of any other power amplifier

also made three other CIP

Snowden

InP power amplifi-

er chip that delivers record

property

National Scientifìc

of

professor

while in discussions

with customers

had been underestimated.

a mlcrowave

(with

plc’s directer

internal demand.AIso, to establish

as a

Beach, CA, USA) has developed

on the HBT US

patent #6,171,920, Semiconductors

program), TRW Inc (Redondo

USA)

in its

Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio (as part of the government’s Dual UX Science and Technology

Scientifk

has succeded

To stem cash flow, Filtronic

about

with the

(Phoenix,AZ,

(AFRL),

jensors Directorate, Wright-

of a GaP/GaAs

emitter, National

to the Air Force

Research Iaboratory

the low tost of

production

at Newton Aycliife, County

expected

Under contract

for

a Si/GaP/GaAs HBT which

Compound

Semiconductors

1999 being

Record power density for InP microwave amplifier

ment for next-generation

National

radios and space-based

Scientific Tel: +l-888-488-3181

digital commu-

nication systems,” said vp for Advanced Semiconductors Dwight Streit.

Kopin begins samplina InGaPhnGaAsN HBTs

The chip, with an output power of 400 mW.This paves the way for “advanced, powerefficient

active apertures

in space-based

used

and airborne

Kopin Corp (Taunton, MA, USA)

budget for the design of both

lower supply voltages in wire-

radars,” said Tim Kemerley,

has begun to sample HBTs

wired and wireless

less handsets.”

Chlef of the AFRL Aerospace

made from InGaP/InGaAsN

RF circuits.Additional

structures

include stable temperature

(incorporating

urn and nitrogen

lndi-

into the base

characteristics,

GaAs-based benefìts

enhanced

RF

layers) in its high-volume

circuit performance,

MOCVD production

improved device reliability,”

“We have achieved reductions

systems. substantial

in turn-on voltage of

more than 150 mV.. .while retalnlng excellent acteristics”,

Technology

of Transistor

Dr Roger E Welser.

“Reducing the emitter/base

device char-

says president

stated Directer

and

and

turn-on voltage is a key requirement for maintaining

the per-

CE0 Dr John C C Fan.This

formance

should enable “signifìcant

based HBTs in next-generation

improvements

electronic

in GaAs-based

HBT power amplifïers advanced wireless lowering increaslng reducing

for

the efficiency

components,”

M Frank Chang, professor

handsets by

the operating

advantage of GaAs-

voltage, and

power consumption.”

electrical University

engineering

says Dr of

at the

of California, Los

Angeles and diiector

of the

High Speed Electronics

* Kopin’s sales were US$24.6m for Q4/2000 (up 81% on Q4/99: III-VS up 64% to US$18.2m)

and US$92.6m

for

2000 (up 139% on ‘99: III-Vs up 129% to US$72.0m).

Components

and Subsystems

Technology

Division, Sensors

Directorate.

“These aerospace

radar systems wil1 need highly effcient

transmit amplifiers, as

wel1 as novel approaches antenna packaging

to

and integra-

However, due to “excess inuen-

tion, to meet requirements

tories and

multi-function

forecast

revisions

_V hanaket OEMs”, Kopin expects

Q1/2001 sales down to

US$12-14m.

low mass and affordable tost.” TRW is also worklng to bring InP to specific

Growth for second-half

2001

commercial

should be in line with first-

year at its high-volume completed

products

volume pilot production

capitalising

on

tele-

coms markets in the coming

half 2000, aided by new III-V

“emerging tmruts in the fibre-

for

performance,

4” line,

late last year. Low-

scheduled

is

for early 2OOl.TRW

optic indust?y” and “the even-

Space & Electronics

Group is

Laboratory. Further develop

hal rebound in wireless hand-

building the Astrolink digital-

age enabled by InGaAsN base

ment wil1 “open new avenues

set manufacturing”.

switching

layers should permit better

for GaAs-based RF circuit

management

design that would fit well with

Kopin Corp Tel: +l-508-824-6696

TRW Inc Tel: +l-310-812-5227

The reduction

in turn-on volt-

of the voltage

payloads.

lil-VS REVIEWTHE ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR MAGAZINEVOL,

- NO z

- MARCH 2001 E