Process Technology

RFMD^® GaN is production ready. It's a mature, robust technology with extraordinary reliability. Compared to GaAs and Si, RFMD GaN has much higher breakdown voltage and power densities, enabling applications not possible with competing process technologies. RFMD's GaN high power density also allows for smaller devices, reducing the capacitance enabling high impedances, wider bandwidths, and reduced cost. Additional benefits include reduced circuit complexity, industry-leading efficiency of operation, reduced cooling requirements, and lighter weight.

RFMD GaN Technologies

• 0.5µm gate length HEMT transistor
• AlGaN/GaN on SiC
• High power density, up to 8W/mm CW
• High breakdown voltage enables:
  • 48V operating voltage CW
  • 65V operating voltage pulsed
• High efficiency >65% achieved for RFMD products
• MTTF > 1x10⁷ hours at T_CHANNEL = 200°C
• 100 Ω/□ thin film resistor and epi resistor
• 135 pf/mm² MIM capacitor with 350V breakdown
• Through wafer vias

RFMD Foundry Services offers an expanded selection of process technologies for the external designer. High Power GaN 1 is the original process, which was launched in Summer of 2009. RFMD has since added High Linearity GaN 2, and also the complementary Integrated Passive Components Technology (IPC3). IPC3 was developed to support our GaN processes and provides a lower-cost die technology for implementing passive matching or routing circuits. It is designed to support high current densities and high voltages on die.

Reliability Test Data for GaN 1 and GaN 2

Industry-leading reliability results were achieved for high temperature life testing at 48V bias for RFMD's GaN processes.

V_DS= 48V, T_CHANNEL= 200ºC

GaN 1 Arrhenius Plot

GaN 2 Arrhenius Plot

For a discussion of RFMD's robust technology roadmap and opportunities, contact our Foundry Services team: RFMDFoundryServices@rfmd.com