.gif)
.gif)
New Products
June 15, 2012
Cree Unveils New GaN RF MMIC Process Technologies for Telecommunication and Radar Systems
Cree, Inc. announced the qualification and production release of two new GaN processes: G40V4, a 0.25µm process with operating drain voltage up to 40V, and G50V3, a 0.4µm process with operating drain voltage up to 50V. The increased operating voltage and RF power density of these new processes enable smaller die and more compact, higher efficiency amplifiers than possible with conventional technologies. Both technologies are compatible with Cree’s proven GaN MMIC technology on 100mm-diameter SiC wafers with a full complement of passive circuit elements and non-linear models.
The new processes are now available for development and full-rate production. With these processes, Cree offers numerous foundry service options to facilitate the rapid development of custom circuits, including full and dedicated mask sets. The G40V4 process has been qualified at both 28 and 40V operation with RF power densities up to 6W/mm of FET periphery with operation up to 18GHz. The G50V3 process has been qualified for 50V operation and RF power densities up to 8W/mm with operation through 6 GHz. Both of these processes are derivatives of Cree’s previously released G28V3 28V, 0.4um process that has been in production since 2006 and exhibits one of the lowest field failure rates of any microwave technology in the industry (Failure in Time rate of 9 device failures per billion hours of operation).
Cree estimates that for a typical 3-sector, multi-band LTE/4G telecom remote radio head (RRH) installation, simply switching to GaN from conventional transistor technology could reduce RRH power consumption by up to 20 percent. This translates directly into lower operating costs and reduced energy consumption. Beyond operational cost savings, there can also be a significant savings in the initial cost of the system. The GaN benefits of higher voltage and higher efficiency allow smaller heat sinks and enclosures, less complex RF amplifiers and lower- cost ac-dc and dc-dc converters. Systems that previously required large fans to cool can now be air cooled. All of these improvements can reduce the system bill of material cost by up to 10 percent resulting in significantly lower system acquisition costs.
Similar benefits are seen for military radar systems where the improved efficiency from Cree’s GaN processes can not only reduce operational power consumption but also dramatically improve system life cycle cost via reduced maintenance. The G40V4 and G50V3 processes can operate at a junction (channel) temperature of 225°C with a median life time of over two million hours (228 years). This outstanding reliability can dramatically lower the cost of radar system repair and upkeep over its operating life.
"Our customers have been asking for a reliable, higher-frequency process to exploit the advantages of GaN for applications greater than 6 GHz, including Satcom, radar and electronic warfare markets, and we believe our new G40V4 process successfully satisfies their needs," said Jim Milligan, director of RF and microwave, Cree. "To address our customers’ need for lower cost GaN solutions, the 50 volt operating voltage of our new G50V3 process has been specifically engineered to provide an extremely low price in terms of dollars per watt of RF output power. The cost-performance of our G50V3 process is designed to rapidly accelerate the adoption of GaN in extremely cost-sensitive markets such as telecom infrastructure where GaN can now provide performance advantages not realizable in silicon LDMOS."
Opinion: Unraveling the Ultra-Low Power Design Issues
"The higher operating voltage and higher efficiency possible with these new processes are key to rapid adoption," said Dr. Cengiz Balkas, vice president and general manager power and RF, Cree. "Switching to GaN for upcoming LTE/4G macro-cell base stations could save telecom operators over $2 billion annually in reduced energy costs. Fortunately, the telecom industry is beginning to recognize these potential savings. Cree is targeting to deliver more than 75 million watts of GaN transistors into telecom base stations this calendar year."
At 40V operation, Cree’s G40V4 process exhibits up to 6W/mm PSAT at 18 GHz. Typical device characteristics at 10 GHz are 65 percent power added efficiency (PAE) and 12 dB of small signal gain. At 50 volt operation, the G50V3 process demonstrates up to 8 watts/mm PSAT at 6 GHz. Typical device performance at 3.5 GHz is 70 percent PAE with 12 dB of small signal gain. Both GaN processes are qualified for maximum operating channel temperature of 225C with a median time to failure of greater than 2E6 hours. In addition, Cree is releasing MMIC design kits with proprietary scalable non-linear HEMT models suitable for operation with Agilent’s Advanced Design System (ADS) and AWR’s Microwave Office simulator platforms. The design kits also contain a full suite of passive components--resistors, capacitors, spiral inductors and substrate ground vias that can be used to simulate full MMIC performance and provide significantly reduced design cycle times.
Share this story
Send via E-mail
Post to Twitter
On the Web:
White Papers
March 11, 2013
Power Modules for Charger Applications
Sponsored by Vincotech
February 27, 2013
The Adaptive Cell Converter Topology Enables Constant Efficiency Over Universal Input AC Line in Front-End, High-Density Power Factor Correction Applications
Sponsored by Vicor Corp.
February 27, 2013
From 48 V direct to Intel VR12.0: Saving "Big Data" $500,000 per datacenter, per year
Sponsored by Vicor Corp.
More White Papers
- DOE Selects Consortium to Develop Next-Generation Batteries for Automobiles
- Dana Receives Grant from NRCan to Improve Thermal Management for EV Battery Packs
- Bosch Claims First Sub-$450 240V EV Charging Station
- Altera Acquires Enpirion for $140 Million, Forms Power Business Unit
- Ericsson Saves Board Space with Surface-Mount Digital Bus Converter
- SiC Modules, IGBTs and Super-Junction MOSFETs Introduced on Day One of PCIM
- SiC and GaN Again a Major Focus at PCIM Europe
- PowerbyProxi Joins Wireless Power Consortium
- Vincotech and Infineon Introduce New Packaging Options at PCIM Europe
- Eaton and CA Technologies Join to Deliver Infrastructure Management for Data Centers
- Renesas Adds IGBT Drivers with Micro-Isolator for Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Inverters
- Bosch Claims First Sub-$450 240V EV Charging Station
- European Project Reports Achievements in Drive to Shape the Future of Power Microelectronics
- Eltek's New Rectifier Delivers 97.2% Efficiency for Data Center and Server Powering
- Ericsson Saves Board Space with Surface-Mount Digital Bus Converter
- Digitally-Isolated Gate Drivers Provide Robust Drop-in Replacements for Opto-Drivers
- 36V Digital Potentiometers Support Wide Signal Swings and High Power-Supply Voltages
- Teen Wins $50,000 for Development of Nanorod Supercapacitors
- Europeans Establish Dueling Projects to Advance Power Electronics Technologies
- Altera Acquires Enpirion for $140 Million, Forms Power Business Unit
- Green Building Power Forum 2010: Fujitsu Components America
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: CUI Incorporated
- Green Building Power Forum 2010: EMerge Alliance
- Green Building Power Forum 2010: Anderson Power Products
- Green Building Power Forum 2009: Independence Station
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: Coilcraft
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: Champs Technologies
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: EXAR Corporation
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: PMBus
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: Power Plaza
Design Features
October 22, 2012
Energy Efficiency with Class D Amplifier Modules
Class-D switching amplifiers are helping audio designers create personal multimedia devices and home audio/visual systems that demonstrate how compact and stylish equipment can also deliver high sound quality and high audio output power. The key to this breakthrough, providing freedom from the large and bulky boxes housing traditional audio products, lies in the class-D amplifier’s high energy efficiency, which is typically around 90%. This allows designers to reduce or eliminate heatsinks as well as using smaller-sized PCBs and smaller components such as transformers, connectors and power supplies.
Design Features
October 8, 2012
The Role of Hall Effect Sensors in Power Distribution Infrastructure
Power distribution units (PDUs) form an essential part of modern computing and data communications hardware. They provide multiple outputs for transferring electrical power with maximum efficiency, controlling the power capacity and safeguarding against the possible causes of supply interruption. With an ever increasing need from tech savvy consumers for higher data throughput and greater quantities of data storage capacity, as well as tough international legislation now governing CO&sub2; emissions, the demands being placed on these units are proving challenging for engineering teams to satisfy.
Product Focus
August 13, 2012
The Year in AC-DC Power Supply Technology
The past year witnessed significant new product releases, technological developments, and industry news related to the field of AC-DC Power Supply technology.