2 June 2011

Cree demos first C-Band GaN HEMT MMIC high-power amplifier for satcoms

At next week’s 2011 IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS) in Baltimore (7–9 June), Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA is demonstrating what it claims is the industry’s first gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) MMIC high-power amplifier (HPA) for satellite communication applications, adding that the demonstration product offers dramatic performance improvements over existing commercially available GaAs MESFET transistors or traveling wave tube-based amplifiers.

“This is the first GaN MMIC to be demonstrated that offers game-changing performance for satellite communication applications due to the outstanding linear efficiency and power gains provided by our GaN HEMT technology,” claims Jim Milligan, Cree’s director of RF. “We anticipate our GaN products will have a large impact on how thermal management is approached and will enable reductions in both size and weight for commercial and military satellite communication systems,” he adds.

The CMPA5585025F MMIC is a 50Ω, 25W peak power two-stage GaN HEMT HPA in a multi-pin ceramic/metal package (1”x 0.38”). The instantaneous bandwidth of operation of the MMIC is 5.8–8.4GHz. It provides 15W of linear power (<-30dBc adjacent channel power) with 20dB power gain. Power-added efficiency is 25% at this linear operating power.

The device offers up to 60% greater linear efficiency than conventional solutions, it is claimed, in a small footprint package facilitating reductions in transmitter size and weight with lower cost thermal management. In addition, because the device operates at higher voltages than GaAs MESFETs (e.g. 28V versus 12V), the transistors draw less current, resulting in lower power distribution losses and higher overall system efficiencies.

Samples are available now, and production release is targeted for this summer.

Tags: Cree GaN HEMT Satcoms

Visit: www.cree.com/rf