News: Microelectronics
7 October 2021
AmpliTech to open MMIC chip design center in Texas by year-end
AmpliTech Group Inc of Bohemia, NY, USA - which designs and makes signal-processing components for satellite and 5G communications networks, defense, space and other commercial applications - plans to open a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) chip design center in Texas and has highly experienced MMIC design professionals on its team. The firm expects the facility to be fully operational by year-end.
Used in high-frequency communications applications (such as signal amplifiers and filters for mobile phones or satellites) and combining transistors and passive devices (such as resistors and capacitors) on the same chip, MMICs may be analog only, or mixed-mode analog and digital. They are also widely desired for power amplification solutions to service emerging technologies such as satellite payloads, phased-array antennas, and quantum computing. The reason for this shift in MMIC usage is that MMICs carry a smaller footprint, enabling them to be incorporated in a broader array of systems, while also reducing costs by eliminating the need for connectors and skilled labor. In mission-critical applications such as satellite communications, it is crucial that amplification components must exhibit extremely low noise interference to maintain a reliable signal while minimizing data corruption.
AmpliTech’s low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) deliver what is claimed to be the lowest noise performance in the industry, at a consistent rate across frequencies, making communications systems efficient and reliable. By coalescing its amplification solutions into its MMIC product line, AmpliTech believes it will be able to provide grater value to its customers. To protect its unique designs and processes, the firm is working to secure patents for key elements of its MMIC designs and technology.
Over the past several months, AmpliTech started to implement several of its proprietary amplifier designs into MMIC components. The team’s success, along with future development needs and opportunities, has made it clear that the firm’s long-term growth and profitability would be best served by bringing its MMIC development efforts fully in-house. This strategic priority paved the way for the creation and launch of the design center, which will be owned by AmpliTech.
“The formation of the MMIC Design Center illustrates AmpliTech’s continued focus on innovation and technology leadership, as well as our risk and cost-management disciplines,” says CEO Fawad Maqbool. “We are building our company to meet the substantial demand we see for best-of-breed, low-noise amplifiers and other technologies across satellite communications, 5G/telecommunications, defense, aerospace, and other markets. Furthermore, we are confident that the capabilities, cost, form factor, flexibility and scalability of MMIC-based products will be very well received across our end markets,” he adds.
“The global telecom, satcom and broader technology industry are planning huge investments to build out 5G connectivity that meets the true goal of 1Gb/s data transfer and for the launch of tens of thousands of additional low Earth orbit (LEO) or other satellites to support global data growth in the sky,” Maqbool continues.
“Through our MMIC initiative, we are working to position AmpliTech as a key provider of signal amplification solutions that will enable communications networks to accomplish more at a lower cost. With our world-class MMIC designs, we endeavor to meet each customer’s specific needs with highly performant, cost-effective and smaller form factor solutions with lower current consumption and better noise figures than current offerings,” Maqbool says. “Our MMIC Design Center will also complement AmpliTech’s ongoing new product R&D efforts by providing a pathway for translating them into higher-volume MMIC solutions.”
