M/A-COM Technology Solutions Holdings Inc. (“MACOM”), a leading supplier of high-performance analog RF, microwave, millimeterwave and photonic semiconductor products, announced its fourth generation of Gallium Nitride on Silicon (GaN on Si) technology.

Delivering performance that rivals expensive GaN on Silicon Carbide (GaN on SiC) at a projected volume production cost structure below that of incumbent LDMOS technology, fourth generation GaN (Gen4 GaN) is positioned to break the final technical and commercial barriers to mainstream GaN adoption. MACOM’s Gen4 GaN performance will be on display at Booth #2839 at IMS2015 in Phoenix, Ariz., May 19-22, 2015.

Gen4 GaN delivers greater than 70 percent peak efficiency and 19 dB gain for modulated signals at 2.7 GHz, which is similar to GaN on SiC technologies, and more than 10 percentage points greater efficiency than LDMOS.  It also delivers power density that is more than four times that of LDMOS. This breakthrough performance is expected to yield GaN-based devices that are half the semiconductor cost per watt of comparable LDMOS products and significantly lower cost than comparably performing GaN on expensive SiC wafers at volume production levels.

Gen4 GaN extends the innovation and commercialization trajectories of earlier generations of GaN on Si, which have demonstrated clear, field-proven reliability in harsh environmental conditions. To date, over one million devices have been operating for as long as five years in demanding military applications in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

“Gen4 will unlock the full promise of GaN for mainstream commercial applications. We expect its impact on the RF & Microwave industry will be transformative,” said John Croteau, President and CEO, MACOM. “Our GaN IP portfolio and strategic licensing agreements set the foundation for a sustainable, cost-efficient technology and supply chain model enabling GaN production at unprecedented economies of scale.  These breakthroughs position MACOM as the preeminent supplier of compound semiconductors for RF & Microwave applications.”

MACOM Gen4 GaN-based devices are expected to enter high volume production in 2016, and are sampling to customers today. For more information, visit www.macom.com/gan.