AWR and United Monolithic Semiconductors (UMS) announced "Try the Power," an incentive program to allow new customers to bring gallium arsenide (GaAs) microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) design prototypes to market quickly and easily using AWR's Microwave Office electronic design automation (EDA) software and the UMS PPH25X foundry process design kit (PDK).

Try the Power includes free PDKs, a free 90-day lease for AWR's flagship Microwave Office high-frequency design software, and a reduced-rate prototype development quick-turn (PDQ) shared-wafer foundry run using the advanced UMS PPH25X process. The program begins November 15, 2008 and runs through May 31, 2009 (chips delivered).

UMS has developed and qualified the PPH25X pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (PHEMT) process for high-frequency and high-power designs. It features a very high breakdown voltage that provides high power density up to 1 W per millimeter of gate periphery. Optimized small via-hole definitions through the 70-µm substrate thickness can be directly connected to the sources of the transistors, reducing parasitics and simplifying wideband amplifier designs. The PPH25X process has a 45 GHz Ft that makes it especially useful for power design at very high frequencies. The PPH25X process is fully qualified and open in foundry mode.