ABI: Military Apps, GaN Propel RF Power Semiconductor Market
September 14, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
Growth in the RF power semiconductor market is being driven by military applications and the adoption of gallium nitride (GaN), according to ABI Research. The total market for RF power semiconductors for 2009 will approach $1 billion, said the analyst firm.
In a study, ABI analyzed RF semiconductor devices with power outputs of greater than 5 watts operating at frequencies of up to 3.8 Ghz.
Despite a stagnant wireless infrastructure market for the semiconductors, the military segment was cited by ABI as strong.
Additionally, GaN, which has been considered a promising "material of choice" for RF power semiconductors, is starting to gain market traction.
"Gallium nitride has markedly increased its market share in 2009 and is forecast to be a significant force by 2014," said ABI Research Director Lance Wilson.
"It bridges the gap between two older technologies, exhibiting the high-frequency performance of gallium arsenide combined with the power-handling capabilities of silicon LDMOS (laterally-diffused metal oxide semiconductor). It is now a mainstream technology which has achieved measurable market share and in future will capture a significant part of the market."
The strength of the military market for RF power semiconductors was confirmed in November 2008 when RF Micro Devices announced a $1.4 million, one-year contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for the development of GaN technology and high-power RF products.
The goals of the program, said RF Micro Devices, included reliability verification, passive element development and technology qualification of a manufacturable 48V GaN RF power process for amplifiers and switches.
The RF Micro Devices program, as stated by the company last November, supports the demonstration of wideband, high-power GaN Monolithic Microwave IC (MMIC) amplifier and switch circuits targeting L, S and C-band applications.
The DoD funding was intended to extend the cut-off frequency of RF Micro Devices' GaN process up to 90 GHz.
In a November 2008 press release, an RF Micro Devices executive cited GaN high-power RF technology for military and civilian radar systems and multi-band radios requiring wideband, high-efficiency amplifiers up to 500 watts.
He also mentioned expanding the frequency capability of the company's GaN process into millimeter wave frequencies to target new radar, electronic warfare and satellite communications radio applications.
Sources: ABI Research, RF Micro Devices.