Qorvo launches 50V GaN-on-SiC transistors to boost efficiency and bandwidth in tactical and public safety radios

Qorvo Inc of Greensboro, NC, USA (which provides core technologies and RF solutions for mobile, infrastructure and defense applications) has launched a family of 50V gallium nitride on silicon carbide (GaN-on-SiC) transistors that improve performance, increase functionality and accelerate development of mission-critical tactical and public safety radios. Operating over a frequency band of 30-1200MHz, the transistors are input-matched for wideband applications and feature a compact footprint of 6mm x 5mm, enabling smaller, next-generation communications devices.

“Military personnel and first responders must communicate across many channels and have reliable access to wideband capabilities such as data, video and GPS – all in very challenging conditions,” notes James Klein, president, Qorvo Infrastructure and Defense Products. “The higher voltage of our new transistors at three different power levels ultimately translates into more powerful, more capable and more reliable radios.”

Qorvo claims to be the only supplier of 50V wideband-matched GaN-on-SiC transistors. Higher-voltage transistors deliver benefits including increased output power, reduced current loss, greater reliability, and require fewer transistors in system designs. Additionally, wideband matching increases energy efficiency and allows board designs to be optimized for specialized military and first responder devices. Qorvo’s newest transistors are designed for space-constrained, mission-critical applications ranging from military and land-mobile radio communications to avionics and test instruments.

Qorvo’s portfolio of GaN products is being showcased in booth #1510 at the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2017) in Honolulu, Hawaii (4-9 June).