Oct. 30, 2009 (Hugin AS) --
IQE plc
30 Oct 2009
IQE plc (AIM: IQE, "the Group") the leading manufacturer of advanced
semiconductor wafers to the global semiconductor industry, announces
that it has been contracted by a leading US RF products and foundry
service provider TriQuint Semiconductor (Nasdaq: TQNT) to provide its
Gallium Nitride (GaN) wafer products for the creation of complex,
high dynamic range circuits for future defence and aerospace
applications.
IQE's New Jersey operation sub-contract Gallium Nitride (GaN) wafer
products to TriQuint as part of an $16.2 million Defence Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) multi-year Gallium Nitride (GaN) R&D
contract. The programme aims to advance GaN research and develop new
generations of compound semiconductor circuits through the Nitride
Electronic NeXt-Generation Technology (NEXT) program.
"GaN is already recognized for its ability to handle more power per
square millimeter than other semiconductor technologies like gallium
arsenide, and much more so than silicon. Yet even with the advances
TriQuint has pioneered, today's analogue GaN technology has frequency
and power limits.
"NEXT circuits will be `game-changing` technology that could
radically improve performance in defence and aerospace applications
like phased array radar and communications. NEXT calls for complex
digital GaN circuits that also have very high breakdown
voltages-something that silicon can't do, and that is also beyond the
scope of today's other semiconductor processes," said TriQuint's
Principal Investigator, Senior Fellow Dr. Paul Saunier.
Alex Ceruzzi, VP and General Manager of IQE's New Jersey facility
commented:
"IQE and TriQuint have enjoyed a close relationship over many years
and our role in this programme clearly demonstrates IQE's ability to
provide world class materials across a broad RF product portfolio.
"The four and half year NEXT programme lead by TriQuint will utilise
IQE's GaN wafer product expertise with the ultimate aim of developing
and producing advanced semiconductor chips with operating frequencies
up to 500GHz."
IQE's New Jersey facility is the leading GaN HEMT epi foundry, and
provides a complete portfolio of RF products, ranging from high
volume HEMTs, HBTs and BiFETs to advanced GaN based products.
