In conjunction with the Defense Manufacturers Conference (DMC 2013) in Orlando, FL (2-5 December), RF front-end component maker and foundry services provider TriQuint Semiconductor Inc of Hillsboro, OR, USA is releasing new gallium arsenide (GaAs) phase shifters, high-power limiters and gallium nitride (GaN) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifiers that can improve system performance, increase efficiency and reduce part counts in wide-ranging defense and commercial applications.
TriQuint's three new high-power limiters handle up to 100W and protect sensitive circuits from electrical overload. Their low flat leakage shields low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) while low insertion loss maximizes efficiency with reduced noise. The devices are suitable for receive chain (Rx) protection in commercial and defense radars.
The firm's two new phase shifters cover 6-18GHz (including the X- and Ku-bands), delivering wider frequency coverage than competing solutions for reduced part counts, it is claimed. Their 6-bit digital logic assures smooth, continuously variable time delay functionality. They are packaged for easy assembly in radar, electronic warfare (EW) and satellite communications applications.
The new GaN amplifiers cover a wide range of applications with greater output power at superior efficiency, it is claimed, enabling smaller systems and reduced part counts. TriQuint's new die-level amplifier delivers what is claimed to be superior broadband power and efficiency; its two new packaged 50W amplifiers support key radar (9-10GHz) and satellite communications (7.9-8.4GHz) frequencies.
TriQuint says that its Spatium high-power amplifiers deliver a reliable, efficient alternative to travelling-wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) for commercial and defense communications, radar and EW. The firm says that Spatium improves broadband RF power and efficiency through patented coaxial spatial combining techniques using GaAs or GaN MMIC amplifiers, supporting the need for RF power at high efficiency from hundreds to thousands of watts.
