Infineon Technologies AG introduced its first devices in a family of Gallium Nitride (GaN) on Silicon Carbide (SiC) RF power transistors at this year's European Microwave Week. As part of Infineon’s industry-leading GaN portfoliothe devices allow manufacturers of mobile base stations to build smaller, more powerful and more flexible transmitters. With higher efficiency, improved power density and more bandwidth than currently used RF power transistors, the new devices improve the economics of building infrastructure to support today’s cellular networks. Additionally, they will pave the way for the transition to 5G technology with higher data volumes and thus, enhanced user-experience.
“This new device family combines innovation with knowledge of the application requirements for cellular infrastructure to provide our global customer base with next-generation RF power transistors. They allow significant improvement in the operating performance and reduction in size of the transmitter side of mobile base stations,” said Gerhard Wolf, Vice President and General Manager of Infineon’s RF Power product line. “Additionally, with the transition to wide bandgap semiconductor technology, we are setting the pace for the continued evolution of the cellular infrastructure.”
The new RF power transistors leverage the performance of GaN technology to achieve ten percent higher efficiency and five times the power density of the LDMOS transistors commonly used today. This translates to smaller footprints and power requirements for the power amplifiers (PA) of base station transmitters in use today, which operate in either the 1.8-2.2 GHz or 2.3-2.7 GHz frequency range. Future GaN on SiC devices will also support 5G cellular bandsup to the 6 GHz frequency range. This roadmap allows Infineon to build on its long-standing expertise and state-of-the-art production technologies for RF transistor technology.
Design flexibility and support for the next-generation of 4G technology are additional benefits of GaN devices for RF power applications. The new devices have twice the RF bandwidth of LDMOS, so that one PA can support multiple operating frequencies. They also have increased instantaneous bandwidth available for transmitters, which lets a carrier offer higher dates using the data aggregation technique specified for 4.5G cellular networks.
Availability
Engineering samples and reference designs are available to customers under specific Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA).
Industry Leading GaN Technology Portfolio
Earlier this year, Infineon described its broadened patent portfolio related to GaN and announced the expansion of its GaN-on-Silicon (GaN/Si) offering, GaN/Si epitaxy process and 100 V-600 V technologies resulting from the acquisition of International Rectifier. The company also announced a strategic partnership aimed at integrating enhancement mode GaN-on-Silicon transistor structure into Infineon’s Surface Mount Device (SMD) packages, providing a highly efficient, easy-to-use 600 V GaN power device with the added benefit of dual sourcing.
As a result, Infineon now offers customers complete system know-how combined with the most comprehensive range of GaN technologies and products in the industry. Additionally, the company holds best-in-class manufacturing capabilities, volume capacity and second sourcing for normally-off GaN power devices in an Infineon SMD package. With leading LDMOS and GaN technologies, Infineon is well positioned to provide optimal solutions based on customers’ requirements.
Infineon at European M icrowave Week (EuMW)
Infineon is showcasing its RF power transistor technology at Booth C309, in Hall Ternes during EuMW in Paris, September 6-11, 2015.
