Peregrine Semiconductor Corp of San Diego, CA, USA, a fabless provider of radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) based on silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) and silicon-on-insulator (SOI), has shipped its 2 billionth UltraCMOS chip (shipped to Murata Manufacturing Company, a supplier of RF front-end modules for mobile wireless applications). Peregrine shipped its 1 billionth chip only 2011,
UltraCMOS technology comprises ultra-thin silicon (UTSi) circuitry processed on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology on a silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) or?silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. It combines the monolithic integration of RF, mixed-signal and digital capabilities of a CMOS silicon process while tolerating the high power required for high-performance wireless applications.
Also, in an event at the Estancia Hotel in La Jolla, CA, Peregrine has held a 25th anniversary celebration of its founding, bringing together individuals and organizations – such as the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) – who have been instrumental in the firm's growth. "I am pleased to recognize the success of Peregrine Semiconductor and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific's (SSC Pacific) role in successfully transitioning technology, originally developed for our warfighters, to commercial applications," says Stephen D. Russell Ph.D, SPAWAR chief technology officer and director of Science & Technology. "This highlights the need to make investments in basic and applied research, in this case engineering materials at the atomic level, which enables significant new capabilities offered by UltraCMOS technology," he adds. "This is just one example of the importance and impact of the research that is performed at SSC Pacific, which has been fielding new capabilities to the Fleet for more than 70 years."
With roots in government R&D, Peregrine supplies high-performance integrated RF solutions. Products provide critical communication pathways for devices used worldwide and beyond – from the most advanced smartphones to the Mars Rover (Peregrine's chips have also been to seven planets, Pluto and the Itokawa asteroid). "Peregrine is the shining example of a successful transition of government technology into the commercial sector," reckons CEO Jim Cable.
