Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA, which makes silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) wafers and devices, recently extended its family of 50V discrete GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) die with the release of three new components: a 20W (CGHV60020D), 6GHz die; a 75W, 6GHz die (CGHV60075D); and a 320W, 4GHz die (CGHV40320D). Currently consisting of five die, the first two of which were released in September 2014, the family still represents the only 50V bare GaN HEMT die publicly available on the market, Cree says.
Picture: Cree’s newly extended family of 50V discrete GaN HEMT die, now available in 20W, 40W, 75W and 170W for up to 6GHz operation and 320W for up to 4GHz operation.
The family of 0.4μm, 50V GaN HEMT die offer hybrid amplifier designers higher gain, efficiency and power density while operating over a broad, instantaneous frequency bandwidth, providing an effective alternative to silicon (Si) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) technologies, Cree claims. Additional performance benefits include higher breakdown voltage, thermal conductivity, and saturated electron drift velocity.
Designed for operation up to 6GHz, the 20W, 40W, 75W and 170W 50V GaN HEMT die exhibit 17dB typical small-signal gain and 60% typical power-added efficiency at 6GHz and 18dB typical small-signal gain and 65% typical power-added efficiency at 4GHz. The new 20W and 75W die are suitable for two-way private radios, broadband amplifiers, cellular infrastructure, test instrumentation, and Class A linear amplifiers. The 40W die can also be used in cellular infrastructure, and the 170W die can be used in tactical and satellite communications and broadband, industrial, scientific and medical amplifiers.
Designed for operation up to 4GHz, the 320W 50V GaN HEMT die exhibits 19dB typical small-signal gain and 65% typical power-added efficiency at 4GHz. Like the 170W die, it too is suited to use in tactical and satellite communications and broadband, industrial, scientific and medical amplifiers.
Additionally, all 50V die in the current product family are suitable for use in Class AB linear amplifiers.
Cree’s 50V GaN HEMT die are supplied in Gel-Pak Vacuum Release trays, a non-tacky membrane that immobilizes the components to ensure damage-free transportation and storage. The order multiple is 10 GaN HEMT die per Gel-Pak tray.
