High Power Applications in the RF and Microwave

Leveraging the advantages of different semiconductor and process technologies and addressing an increasing number of applications once reserved for tubes. Sixty-plus years later driven by a number of promosing commercial and defense related markets transistors specifically targeting high power applications in the RF and microwave frequency range continue to be the focus of sizable research and development.

Among the changing landscape of RF/microwave semiconductor developments, devices with material properties that can sustain high electric breakdown are of particular interest. To understand the state of high power transistor market, we spoke to a number of leading vendor. These are the high-power transistors required for avionics, radar, EW and wireless infrastructure application.

The principle market segments for high-power, high-frequency transistors are wireless infrastructure (3G, 3G+, WiMax /LTE base stations and backhaul), defense and military applications (radar, jamming, counter-measures, guided weapons, etc), broadcast and communication satellite (SatCom). The factors that will decide whether a technology dominates a given application include performance (linearity, effiency), reliability such as ruggedness and thermal considerations, size, cost and legacy.

The demand for pulsed RF power devices greater than 5 W of peak output power and frequencies up to 3.8 GHz is expected to show solid growth over the next five years, in part due to a worldwide upgrade of air traffic control systems including new avionics transponders and air navigation system. Many semiconductor manufacturers are attempting to enter the avionics, L-band, S-band, and sub-1 GHz RADAR markets. Competitive technologies such as GaN and SiC devices will be vying for market share along with the more established silicon-based technologies. With the entry of many would-be players,competition will be fierce.