IQE awarded contract with TriQuint
Semiconductor to develop radically enhanced GaN products for
US government NeXT defence and aerospace programme
IQE plc (AIM: IQE, “the Group”) the leading manufacturer of
advanced semiconductor wafers to the global semiconductor
industry, announces that it has been contracted by a leading
US RF products and foundry service provider TriQuint
Semiconductor (Nasdaq: TQNT) to provide its Gallium Nitride
(GaN) wafer products for the creation of complex, high
dynamic range circuits for future defence and aerospace
applications.
IQE's New Jersey operation sub-contract Gallium Nitride (GaN)
wafer products to TriQuint as part of an $16.2 million
Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) multi-year
Gallium Nitride (GaN) R&D contract. The programme aims to
advance GaN research and develop new generations of compound
semiconductor circuits through the Nitride Electronic NeXt-Generation
Technology (NEXT) program.
"GaN is already recognized for its ability to handle more
power per square millimeter than other semiconductor
technologies like gallium arsenide, and much more so than
silicon. Yet even with the advances TriQuint has pioneered,
today’s analogue GaN technology has frequency and power
limits.
“NEXT circuits will be `game-changing` technology that could
radically improve performance in defence and aerospace
applications like phased array radar and communications.
NEXT calls for complex digital GaN circuits that also have
very high breakdown voltages-something that silicon can’t
do, and that is also beyond the scope of today’s other
semiconductor processes," said TriQuint's Principal
Investigator, Senior Fellow Dr. Paul Saunier.
Alex Ceruzzi, VP and General Manager of IQE’s
“IQE and TriQuint
have enjoyed a close relationship over many years and our
role in this programme clearly demonstrates IQE’s ability to
provide world class materials across a broad RF product
portfolio.
“The four and half
year NEXT programme lead by TriQuint will utilise
IQE’s GaN wafer product expertise with the ultimate aim of
developing and producing advanced semiconductor chips with
operating frequencies up to 500GHz.”
IQE’s
(see also
http://www.triquint.com/contacts/press/dspPressRelease.cfm?pressid=422).
Contacts:
Sales/Technical: IQE RF (+1 732 271
5990)
Ivan Eliashevich
Shiping Guo
Press: IQE plc (+44 29 2083
9400)
Chris Meadows
Notes to Editors
FACTS ABOUT IQE
IQE
is the leading global supplier of advanced semiconductor
wafers with products that cover a diverse range of
applications, supported by an innovative outsourced foundry
services portfolio that allows the Group to provide a 'one
stop shop' for the wafer needs of the world's leading
semiconductor manufacturers.
IQE
uses advanced crystal growth technology (epitaxy) to
manufacture and supply bespoke semiconductor wafers ('epi-wafers')
to the major chip manufacturing companies, who then use
these wafers to make the chips which form the key components
of virtually all high technology systems. IQE is unique in
being able to supply wafers using all of the leading crystal
growth technology platforms.
IQE's
products are found in many leading-edge consumer,
communication, computing and industrial applications,
including a complete range of wafer products for the
wireless industry, such as mobile handsets and wireless
infrastructure, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, base stations, GPS, and
satellite communications; optical communications, optical
storage (CD, DVD), laser optical mouse, laser printers &
photocopiers, thermal imagers, leading-edge medical
products, barcode, ultra high brightness LEDs, a variety of
advanced silicon based systems and high efficiency
concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar cells.
The
manufacturers of these chips are increasingly seeking to
outsource wafer production to specialist foundries such as
IQE in order to reduce overall wafer costs and accelerate
time to market.
IQE
also provides bespoke R&D services to deliver customised
materials for specific applications and offers specialist
technical staff to manufacture to specification either at
its own facilities or on the customer's own sites. The Group
is also able to leverage its global purchasing volumes to
reduce the cost of raw materials. In this way IQE's
outsourced services, provide compelling benefits in terms of
flexibility and predictability of cost, thereby
significantly reducing operating risk.
IQE
operates seven facilities located in Cardiff (two), Milton
Keynes and Bath in the UK; in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and
Somerset, New Jersey in the USA; and Singapore. The Group
also has 11 sales offices located in major economic centres
worldwide.
FACTS ABOUT TRIQUINT
Founded in 1985, we “Connect the Digital World to the Global
Network”® by supplying high-performance RF modules,
components and foundry services to the world's leading
communications companies. Specifically, TriQuint is a
supplier in the top five mobile phone manufacturers’
products, and is a leading gallium arsenide (GaAs) supplier
to major defense and space contractors. TriQuint creates
standard and custom products using advanced processes that
include gallium arsenide, gallium nitride (GaN), surface
acoustic wave (SAW) and bulk acoustic wave (BAW)
technologies to serve diverse markets including wireless
handsets, laptops, GPS/PND, base stations, broadband
communications and military. TriQuint is also the lead
researcher in a multi-year DARPA program to develop advanced
GaN amplifiers. TriQuint, as named by Strategy Analytics1,
is the number-three worldwide leader in GaAs devices and the
world’s largest commercial GaAs foundry. TriQuint has
ISO9001 certified manufacturing facilities in
1
Announced February 2009 and May 2009, respectively.