TriQuint Semiconductor Inc., a leading RF solutions supplier and technology innovator, announced at Satellite 2014 that its Spatium™ technology achieves unprecedented levels of Ka-Band solid state power, bandwidth and efficiency, which provides greater broadband capacity and opens up new satellite possibilities.
TriQuint’s patented Spatium technology enables satellite communications for commercial and defense use of the recently deployed Ka-band spectrum. Its high frequency broadband connectivity can be used for media-rich and high-bandwidth communications such as airborne wireless access; defense communications; and video for unmanned aerial vehicles or systems. Spatium combines multiple Gallium Nitride (GaN) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) enabling cost effective and reliable solid state broadband power amplification (SSPA).
“With Spatium, TriQuint is advancing the use of GaN technology in a broad range of radar, electronic warfare and communication applications,” said Vice President James Klein, TriQuint Infrastructure and Defense Products. “Notably, TriQuint’s Spatium technology has eclipsed historical industry performance levels by a significant margin, providing exactly what the rapidly growing Ka-band satellite market needs.”
Spatium produces an average saturated power of more than 130 watts over the entire 27-31 GHz band. It also produces linear output power of 60 watts with more than 15 percent efficiency, operating at only 20 volts. Spatium’s ease of integration, small form factor and integral parallel redundancy ensure that its SSPA is an extremely reliable alternative to traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTA). Spatium’s high power and bandwidth capability provide the industry with a solid state alternative to TWTAs, which operate at high voltage and require complex and expensive external optimization networks to improve efficiency and linearity.
Spatium amplifiers are available in a wide variety of off the shelf and custom configurations operating at frequencies up to 40 GHz and power levels up to multiple kilowatts. For additional information, go to http://www.triquint.com/products/spatium or visit TriQuint at Satellite 2014 at booth 1111.