RF Micro Devices Inc. (RFMD), a leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance semiconductor components, announced that it has successfully demonstrated industry-leading reliability performance with its high-power Gallium Nitride (GaN) process technology.

RFMD's GaN technology demonstrated MTTF = 30 million hours at a channel temperature of 200 degrees Celsius at Vds=48 V and at a power density of 7.5 W/mm. MTTF (Mean Time To Failure) is a commonly used measure of process technology reliability. This is the highest MTTF reported for GaN HEMT reliability testing for operation at 48 V bias and power density of 7.5 W/mm. The activation energy for this process was Ea= 2.3eV.

Bob Van Buskirk, President of RFMD's Multi-Market Products Group, said, "The superior level of reliability of RFMD's high-performance GaN technology enables the design of highly reliable, high performance RF power products and allows our customers to design GaN-based products that meet or exceed their stringent system reliability specifications."

Van Buskirk added, "RFMD GaN technology furthers the industry's drive for 'green technology' by enabling advanced RF components and products that operate at significantly lower power consumption levels."

RFMD successfully completed the process qualification of its high power GaN HEMT and announced the formation of its GaN Foundry Services business unit in June 2009. RFMD's GaN Foundry Services business unit was established to supply RFMD's high-reliability, high-performance and price-competitive GaN semiconductor technology into multiple RF power markets. To date, several leading customers are preparing designs using RFMD's GaN process design kit (PDK) in anticipation of RFMD's initial multi-project GaN wafer runs, scheduled for October 2009.

Additionally, RFMD has scheduled subsequent multi-project GaN wafer runs on a monthly basis to meet the increasing customer demand.