Among the changing landscape of RF/microwave semiconductor developments, devices with material properties that can sustain high electric breakdown are of particular interest. Within the last six-months alone, the Journal has published over a dozen papers on Laterally Diffused MOS (LDMOS), gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC) SIT & MESFETs, and High-Voltage Vertical FETS (HVVFET). To understand the state of the high power transistor market, we spoke to a number of leading vendors in these various technologies. Our discussion was primarily concerned with devices that could produce in excess of 30 watts at UHF/VHF frequencies and above - the high-power transistors required for both radar/EW and wireless infrastructure applications. The following is a summary of their inputs.
LDMOS
Freescale Semiconductor: Leonard Pelletier
GaN
HVVFET