GaN-on-Si power transistor portfolio delivers high performance and efficiency

MACOM Technology Solutions offers their newest entry in its GaN-on-Si power transistor portfolio for pulsed L-Band radar systems targeted for airport surveillance radar (ASR) applications at 1.2GHz to 1.4GHz. Delivering excellent efficiency at peak pulse power levels up to 500W, the new MAGX-101214-500 is claimed to outperform premium-priced GaN-on-SiC-based transistors, and far exceed the performance, efficiency and power density of legacy LDMOS-based devices. The company’s new device enables customers to scale to higher power levels across a host of ASR applications, delivering 500W output power and greater than 70% power efficiency under pulsed conditions at 50V operation. Supplied in a small-footprint ceramic flanged package and supporting matching structures that minimize circuit size, the transistors help to enable rugged, compact radar systems underpinned with efficient, simplified cooling and power supply architectures. “The continued expansion of MACOM’s GaN-on-Si product portfolio enables customers to address an ever-widening range of RF power requirements while achieving performance profiles that meet and exceed GaN-on-SiC, at significantly less cost at scaled volume production levels,” said Greg French, senior product manager, RF Power, at MACOM. “Our proven technology leadership in GaN-on-Si combined with our decades-long heritage in civil and defence radar are among the many factors fuelling our innovation in these important markets, as evidenced by the new MAGX-101214-500.”