Gallium arsenide (GaAs) foundry service provider TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. has unveiled TQP13-N, its latest high performance process technology for designing and manufacturing cost-effective, millimeter wave products for the commercial marketplace. Designed using TriQuint's patented transistor technology, which replaces traditional E-beam with optical gate lithography, TQP13-N offers dramatic cost savings over current millimeter wave technologies, said the supplier.

Historically, millimeter wave applications, which operate in frequencies up to 95 GHz, have been limited to military and other low volume products due to high cost. The introduction of TriQuint's TQP13-N process can broaden the market for these applications by offering manufacturers a cost-effective solution for high volume millimeter-wave products.

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Mike Peters, director of marketing for TriQuint's commercial foundry stated “High frequency applications have been considered too expensive for use in commercial markets. With TQP13-N, TriQuint is offering a disruptive new technology at a price point that can drive the volume needed to be successful.

TQP13-N technology is enabled by a unique, low-cost 150 mm GaAs wafer manufacturing process. It incorporates a highly repeatable optically defined 0.13 µm self-aligned gate pHEMT FET using a highly reliable refractory gate metal system, coupled with high density capacitors, epitaxial and nichrome resistors, and two layers of gold interconnect ( see Table). The use of optically defined gates greatly reduces the cost of production relative to similar processes based on E-beam gate lithography, said TriQuint.

TriQuint said that the process is in production and device samples and design kits are available.

For more information, visit www.tqs.com.

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