Gallium arsenide (GaAs) device specialist TriQuint Semiconductor has been awarded a $4.5 million contract from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to advance manufacturing methods used in producing high-frequency, high-voltage, high-power GaAs amplifiers. TriQuint's proven track record of developing and supplying high-reliability amplifiers for aerospace and defense applications helped secure the 21-month contract.

According to Dr. David Fanning, TriQuint Contract Program Manager, "Winning this contract demonstrates the government’s confidence in TriQuint’s ability to develop the critical technologies needed for Department of Defense applications." He added that "high-voltage gallium arsenide is a tested and proven technology that exhibits high reliability using existing processes and materials, ideally suited for military and commercial production programs." TriQuint's high-voltage pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility-transistor (pHEMT) GaAs technology will be the focus of the new ONR program since it provides the high power density and efficiency needed for a variety of US Navy applications, such as phased-array radars, electronic-warfare (EW) systems, and communications systems.

TriQuint Semiconductor
(www.triquint.com)