GaN Amplifiers - Gallium Nitride technology

Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology is a relatively new semiconductor technology primarily used in markets such as defense, aerospace, telecom infrastructure, and satellite communications. 

With the development of science and technology, the field of RF microwave has begun to shift from LDMOS power amplifiers to GaN-based solutions with lower operating temperature, smaller size and higher power. GaN technology overcomes the frequency limitation of LDMOS (typically restricted to less than 3-4 GHz), extending frequency capability to 50 GHz and beyond. Here are some key advantages of GaN-on-Silicon carbide (SiC) technology for base stations compared to LDMOS:

1. Smaller arrays

Because GaN on SiC has higher power output and superior heat dissipation compared to LDMOS, wireless network operators can use smaller arrays to achieve the same output power. The array size of GaN on SiC is up to 20% smaller than that of LDMOS.

2. Reliability

GaN operates reliably even at high temperatures. This is critical for 5G base stations, as these systems begin to move from air-conditioned rooms below wireless towers to the top of the towers. GaN on SiC provides high reliability even in harsh tower top environments.

3. Better heat dissipation:

GaN on SiC has a higher thermal conductivity than LDMOS, so it can dissipate heat more efficiently, resulting in a cooler operating system.

4. Higher operating frequencies

Unlike LDMOS, GaN on SiC can operate in the sub-6 GHz and millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency ranges used by 5G while improving efficiency by 10 to 15 percent.

5. Lighter weight:

Weight is an important factor in base station applications and is a key reason why a smaller form factor is important. The higher efficiency of GaN allows the use of smaller heat sinks, reducing the size and weight of the overall system.

A complete of GaN amplifiers from KeyLink offer excellent performance. Our GaN RF power amplifiers rang in output power from 2 - 200 watts with microprocessor based designs that incorporate an adaptive biasing algorithm to optimize efficiency and output power across the frequency band under varying load conditions.

GaN Power Amplifier Designs Features:

* Higher Breakdown voltages 60 to 80 VBRDSS (100-150 Volts)

* Higher Power Density

* Superior Thermal Conductivity

* Example: LDMOS - 12W/sq. mm dissipation vs. GaN - 70W/sq. mm dissipation

* Higher Junction Temperatures > 200°C (+225°C to 250°C)

* Higher Saturated Electron Drift Velocity (higher current delivering capability)

* Lower Intrinsic Capacitance which provides higher input/output device impedances allowing broadband matching

* GaN provides High Gain and Efficiencies (Narrow band 50% to 60%)

* Superior Noise & Linear Power Added Efficiency (PAE)

KeyLink's Broadband GaN RF Power Amplifiers are multi-octave high power amplifier operating between 1MHz and 18 GHz and offering a wide dynamic Range from 2Watts to 200 Watts typical saturated power. The employment of gallium nitride (GaN) and chip-and-wire technology in manufacturing ensures this module state-of-the-art power performance with excellent power-to-volume ratio. These GaN RF Power Amplifiers are ideal for jamming, EMC, test and measurement applications. 

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