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Qorvo® Advances Radar Architecture with Reconfigurable Dual-band GaN Power Amplifier MMICs

2021-06-21 | Return

NEXT-GENERATION PAS ENABLE DUAL-USE S- AND X-BAND RADAR SYSTEMS

GREENSBORO, NC – June 21, 2021 – Qorvo®, a leading provider of innovative RF solutions that connect the world, is now shipping the world’s first commercially available family of electronically reconfigurable dual-band (S- and X-band) GaN power amplifiers (PAs). These patented PAs support a revolutionary shift in radar architecture for defense, weather and commercial avionics.

The QPA0007 and QPA0004 are the first commercially available GaN PAs that can be rapidly reconfigured for operation between S- and X-bands. This enables a single radar platform to be used across multiple applications, offering precise long-range and short-range capabilities. This eliminates the need for independent systems, saving size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C). Now designers can dramatically reduce the BOM and footprint by as much as 50% while improving overall performance. The QPA0007 and QPA0004 are available in surface mount technology (SMT) packaging and offer higher saturated power (PSAT) and power-added efficiency (PAE) when compared to traditional switched dual-band solutions.

Eric Higham, Advanced Semiconductor Applications/Advanced Defense Systems Service Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “The defense industry is evolving toward a ‘more with less’ strategy and this places a premium on system performance and flexibility. The capabilities and performance advantages of GaN technology make it attractive in all defense applications, particularly radar. Qorvo’s long heritage and leadership in GaN technology and defense applications allow them to develop innovative products like these that will support and enable emerging dual-band radar solutions.”

Roger Hall, general manager of Qorvo’s High Performance Systems (HPS), said, “Defense and commercial customers count on Qorvo’s world-class GaN solutions, and the QPA0007 and QPA0004 are testament to our engineering team’s passion for innovation. Today’s announcement reveals another industry milestone for Qorvo, the first commercially available, reconfigurable GaN PAs that support S-band and X-band radar. This new family of products streamlines next-generation radar designs.”

The QPA0007 and QPA0004 are now sampling to qualified customers. These GaN devices are optimized for manufacturability and offered in small 7 x 6 mm and 7 x 4 mm QFN, SMT packages.

To learn more about this innovative new technology, read the blog post titled “Revolutionizing Radar Design with Electronically Reconfigurable GaN Power Amplifiers” on Qorvo.com.

QPA0007 Specifications	S-band	X-band
Frequency Range (GHz)	3.1 - 3.5	9 - 11
RF Power (Watts)	32	28
Power Gain (dB)	21	18.5
PAE	47%	32%
Package Size (mm)	7 x 6

QPA0004 Specifications	S-band	X-band
Frequency Range (GHz)	3.1 - 3.5	9 - 11
RF Power (Watts)	9	8
Power Gain (dB)	21	19
PAE	51%	34%
Package Size (mm)	7 x 4

Qorvo offers the industry’s largest, most innovative GaN-on-SiC portfolio to help customers realize superior efficiency and operational bandwidth. The company’s GaN-on-SiC products deliver high power density, reduced size, excellent gain, high reliability and process maturity. Qorvo is a leading supplier of RF products and compound semiconductor foundry services. Qorvo has achieved a Manufacturing Readiness Level 10 (MRL 10) rating from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Connect with us during the virtual IMS (#IMS2021), June 20-25. For more information about Qorvo's solutions, announcements and meeting inquiries, visit our Qorvo IMS 2021 landing page.

Source: http://www.qorvo.com/