Electronic Products & Technology

NXP unveils new Gallium Nitride fab in Arizona

EP&T Magazine   

Electronics Semiconductors Gallium Nitride GaN semiconductor wireless

High-volume facility is the most advanced GaN fab for RF in USA

NXP Semiconductors N.V. recently marked the grand opening of its 150mm (6-inch) RF Gallium Nitride (GaN) fab in Chandler, Arizona, the most advanced fab dedicated to 5G RF power amplifiers in the United States. The new internal factory combines NXP’s expertise as the industry leader in RF power and its high-volume manufacturing know-how, resulting in streamlined innovation that supports the expansion of 5G base stations and advanced communication infrastructure in the industrial, aerospace and defense markets.

High-volume manufacturing facility is the most advanced GaN fab for RF in the United States
Source: NXP

“This marks a critical milestone for NXP. By building this incredible facility and tapping key talent in Arizona, we are able to bring focus to GaN technology as part of driving the next generation of 5G base station infrastructure,” said NXP CEO Kurt Sievers.

GsN: Gold standard for 5G

With 5G, the density of RF solutions required per antenna has exponentially increased – yet maintaining the same box size and reducing power consumption is mandatory. GaN power transistors have emerged as the new gold standard to address these dueling requirements, delivering significant improvements in both power density and efficiency.

High-volume manufacturing facility is the most advanced GaN fab for RF in the United States
Source: NXP

Nearly 20 years of GaN development expertise and extensive wireless communication industry knowledge position NXP to lead this next wave of cellular expansion for 5G, according to Sievers. The firm has optimized its GaN technology to improve the electron trapping in the semiconductor to deliver high efficiency and gain with best-in-class linearity, all of which is focused on serving NXP customers with the highest quality GaN device production.

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Joakim Sorelius, head of development unit networks at Ericsson, a longstanding NXP customer, commented: “We strive to deliver industry leading products that provide maximum value to our customers, where power amplifiers play an important part of the radio technology. Similar to Ericsson’s recent US investments, we are pleased to see NXP’s investments in the U.S. semiconductor process development with the continuous focus on improving RF system performance for future high demanding radio networks.”

Fab draws on NXP’s early GaN innovation

NXP’s strategic move to build an internal GaN fab was driven by its ability to achieve higher performance benefits through leveraging its core competency in cellular infrastructure design, proven track record for high-volume manufacturing and consistency and leadership in total quality processes.

High-volume manufacturing facility is the most advanced GaN fab for RF in the United States
Source: NXP

The fab is set to ramp quickly with NXP leveraging its Chandler-based team and its long-standing expertise in compound semiconductor manufacturing. The internal factory will serve as an innovation hub that facilitates collaboration between the fab and NXP’s onsite R&D team. NXP engineers can now more rapidly develop, validate and protect inventions for current and future generations of GaN devices, resulting in shorter cycle times for NXP GaN innovations.

Availability

NXP’s new Chandler-based GaN fab is qualified now, with initial products ramping in the market and expected to reach full capacity by the end of 2020.

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