Qorvo GaN technology to upgrade US Army radar system

Qorvo Inc of Greensboro, NC, USA (which provides core technologies and RF solutions for mobile, infrastructure and defense applications) says that one of its gallium nitride (GaN) power amplifiers has been selected by Lockheed Martin to provide GaN modules for production of the US Army’s Q-53 radar system. The insertion of GaN technology into this multi-mission mobile radar is expected to provide superior efficiency, power density, reliability and life-cycle cost over the gallium arsenide (GaAs) amplifiers currently used in the system.

The S-band monolithic microwave ntegrated circuit (MMIC) high-power amplifier (HPA) is built on Qorvo’s gallium nitride on silicon carbide (GaN-on-SiC) technology. The GaN HPA delivers more than twice the saturated output power and a 15-point improvement in power-added efficiency (PAE) over the GaAs predecessor.

These capabilities support the required functions of the phased-array Q-53 radar, such as long-range counterfire acquisition. The amplifier’s compact size and exceptional performance supports a wide range of challenging operating conditions. GaN-on-SiC technology has the added benefit of increasing system reliability and reducing life-cycle ownership costs.

“GaN-based amplifiers are providing RF system engineers with the flexibility to achieve significantly higher power and efficiency than GaAs while using fewer parts,” notes James Klein, Qorvo’s president of Infrastructure and Defense products. “The Q-53 radar system exemplifies just how closely Qorvo works with its defense customers to bring commercial technology to military applications that operate across the spectrum with the highest levels of reliability and functionality,” he adds.

Lockheed Martin has used an open GaN foundry model leveraging relationships with commercial suppliers, like Qorvo, that utilize the power of the expansive telecoms market. This process takes advantage of the commercial industry’s investment in GaN, enables competition and ultimately reduces costs.

Tags: Qorvo GaN MMIC Radar

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