Cree has introduced two industry-leading GaN HEMT (high electron mobility transistor) devices that solve a number of long-standing issues for radar systems employing traditional travelling wave tube (TWT) amplifiers. GaN-based solid state amplifiers operating at 50V are not prone to the failure mechanisms seen with high voltage (kV) TWT power supplies, thus, providing longer lifetimes. Also, such solid state systems provide near-instant on capability – with no warm up, longer detection ranges and improved target discrimination.
These new C and S-Band transistors have been designed to maximize power and effeciency in a small package. This efficient power enables the economical combination of transistors to achieve multi-kilowatt power amplifiers required for defense, weather and air traffic control radar applications.
The CGHV59350 is a 50Ω fully matched GaN HEMT high power C-Band transistor (highest power transistor available on the market). It provides pulsed saturated power performance greater than 400 watts, and is most often used in ground-based defense and Doppler weather radar systems. This device operates over a 5.2 to 5.9 GHz bandwidth, exhibits 60 percent typical drain efficiency, and is packaged in an industry standard 0.7 x 0.9 inch ceramic/metal flange package.
The CGHV31500F is a 50Ω GaN HEMT high power S-Band transistor fully matched to 50Ω in a compact package. It provides 700 watts of typical saturated RF pulsed power, and is ideal for use in air traffic control radar systems. This HEMT operates over the 2.7 GHz to 3.1 GHz frequency range, provides 12 dB power gain, and is packaged in an industry standard 0.7 inch x 0.9 inch ceramic/metal flange package.
Both the devices will be demonstrated at at the International Microwave Symposium (IMS) in Phoenix, Arizona on May 19 - 21, 2015.
