The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and the Office of the Secretary of Defense have awarded Raytheon a $14.9 Million contract to further enhance its process for producing gallium nitride-based semiconductors. The new agreement follows a previous GaN Title III contract, completed in 2013, and aims to increase the performance, yield and reliability of Raytheon GaN-based, wideband, monolithic, microwave-integrated circuits and circulator components.
Gallium Nitride (GaN) is a semiconductor material that can efficiently amplify high power RF signals at microwave frequencies thereby enhancing a system's range, while reducing size, weight, power consumption and cost. It is used in a broad spectrum of military radars and defense systems, including the U.S. Navy's Air and Missile Defense Radar and Next Generation Jammer.
According to Raytheon, they have only scratched the surface when it comes to harnessing the game-changing power that gallium nitride technology can bring to military applications. This contract will build on the 17-year, two-hundred-plus million-dollar investment Raytheon has made in maturing GaN. Over the next two years, they will further refine their GaN process to push the limits of radio frequency performance while increasing yield and reliability.
The first demonstrator of this technology will be incorporated into Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems' Next Generation Jammer program, which is scheduled for low-rate initial production in 2018.
Here are some stories about GaN Based Systems from Raytheon:
Raytheon to Incorporate GaN Technology Into Existing and Future Radars
Raytheon Designs GaN-Based AESA LTAMDS Radar for U.S. Army
U.S. Army Collaborates With Raytheon to Develop Next-Generation Radar
