Filtronic, a designer and manufacturer of antennas, filters and mmWave products for wireless telecoms and critical communication markets, has invested over $1.3 million in new equipment for its manufacturing facility in Sedgefield, UK. The expansion will enable Filtronic to significantly increase capacity to meet the growing demand for both its highly-integrated E-band transceiver modules for mobile telecoms backhaul infrastructure and its precision hybrid microelectronics assembly and test services, including mmWave device packaging and sub-assembly manufacturing.
The new equipment includes automated pick-and-place and wire-bonding machines to augment Filtronic’s existing assembly and production lines, which already have a reputation for product quality and reliability.
Filtronic’s hybrid microelectronics assembly and test offering includes: low-void die attach and precision component placement; fully-automated wire bonding with deep-access multi-level capability; hermetic sealing; and automated test to 90 GHz and above. Proprietary air cavity packages can include mixed GaAs, GaN and Si die within a single package, and are capable of performing at frequencies higher than 90 GHz.
The precision hybrid microelectronics assembly facility has received significant positive feedback from its customers, including a major European defence manufacturer who singled out Filtronic’s manufacturing expertise for a special commendation. The award cites Filtronic’s effort and commitment in successfully delivering a large production run of transmit/receive modules as providing an “outstanding contribution” to its state-of-the-art radar system.
