Low-Voltage RF GaN technology for Handset Power Amplifiers

10:50 am - 11:15 am

The growing demand for high-speed mobile connectivity calls for efficient, high-performing, and cost-efficient components. Therefore, GaN-on-Si technology offers a very promising solution for high-power amplifiers operating in the FR3 frequency band.

We report on the continuous R&D efforts pushing the boundaries of GaN-on-Si technology towards adoption in low voltage handset applications. We demonstrate a power density of 1 W/mm at 13 GHz from a 5 V supply while achieving 66% power-added efficiency. We further present innovative performance-enhancement techniques and discuss the remaining reliability and manufacturing challenges on the path to commercialization.

Key Technologies Covered

RF technologies
GaN technology
High-speed connectivity
Wireless communication
Semiconductors manufacturing
GaN-on-Si

Featured Speakers

Dr. Bertrand Parvais

Scientific Director, imec

Scientific Director at imec and Professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB).

He received his electrical engineering and Ph.D. degrees from the Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, in 2000 and 2004, respectively. He joined imec as a device engineer, where he worked on the characterization and modeling of transistors in advanced CMOS technologies for analog and RF applications. From 2009 to 2016, he contributed to the design of mixed-mode and millimeter-wave CMOS circuits. He then led the team responsible for transistor compact model and design-technology co-optimization (DTCO), including aspects related to sustainability. Since 2019, he has been focusing on RF technologies for Front-end-Modules, leading the development of RF compound semiconductors on Si at imec.