Product category:
Discrete Power Devices
News Release from: Oki Electric | Subject: High-transconductance power transistors
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 28 March 2003
Record high transconductance for power
transistors
Oki Electric is working on a power transistor with dramatically improved amplification characteristics for wireless communications applications.
Oki Electric has developed a power transistor with dramatically improved amplification characteristics for wireless communications applications Oki's new power transistor achieved a world's best 500mS/mm figure for transconductance, an indicator of amplification performance
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 10 Apr 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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The transistor reduces the power consumption and space required for wireless communications systems in mobile phone basestations and wireless LANs.
Oki developed the transistor in partnership with Professor Takashi Egawa at the Research Centre for Micro-Structure Devices at the Nagoya Institute of Technology.
"This development marks a critical step toward broadening the applicability of this type of transistor, which we at Oki expect to be an essential device in the next generation of wireless communications systems", said Harushige Sugimoto, General Manager of the Corporate Research and Development Centre at Oki Electric.
"I believe this record high transconductance results from our sustained R and D dedication to innovative technologies".
The power transistor is composed of a GaN-HEMT (gallium nitride high electron mobility transistor) layer on an SiC (silicon carbide) substrate.
It achieves a transconductance figure of 500mS/mm, a dramatic improvement from Oki's previous high of 327mS/mm.
To improve amplification characteristics, Oki successfully fabricated T-shaped recessed gates, reduced gate length, and optimised the device structure.
The transistor achieves high frequency performance that features a maximum oscillation frequency of 126GHz and 67GHz of current gain cutoff frequency.
The rapid increase of channels made necessary by growing communications volumes has increased the need to reduce power consumption and space per channel of mobile phone basestations and other wireless communications systems.
With its improved amplification characteristics, Oki's new power transistor makes it possible to reduce the number of amplifier stages in transceiver equipment, providing precise response to this market demand.
Oki intends to further enhance the performance of the device by increasing power output and reducing costs, with plans to commercialise it for mobile phone basestations and wireless LANs.
The company plans to begin sample shipments in the second half of the fiscal year ending 31st March 2004.
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