GaAs, epitaxial foundry services added at RFMD

(October 12, 2010) — RF Micro Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq GS: RFMD), high-performance radio frequency components and compound semiconductor technology designer and manufacturer, has added its gallium arsenide (GaAs) technology to its foundry services portfolio and will begin providing a full suite of GaAs Pseudomorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor (pHEMT) technologies to customers of its Foundry Services business unit. RFMD also expanded its Foundry Services to deliver multiple molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) platforms, epitaxial characterization and epitaxial development structures, including specialty and high-volume, arsenic- and phosphorus-based processes.

GaAs

RFMD will make available three distinct GaAs pHEMT technologies optimized for high power, low noise and RF switching products. RFMD’s 0.3-µm pHEMT technology delivers high power and is optimized for X-band phased array power amplifiers (PAs) and 8-16 GHz wideband military electronic warfare jammers. Its 0.25-µm pHEMT technology delivers low noise, medium power and high linearity and is targeted at applications including low-noise front ends and transmitter MMICs. RFMD’s 0.6-µm pHEMT technology provides low noise and high linearity switching of RF signals and is designed for applications including wireless front ends and transmit/receive modules. All of the process technologies are manufactured in RFMD’s Newton Aycliffe, UK fab.

RFMD currently provides Foundry Services customers access to two of RFMD’s gallium nitride (GaN) process technologies from its Greensboro, NC wafer fab: GaN1, targeted at high-power applications, and GaN2, targeted at high linearity applications. RFMD also offers an Integrated Passive Component (IPC) technology optimized to complement high-power applications. RFMD’s advanced GaAs pHEMT technologies are complementary to the company’s GaN technologies and other power semiconductor technologies for the design of multi-chip modules (MCMs).

MBE

RFMD’s MBE Foundry Services offerings include working with customers to develop epitaxial structures and MBE growth conditions, delivery of epitaxial wafers grown to exact customer specifications, and developing epitaxial design of experiments (DOEs). MBE Foundry Services will leverage the Company’s expertise in high-volume manufacturing and experience in the development of several generations of epitaxial structures to support customers by delivering quality products with world-class cycle times.

Depending on a customer’s development requirements, RFMD’s MBE Foundry Services team will help design an epilayer structure and MBE process to optimize the performance of an existing epistructure. The team provides experience with growing and developing structures such as BiHEMTs, BiFETs, MOSFETs, VCELs and metamorphic, along with a range of material offerings on gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrates, including:

  • Gallium arsenide (GaAs)
  • Indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs)
  • Aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs)
  • Indium gallium phosphide (InGaP)
  • Aluminum indium phosphide (AlInP)

MBE Foundry Services is part of RFMD’s diversification strategy. RFMD will leverage its existing foundry experience in supporting MBE-based customers.

"RFMD’s introduction of GaN-based foundry services in 2009 has provided a flexible business platform to launch MBE services this year," added Chris Santana, director of RFMD’s MBE operations. "We now have all the aspects of a full-service, commercial turn-key foundry in place, including purchasing and IP agreements, work-flow procedures and web-based customer support processes, and we have tailored those commercial business processes and systems to our MBE-based service."

RFMD’s MBE Foundry Services can offer ultra-high vacuum (UHV) cleaning services. Wet cleaning capabilities include wet mechanical cleaning, wet bead blasting, acid wet chemical etch, base wet chemical etch, and other services on a variety of stainless steel, refractory metal and PBN ceramic parts.

RF Micro Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq:RFMD) is a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance semiconductor components. For more information, please visit RFMD’s web site at www.rfmd.com.

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