Spending on microwave RF power semiconductors continues to tick upward as the availability of new gallium nitride (GaN) devices for 4 to 18GHz becomes more pervasive. Point-to-point communications, SATCOM, radars of all types, and new industrial/medical applications will all benefit by the introduction of these high-power GaN devices.

“While gallium arsenide (GaAs) devices are presently the backbone of microwave RF power it is gallium nitride that will drive growth going forward,” notes ABI Research director Lance Wilson. “GaN can operate at much higher voltages and at power levels that were difficult or impossible to reach using GaAs.”

In addition to the above mentioned application segments, microwave GaN is finally reaching the performance points that can start to seriously challenge travelling wave tube applications for new designs that have historically used the latter.

“Microwave RF Power Semiconductors” examines Microwave RF power semiconductor devices with power outputs of greater than 3 watts and those that operate at frequencies of 4 to 18 GHz. This study is part of ABI Research’s ongoing effort to track the major changes in the RF power industry.

This release contains analysis of the six main vertical segments (C-Band GaAs, C-Band GaN, X-Band GaAs, X-Band GaN, Ku-Band GaAs, and Ku-Band GaN) and is further expanded to 28 application sub-segments.

These findings are part of ABI Research’s High-Power RF Active Devices Market Research.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies.