sp3 Diamond Technologies, Inc., a supplier of wafer scale diamond
and diamond products for solving thermal management challenges in
high-performance applications, announces receipt of a $750,000 Phase II
contract from the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) for GaN on silicon-on-diamond
(SOD) development. The project will result in the delivery of GaN on SOD
devices suitable for radar transmit/receive modules, as well as a documented
process for producing GaN on SOD substrates and initial reliability data.
This award follows the company's work in Phase I of this
important and timely MDA project, in which sp3 delivered 100mm SOD wafers with
a GaN top surface. The company also delivered extensive modeling that
demonstrated the significant performance advantages that are obtainable in a
HEMT device built on a thermal layer of diamond. This modeling showed junction
temperature drops of 80°K combined with a 37% increase in
power.
“The decision by MDA to award a Phase II contract
to sp3 Diamond Technologies recognizes the value of what the company delivered
during Phase I,” stated Dwain Aidala, President and COO. “The
development of GaN devices on our SOD substrate is a significant next step in
our overall development of Diamond-On-Silicon (DOS). We have now demonstrated
that our DOS platform is appropriate for other active circuit devices, as well
as MEMS applications.”
Two important applications that
underscore the viability of this technology are:
- Nitronex Corporation, the leading developer of GaN-on-Silicon
technology for commercial and broadband wireless markets, is working with sp3
on the fabrication of GaN material on the sp3 SOD substrate. Nitronex will now
build active high power devices as part of this next phase. “The ability
to integrate a diamond thermal layer into our GaN on silicon strategy is of
great interest to Nitronex,” stated Kevin Linthicum, co-founder and Chief
Technical Officer. "The fact that sp3 is offering us a known silicon interface
on 100mm wafers provides an easy migration to future productization and a
pathway to scale to 150mm GaN wafers when the markets require."
- TriQuint Semiconductor will also be modeling this technology
for their high frequency MMIC development as part of this effort. “With
the push by the military for tripling device power and adding 50% greater
efficiencies, materials such as sp3's GaN on SOD have a high probability of
being the substrate solution of the future,” stated Tom Cordner, Vice
President, TriQuint Texas. “We will work closely with the material to move
it toward products as soon as possible.”
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