April 12, 2012 - PRNewswire -- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) gave Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN) an 18-month, $1.8 million contract to develop next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) devices on diamond substrates, named Thermally Enhanced Gallium Nitride (TEGaN). The diamond packaging boosts GaN power handling capability by at least 3x, Raytheon reports.
Advanced transistors and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) can use TEGaN to reduce thermal resistance, multiplying GaN performance.
The diamond substrates could reduce the cost, size, weight and power of defense electronics. The contract allows Raytheon to develop and vet TEGaN for technology insertion into military systems. Raytheon uses GaN in major radar programs, and enables “the most advanced sensing, communications and electronic warfare capabilities,” said Joe Biondi, vice president of Advanced Technology for Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) business.
Work for this contract will be performed by Raytheon IDS' Advanced Technology group at the Integrated Air Defense Center in Andover, MA, which has expertise in multifunction radar frequency systems and advanced semiconductors.
Raytheon Company specializes in defense, homeland security and other government markets, providing electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com
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