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Raytheon Company’s Integrated Defense Systems (Raytheon IDS) of Tewksbury, MA has been awarded a three-year, $26.9 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract to optimize and refine the use of Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductors. The contract a potential award value of $59.4 million if all program options are exercised.

DID has covered GaN research before, as it’s a next-generation semiconductor material that would produce smaller, lighter, more efficient and more cost effective systems than can be realized with current technology. Its 10x output power gains offer the higher power density and efficiency required for high power phased array radar, electronic warfare, missile seeker and communications systems – and eventually, advanced consumer electronics.

Raytheon IDS will team up with Cree, Inc. in Durham, NC to optimize and refine the use of GaN semiconductors for use in military and civilian systems. This work will be conducted as part of Raytheon IDS’ WBGS-RF (Wide Bandgap Semiconductors for Radio Frequency) applications program. The Raytheon portion of the work will be conducted at Raytheon RF Components in Andover, MA, while Cree’s portion of the work will be conducted in Durham, NC and its Santa Barbara, CA Technology Center.

See Also:

• Raytheon (April 16/08) – Raytheon Demonstrates Gallium Nitride Advantages in Radar Components

• DID – Triquint receives Funding for Wide Band Gap Semiconductors

• DID – Triquint Wins DARPA Gallium Nitride Research Contract

• DID – Northrop Grumman Receives DARPA Contract to Develop Gallium Nitride Components