Microsemi – New RF transistor for secondary surveillance radar aviation applications (1011GN-700ELM)

Microsemi has introduced the 1011GN-700ELM, the first in a family of radio frequency (RF) transistors for high-power air traffic control (ATC), secondary surveillance radio (SSR) applications. SSR is used to send a message to an aircraft equipped with a radar transponder and collect information that allows air traffic controllers to identify, track and measure the location of that particular airplane. Microsemi’s new 700W peak 1011GN-700ELM operates at 1030MHz and supports short- and long-pulsed extended length message (ELM). The new transistor is based on gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon carbide (SiC) technologies, which are particularly well-suited for high-power electronics applications.

“We are aggressively driving the development of next-generation GaN on SiC power devices to address growing opportunities for higher performance aerospace and military applications,” said David Hall, vice president of Microsemi’s RF Integrated Systems product group. “With today’s new product introduction, we now offer highly reliable GaN on SiC transistors at 250W, 500W and 700W for secondary surveillance radar search and tracking applications. We also have several additional GaN on SiC transistors in development that we will be rolling out later this year.”

Microsemi’s upcoming product lineup includes multiple high-pulsed power GaN on SiC transistors for both L, S and C-band radar systems. The company also offers a suite of GaN microwave power devices, which includes the following S-band radar models: 2729GN-150, 2729GN-270, 2731GN-110M, 2731GN-200M, 3135GN-100M, 3135GN-170M, 2735GN-35M and 2735GN-100M. Several new products are in development for L-band avionics products covering 960-1215 MHz; L-band radar covering 1200-1400MHz; and S-band radar, higher power devices covering 2.7-2.9GHz.

The 1011GN-700ELM transistor delivers unparalleled performance of 700W of peak power with 21dB of power gain and 70 percent drain efficiency at 1030MHz to improve reduce overall drain current and heat dissipation, says the company.