A Feasibility Study for the Development of GaN - based High Frequency RF Devices

The UK has some of the world's leading designers of microwave systems and some of the leading test and characterising expertise for gallium nitride - based RF devices but it does not capitalise on this and has no sovereign or accessible industrial manufacturing capability. These devices are fundamental to many space systems, military communication and guidance systems and will be essential in the roll out of the upcoming "5G" communications revolution. To capitalise on the UK's expertise and to provide a world class strategic sovereign capability in advanced communications technology, the CSC Ltd is leading this feasibility project to develop a base-line RF gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon carbide (SiC) structure that can be incorporated into a high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) for the so called Ka-band (26.5–40.0GHz) of communication frequencies and beyond. The outcomes from this feasibility project are ultimatelay targeted at enabling the collaborators to access the rapidly growing GaN - based RF markets worth $350M and forecast to grow to $750M by 2022.