Fujitsu announced today the development of a new high-efficiency, high-output amplifier based on gallium-nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) that produces over 300 watts (300W) of power in the C band with 60% efficiency as a ratio of DC input power converted to high-frequency output power. Use of GaN HEMT technology increases output power over existing amplifiers using gallium-arsenide (GaAs) transistors (comparison by Fujitsu Laboratories) by more than six-fold, to 320W. This is expected to extend radar detection range by 2.4 times.

It is anticipated that replacing the traveling-wave tube amplifiers commonly used for high output power applications with this new technology will enable smaller, lighter, more energy-efficient, and longer-lasting transmission systems for applications including satellite communications, next-generation mobile phone base stations and radar. Details of the new technology were presented at the 2008 IEEE Compound Semiconductor IC Symposium (CSICS), held in Monterey, California from October 12 - 15.