InP HEMT technology for Ultra-Low-Noise Amplifiers

ended

Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs) are vital components of communications receivers and remote sensing receivers. Continually evolving applications require continually better LNA performance, at higher frequency and bandwidth, but existing LNA technologies do not deliver low noise performance or high efficiency in a cost-effective manner. As a result, the deployment of some emerging strategic technologies, such as 5G communications or mm-Wave remote sensing, is held up. Indium Phosphide (InP) semiconductors have a long history in very low noise performance LNAs, but have to date been very expensive to produce. This has limited their use to niche high-end applications such as radio astronomy. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, has been producing advanced InP High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) for over a decade. These have been deployed with e.g. the European Space Agency ESTRACK deep space communications network. The technology has a proven track record: a noise figure 58% below the state-of-the-art, and a 60% higher data rate with flagship European deep space probes. Swiss startup Diramics AG was spun off from ETH in 2016, to commercialise a production methodology to bring InP technology to broader markets at a competitive cost. Diramics has raised €722k in funding, and has already sold €220k of its initial pH-100 discrete pHEMT transistors. Now, Diramics is developing higher-value InP products, including Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) and LNA Modules to fill the clear gap in higher volume markets. This project is the first step in bringing these products to market, within 4 years. We forecast €27M in revenues by 2024 and 150 FTEs, addressing a €100Ms LNA market.