MACOM Awarded U.S. Air Force Contract for Advanced Semiconductor Development

Estimated reading time: Less than a minute

MACOM Technology Solutions Inc., a leading supplier of semiconductor products, announced that it has been awarded a contract from the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (“AFRL”) to develop advanced semiconductor process technology related to Gallium Nitride-on-Silicon Carbide (“GaN-on-SiC”). Under the contract, MACOM will conduct research and development on GaN-on-SiC semiconductor process technologies used in millimeter-wave Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (“MMIC”) products. The contract, valued at approximately $4.0M USD, will have a multi-year period of performance.

“This award supports our strategy to establish leadership in high-frequency and high-power MMIC technologies and products,” said Stephen G. Daly, MACOM’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

In January 2021, MACOM and AFRL entered a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to transfer AFRL’s production ready 0.14 micron GaN-on-SiC semiconductor process to MACOM’s Massachusetts-based U.S. Trusted Foundry. This process transfer is complete, and the technology is now available for production. The newly awarded contract further funds MACOM to develop performance enhancements over current GaN-on-SiC technologies to support next generation millimeter-wave aerospace and defense and commercial MMIC applications.