TEWKSBURY, Mass., Dec. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Satellites may
soon carry Raytheon's Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology into Earth
orbit. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has successfully
validated its GaN Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC)
technology for use in space-bound equipment.
Raytheon GaN MMICs, fabricated at its Andover, Massachusetts foundry, demonstrated
the radiation hardness required for space through Single Event
Burn-out (SEB) and Total Ionizing Dose (TID) testing. The
results showed the devices are not susceptible to catastrophic
failure caused by heavy ions. Further testing showed no loss of
performance at exposure levels up to 1Mrad, significantly more than
is needed for typical space applications.
GaN-based components are more than five times more powerful than
semiconductors presently used in radars and other types of sensors
resulting in lighter, more capable electronics.
"Raytheon's GaN technology is mature, robust, and already
integrated into a number of defense systems for land, sea and air,"
said Paul Ferraro, Raytheon's vice
president of Integrated Defense Systems' Advanced Technologies
Programs. "Now that our GaN is validated for space, Raytheon
customers can use this game-changing technology in a wide variety
of space-based applications."
Click here to read more about Raytheon's GaN technology.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2013 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees
worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in
defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a
history of innovation spanning 92 years, Raytheon
provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration
and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and
command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well
as cyber security and a broad range of mission support
services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit
us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @Raytheon.
Media Contact
Ian
Davis
+1.978-858-4135
idspr@raytheon.com
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SOURCE Raytheon Company