RTX and DARPA to Increase RF Sensor Capabilities with GaN Technology

Raytheon, an RTX company, received a four-year, $15 million contract from DARPA to increase the electronic capability of RF sensors with high-power-density Gallium Nitride (GaN) transistors. The result is an expected 16x higher output power than traditional GaN with no increase in operating temperature.

Raytheon is the leading manufacturer of military-grade Gallium Nitride. The new prototyping work is performed under DARPA’s Technologies for Heat Removal in Electronics at the Device Scale program, or THREADS.

Raytheon is partnering with the Naval Research Laboratory, Stanford University, and Diamond Foundry to grow diamonds for integration with military-grade GaN transistors and circuits.

Raytheon has invested in Gallium Nitride research and development for two and a half decades for use in such defense systems as the Patriot®, LTAMDS/GhostEye family of radars, APG-79(v)4 and SPY-6 family of radars.