Broadening its line-up of high-power microwave solutions, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC)* has extended its family of gallium arsenide field effect transistors (GaAs FETs) with the addition of a new 60 watt C-Band internally-matched GaAs FET for the 7.7 to 8.5 GHz range. Designated TIM7785-60SL, the C-Band GaAs FET is targeted for use in solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) for gateway or earth station satellite communications systems (SATCOM), and long-haul point-to-point terrestrial communications.

"Toshiba continues to lead the market in the development of GaAs FETs to meet the requirements of each frequency range for higher power solutions," said Ed Monzon, senior business development manager, Microwave and RF Devices for TAEC. "The new C-Band GaAs FET provides the high linearity, gain and efficiency required in the cost-effective design of satellite and terrestrial communications systems." Toshiba's TIM7785-60SL has the highest output power available in the microwave industry today at 48.0 dBm (typical) for the 7.7 to 8.5 GHz frequency range. In addition, the device is internally matched to 50 ohm, eliminating the need for matching circuits and simplifying the design process to reduce time-to-market. Featuring a typical high gain of 6 dB, the device allows designers to create more economical SSPA solutions whether they are stretching the limits of higher absolute power or reducing their part count in amplifiers of more modest requirements.

The new device is capable of handling complex modulation for high data rate communications due to its excellent linearity. In addition, the TIM7785-60SL features the same packaging, 2-16G1B hermetically sealed, as Toshiba's entire C-Band lineup above 12 W, enabling customers to reuse some of their existing designs.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, 9775 Toledo Way, Irvine, CA 92618. Tel: 800-879-4963 ext. 204 or 949-455-2000; Fax: 949-859-3963

With this announcement, Toshiba is broadening its lineup of high-power microwave solutions to meet a broader range of applications. The TIM7785-60SL, the C-Band GaAs FET is high-power 60 W C-Band GaAs FET allows designers to achieve the power ratings necessary to boost signal strength using fewer components, thereby resulting in lower system cost. The device also helps to reduce the level of intermodulation distortion and harmonic spurious signals in satellite communications systems.

To achieve the new 60 W C-Band's high power, Toshiba implemented its Heterojunction Field Effect Transistor (HFET) process technology. The HFET process is a promising candidate for microwave higher power devices due to its performance and the increase in power and gain. Since HFETs have higher Schottky barrier height than GaAs MESFETs do, HFET enables the achievement of improved gate breakdown voltage (BVgd) with reduced gate leakage current, which is key for higher power devices.

Applications include SATCOM and point-to-point terrestrial communications. The package is hermetically sealed, and pricing starts at $1,280 each in sample quantities. Availability is for samples is July, 2001 and October for finished pieces.

Technical Specifications (typical):