3 How to achieve the objectives?

The consortium of 5G_GaN2 project believes that silicon (Si) based technology and its foreseen evolution will not be in a position to fulfil these needs. Gallium Nitride (GaN) based technology for microwave applications appears now as the most credible solution; moreover, from an industrial perspective, its credibility is now established thanks to the recent set-up of GaN industrial facilities in Europe (UMS).

In the past years, significant effort has been invested to the research and development GaN HEMT technologies with emphasis on technological building blocks. Key applications demonstrators with wide band gap technologies has confirmed a breakthrough in the field of RF emission/reception functions, keeping in mind reliability aspects. Applications covering frequencies from low MHz to below 20 GHz were targeted and commercialization of suitable components is currently underway.

If professional and defence applications have been strongly supporting GaN technology at its dawn, there are now a booming market for wireless telecommunications requiring to reach higher operation bands together with larger bandwidths.

An additional step is therefore now necessary to access higher frequencies power technologies, pushing the limits of GaN devices into the millimetre wave range with required electrical efficiencyand linearity to address 5G, SATCOM, Cable TV, and more globally the high data rate wireless market and future markets.