Vitesse to make communication chips

Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. will work with BAE Systems and the University of Illinois Urbana Champain (UIUC) to fulfill a $6 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop advanced manufacturing processes and communication ICs using its sub-micron VIP-2 InP HBT technology.

Vitesse will collaborate with BAE Systems on the design of the communications circuits. The initial circuits are for direct digital frequency synthesis (DDFS) for electronic warfare and radar applications. UIUC will focus on research for next-generation transistor structures meant to further extend circuit performance and applications.

A factor of two improvements in critical performance parameters has already been attained in early VIP-2 experiments at 0.45?m. Further scaling is planned, by incorporating UIUC's findings, with the ultimate goal of shrinking device geometry to 0.25?m. This will result in static flip-flop toggle frequencies of 150GHz. The initial 18-month contract contains option phases, which, if implemented, would bring the total value of the contract to more than $15 million.