RF power market gains from wireless infrastructure

According to ABI Research's recent study, spending on RF power semiconductors for the wireless infrastructure market has grown dramatically this year. Other markets—particularly the military—are seeing some moderation in growth as the global economy and political factors are felt.

The research title "RF Power Semiconductors" has revealed that gallium nitride (GaN)—long seen as the promising 'material of choice' for RF power semiconductors—is continuing its march to capture share next year. A note to the readers, the RF devices considered for the study are those that have power outputs of greater than 4W and operate at frequencies of up to 3.8GHz.

Lance Wilson, research director, at ABI stated that GaN "bridges the gap between two older technologies, exhibiting the high-frequency performance of gallium arsenide combined with the power-handling capabilities of Silicon LDMOS. It is now a mainstream technology that has achieved measurable market share and in the future will capture a significant part of the market."

The vertical market showing the strongest uptick in the RF power semiconductor adoption business, outside of wireless infrastructure, is commercial avionics and air traffic control, which Wilson noted as "a significant market." While the makers of these devices are located in major industrialized countries, this sub-segment market is now so global that end equipment buyers can come from anywhere.