Of the leading chip foundries – TSMC, Samsung and GlobalFoundries – the latter is the least prominent in 5G chips but it is aiming to improve its position in this market, and other cutting edge technologies that are driving semiconductor growth, such as AI/ML.
GlobalFoundries is licensing gallium nitride technology from Raytheon Technologies in a strategy to boost 5G and enable future 6G wireless infrastructure applications. The wireless chip partnership will see the two companies engage in joint development and commercialization of Raytheon’s GaN-on-silicon technology in order to boost RF performance for 5G and future 6G networks and devices.
Raytheon will license its proprietary GaN-on-Si technology and provide expertise, while GF will develop new semiconductors for next generation wireless applications.
GaN devices are generally faster and more power-efficient than silicon and silicon is reaching its limits, but while GaN has been widely used in optoelectronics products such as LEDs, it has been less commonly used in transistors. However, implementing GaN on silicon has started to be mainstream in power and RF applications, replacing LDMOS in the latter, though GaN still remains far away from processors.
Expertise in GaN-on-silicon is becoming an important differentiator for some semiconductor companies targeting 5G. Last year, STMicro announced an alliance with US-based Macom to boost its credentials in this area.
GlobalFoundries will manufacture the GaN-on-Si units at its Fab 9 facility in Essex Junction, Vermont. As governments increasingly take notice of advanced technology capabilities, in the context of geopolitical tensions with China and the attempt to stimulate local 5G industries, this latest partnership came to the attention of senators. Democrat Senator for Vermont, Patrick Leahy, who is also chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the partnership “good news for the nation’s semiconductor supply chain and competitiveness”.
One of the concerns over the bans on Huawei 5G infrastructure in many countries is that operators no longer have access to the Chinese firm’s advanced GaN-based technology, which is optimal for millimeter wave spectrum and Massive MIMO applications. Huawei and its chip subsidiary, HiSilicon, have taken a leadership position in GaN for 5G.
The deal with Raytheon reflects the US foundry’s increasing emphasis on RF components, which is also reflected at Europe’s STMicro, which has identified advanced RF, especially for high frequency spectrum, as the cornerstone of its 5G strategy.
However, these two foundries are not chasing TSMC, Samsung and Intel towards the most advanced fab processes, such as the 3-nanometer geometry, which drives down power consumption and footprint for chips that power hi-tech devices such as 5G smartphones. GF instead focuses on “high-mix applications with modest volumes” such as RF front ends, microcontrollers and battery management.
The partnership with Raytheon “will enable everything from AI-supported phones and driverless cars to the smart grid, as well as government access to data and networks which are essential to national security,” said GF CEO Tom Caufield in a statement.