Though the 5G rollout is just in its infancy, it is clear that the technological challenges of implementing dense 5G coverage in metropolitan areas and wider coverage in suburban areas will require innovative new solutions that exceed the capabilities of prior semiconductor and communications technologies. New antenna and communication methods, such as massive MIMO (mMIMO), and GaN on SiC RF amplifiers are ideally suited to being part of a reliable and high-performance 5G network around the globe.
CISCO predicts 1 billion 5G global users by 2023
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Emerging 5G Base Station Requirements
Wider Bandwidth
GaN on SiC Paves
the Way for 5G
Comparing GaN Flavors & Other Semiconductors
Best thermal conductivity and higher operating temperatures
GaN on SiC
Higher power density enables smaller antenna arrays for the same performance
Better materials match between GaN and SiC
Rugged hardware leads to better reliability and long equipment lifespans (lower opex)
Improved high-frequency efficiency leads to lower operating costs
Emerging technology already superior to prior technologies, with future potential for even better performance as the technology matures
LDMOS
GaN on Si
GaN on SiC in Action
Good Enough for
Space Fence
Wrapping Up Final
4G Rollouts
Aerospace
Enter 5G
GaN on SiC Pioneered by Wolfspeed
Over 20 years ago, Wolfspeed built the industry’s first GaN on SiC high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) and has been advancing the technology since. Wolfspeed’s modern GaN on SiC HEMTs lead the industry in many key performance criteria, including reliability, that have led to Category 1A Trusted Foundry accreditation by the U.S. Department of Defense. The same features that are attractive for defense applications make Wolfspeed’s GaN on SiC transistors ideal for cutting-edge 5G applications. Moreover, Wolfspeed’s vertically integrated GaN on SiC supply chain is responsible for producing the largest volume of GaN on SiC in the industry, yielding lower per-unit costs over time.
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Wider Bandwidth
Wider Bandwidth
Wider Bandwidth
Efficiency for Higher PAPR 5G Signals
Wider Bandwidth
Efficiency for Higher PAPR 5G Signals
Efficiency for Higher PAPR 5G Signals
Higher Frequencies
& More Bands
Higher Frequencies
& More Bands
Wider Bandwidth
Higher Frequencies
& More Bands
Reliability and Ruggedness
Wider Bandwidth
Reliability and Ruggedness
Densification
of Communications Infrastructure Hardware
Wider Bandwidth
Densification
of Communications Infrastructure Hardware
Densification
of Communications Infrastructure Hardware
Reliability and Ruggedness
Massive MIMO
Wider Bandwidth
Massive MIMO
Massive MIMO
Both the 5G channel widths
and the bandwidth of spectrum
in the sub-1-GHz, sub-6-GHz, and
millimeter-wave spectrum are designated
and planned to be much wider than even the
latest 4G LTE frequency bands and channel widths. Future 5G bands may have bandwidths beyond hundreds of MHz, which will benefit users with added throughput. This expanded bandwidth
will also lead to new performance criteria for
5G amplifiers to reach wider frequencies
with good performance from below
1 GHz to tens of GHz.
The new sub-6-GHz 5G bands
address the demand for greater
throughput with much needed
spectrum. Some 5G networks will also
leverage several frequency bands in the
millimeter-wave spectrum beyond 20 GHz.
The higher-order modulation
schemes used with the latest 4G
and 5G standards cause much greater
peak-to-average power ratios than prior
cellular technology which results in a reduction
of the efficiency of amplifiers transmitting these signals. Therefore, extremely efficient amplifiers (i.e. GaN on SiC) are necessary in achieving desirable 5G transmission efficiency.
The environment at the top of
a cellular communications tower
is far from gentle. A few of the hazards
include solar exposure, wind, rain, lightning,
birds, salt fog, humidity, and other detrimental factors to sensitive RF equipment. Using reliable
and rugged amplifiers can do more than just lead to a more intelligent investment; it may also reduce capital expenditures on equipment damaged
during installation and operational
expenditures of maintenance and repair
over the life cycle of a base station.
The densification of remote
radio heads (RRH) and active
antenna systems (AAS) is forcing a size
reduction of RF components. This size
reduction also leads to a much greater power density, by necessity, and a greater concentration
of thermal energy around key components, such
as the transmit amplifier. This means that
5G amplifiers need to be much more
power-dense and able to withstand
much greater temperatures while
operating efficiently.
Massive MIMO technology
promises unparalleled network
capacity, with a single base station able
to serve hundreds of users and potentially
thousands of devices. As urban congestion rises alongside rising demands for throughput,
mMIMO is becoming an even more attractive answer to solve this emerging communications challenge. However, more antennas and more complex
digital and RF hardware means that there is
an even greater need for compact and
highly efficient RF components.
GaN on SiC
Larger space and heat sinking material required leading to larger array sizes
Lower thermal conductivity than GaN on SiC
Poor efficiency at higher frequency (i.e. new 5G frequencies)
Very high power handling capability
LDMOS
Lower efficiency beyond a few gigahertz of frequency when compared to GaN on SiC (new 5G frequencies)
Lower-frequency performance than GaN on SiC
Silicon has a much lower thermal conductivity than SiC, limiting high-power operation
Poor materials match
GaN on Si
Wolfspeed, in a partnership with Lockheed Martin, provides GaN on SiC high-power amplifiers (HPAs) to the U.S. Air Force for their Space Fence system. Space Fence is a ground-based detection, tracking, and cataloging system critical for providing surveillance of space objects. This function is essential for safely operating in space near Earth and is estimated to be accurately tracking about 500,000 objects, which includes spent rocket boosters, stray hardware, decommissioned satellites, and
other debris.
Space Fence relies on scalable solid-state S-band radar capable of detecting smaller objects with greater resolution than lower-frequency radar. The latest GaN on SiC MMIC technology enhances the operation of active phased-array radar with improved reliability, efficiency, and power density. Rigorous testing, including over 5,000 hours of accelerated stress testing, to determine Wolfspeed’s GaN on SiC technology would be suitable for the task.
“These test results represent the culmination of more than a decade of shared investment in GaN technology,” said Steve Bruce, Vice President, Advanced Systems at Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training, when announcing the successful reliability testing of Wolfspeed’s GaN HPAs. “GaN HPAs provide significant advantages for active phased-array radar systems like Space Fence, including higher power density, greater efficiency, and improved reliability over previous technologies.”
Good Enough for Space Fence
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While early 5G deployments are underway, the deployment of 4G LTE solutions will be ramping down over the next several years. Global demand for 5G is just now in its infancy, and operators are still requiring 4G solutions that will still offer good return on investment. Though many legacy 4G systems will still need to be supported by operators, largely relying on LDMOS transistor technologies, the interim solutions bridging 4G and 5G may be designed and deployed as scalable and software-upgradable solutions. Hence, operators looking to still support 4G systems while preparing for 5G may opt for systems that can be upgraded with software to meet new 5G standards as opposed to deploying more 4G legacy systems that will just need to be replaced in a few years as the demand for 5G rises. Hence, Wolfspeed’s GaN on SiC technology is well-suited to serving the near-term needs of interim 4G/5G systems as well as future 5G systems that include sub-1-GHz, sub-6-GHz, and millimeter-wave frequency bands.
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Wrapping Up Final 4G Rollouts
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RF technology is the foundation for many of the most critical aviation systems, including air traffic control, weather services, air-to-satellite communications, tactical collision avoidance systems (TCAS), and distance-measuring equipment (DME). The high power density, efficiency, and reliability of Wolfspeed’s GaN on SiC technology is a vast improvement over early GaA technologies and devices commonly used with these systems. For instance, with TCAS, DME, secondary surveillance radar (SSR), and even identification friend-or-foe (IFF) radar systems, the high breakdown voltage, enhanced thermal conductivity, and higher saturated efficiency of GaN on SiC enables better object discrimination while consuming less energy. This either allows for lower-power-consumption radar or higher-output-power radar with better range while meeting the same power budget.
Aerospace
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A major technology feature that will be needed to make 5G requirements of serving hundreds and thousands of devices within a small area a reality is massive multi-input multi-output antenna technology. mMIMO requires antenna arrays with a high count of antenna elements (16 × 16,64 × 64, etc.), with each of these elements being driven by transmit, receive, and control hardware. Even using methods that reduce the number of transmit modules needed, a transmit module will still be needed to power each sub-array. “We estimate that GaN on SiC can save more than 250 W of DC power when compared to a similarly powered mMIMO system that uses LDMOS PAs.” Hence, the cost, efficiency, and size of mMIMO base stations will integrally tie to the power amplification technology used in the array. GaN on SiC power amplifiers are the ideal choice for communications infrastructure equipment to reach the size, cost, power efficiency, frequency, bandwidth, and linearity expectations of 5G.
Enter 5G
