Finwave Semiconductor, Inc. and GlobalFoundries (GF) have announced a strategic technology development and licensing agreement to accelerate the development and volume production of Finwave’s enhancement-mode (E-Mode) MISHEMT RF GaN-on-silicon (Si) technology for wireless communications applications. The agreement leverages GF’s U.S.-based high-volume manufacturing capabilities and its legacy of RF innovation including RF silicon-on-insulator and silicon-germanium solutions.
(Source: Finwave Semiconductor, Inc.
Power IC manufacturers continue to solve the industry’s biggest technology challenges including efficiency and integration to deliver high-efficiency power amplifiers needed for future radios and antennas. GaN technology is one of those developments, offering 10 times higher breakdown electric field than silicon, high electron mobility and operation at a higher junction temperature.
While many power semiconductor companies are developing GaN-based devices, work and commercialization of GaN-on-Si is under way, particularly for mmWave applications, by several chipmakers, including Finwave.
At MWC Barcelona 2024, Finwave showcased its E-Mode RF FETs. The technology can operate at Vdd of 5 V or lower, which demonstrates its potential for efficient power amplifiers for 6G FR3 frequency band (7-24 GHz) and FR2 mmWave band infrastructure, CPEs and handset applications, according to the company.
Finwave also highlighted its 3DGaN FinFET technology demonstrating higher linearity, better power added efficiency and reduced memory effect for applications such as massive MIMO with large arrays. The company also unveiled its first family of high-power RF switches, featuring 100-ns fast switching and settling time, broadband operations up to 12 GHz and high-power handling up to 40 W.
The GF partnership will focus on scaling Finwave’s E-mode MISHEMT technology to volume production at GF’s 200-mm semiconductor manufacturing facility in Burlington, Vermont.
Finwave said the partnership opens up opportunities to further innovate and integrate RF frontends on a single GaN-on-Si device. “This has never been done before, and has the potential to reduce cost and size, both of which are at a premium in cellphones,” said Finwave Semiconductor CEO Dr. Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre, in a statement.
The advanced 200-mm GaN-on-Si E-mode MISHEMT platform offers exceptional RF performance, with excellent gain and efficiency at sub-5-V voltages, and high uniformity across 200-mm wafers, according to the companies. This is in combination with GF’s 90RFGaN platform that will deliver high power density and efficiency for optimized devices that save on footprint and cost.
These include high-efficiency power amplifiers in applications such as the new higher-frequency 5G FR2/FR3 bands, 6G and mmWave amplifiers and high-power Wi-Fi 7 systems, which require higher range and efficiency.
Finwave has been developing the E-mode MISHEMT technology for more than a decade with federal funding as well as private investments from deep-tech investors and strategic partners. Finwave and GlobalFoundries expect to qualify this technology for mass production in the first half of 2026.
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