RF Micropower
{{Short description|Semiconductor company in Phoenix, Arizona}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Orphan|date=July 2018}}
{{Primary sources|date=September 2015}}
}}
{{Infobox company
|name = RF Micropower
|type = Private
|industry = Semiconductors
|foundation = {{Start date|2000|07|18}}
|founder = Dr. Trevor Thornton
|location_city = Phoenix, Arizona
|location_country = United States
|products = Si-MESFETs, Discrete Power transistors, RF power amplifiers, Low-dropout regulators, PLLs for Medical Implant Communication Service Band
|homepage = {{URL| http://rfmicropower.com/}}
}}
RF Micropower is a fabless semiconductor company based in Phoenix, Arizona that sells and licenses the RFuP{{cite web|title=RFμP™ MESFET Fabrication Overview|url=http://rfmicropower.com/Fabrication-Technologies.htm|accessdate=28 March 2013}} technology that was initially developed by SJT Micropower, Inc. The company's proprietary technology enables high voltage Si-MESFET transistors to be fabricated on commercial SOI CMOS processes without altering the native process or adding additional fabrication stepsJ. Ervin, et al., "CMOS-Compatible SOI MESFETs With High Breakdown Voltage," IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, vol. 53, pp. 3129-3135, 2006 which allows high levels of monolithic integration. These power transistors can operate at voltages that are 20 times higher than the baseline CMOS transistorsW. Lepkowski, et al., “High Voltage SOI MESFETs at the 45nm Technology Node”, presented at IEEE Int. SOI Conf., 2012 and at several Watts of power. The technology has been implemented in various integrated circuit solutions including RF power amplifiers and power regulation circuits. According to their website,{{cite web|title=RFμP™ MESFET Fabrication Overview|url=http://rfmicropower.com/Fabrication-Technologies.htm|accessdate=28 March 2013}} they have demonstrated Si-MESFETs at the 350 nm, 250 nm, 150 nm, 45 nm and 32 nm process nodes. The smallest process node for MESFETs on any type of substrate is currently 32 nm.W. Lepkowski, et al, “40V MESFETs Fabricated on 32nm SOI CMOS”, IEEE Int. CICC Conf., 2013.
Acceptance of Si-MESFETs
Applications of RF Micropower's Si-MESFET (metal-semiconductor field-effect-transistor) technology in linear and switching regulators for radiation environments has been reported by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and was featured in the September 2011{{cite web|title=Ultra-Low-Dropout Linear Regulator|url=http://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/10828|work=NASA Tech Briefs|publisher=Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland|accessdate=28 March 2013}} and February 2013{{cite web|title=CMOS-Compatible SOI MESFETS for Radiation-Hardened DC-to-DC Converters|url=http://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/15661|work=NASA Tech Briefs|publisher=Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland|accessdate=28 March 2013}} Issues of NASA Tech Briefs. In Chapter 6 of the book Extreme Environment Electronics (edited by John D. Cressler and H. Alan Mantooth),{{cite book|title=Extreme Environment Electronics|year=2012|publisher=CRC Press|location=Boco Raton, FL|isbn=978-1439874301|pages=49–58}} Johnathan A. Pellish from NASA and Lewis M. Cohn from the Naval Research Laboratory state that MESFETs on SOI substrates are suitable for applications from -180 °C and 250 °C and have been demonstrated to operate through 5 Mrad of total ionizing dose. The Si-MESFETs and their corresponding applications were also featured prominently in Chapters 23 and 63 of the book.{{cite book|title=Extreme Environment Electronics|year=2012|publisher=CRC Press|location=Boca Raton, Florida|isbn=978-1439874301|pages=253–261, 723–732}} Most recently, results from the 45 nm process node were published in the book Frontiers in Electronics (edited by Sorin Cristoloveanu and Michael S. Shur).{{cite book|title=Frontiers in Electronics|series=Selected Topics in Electronics and Systems|year=2013|volume=53|isbn=978-981-4536-84-4|pages=167–182|doi=10.1142/8927}}
Origins
SJT Micropower, Inc was founded in 2000 by Dr. Trevor Thornton{{cite web|url=http://center.ncet2.org/index.php?option%3Dcom_resource%26controller%3Darticle%26article%3D114791%26category_id%3D2%26Itemid%3D64 |title=SJT Micropower - Arizona State University |first=Khera |last=Douglass |publisher=NCET2.org |accessdate=March 27, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213150/http://center.ncet2.org/index.php?option=com_resource&controller=article&article=114791&category_id=2&Itemid=64 |archivedate=October 4, 2013 }} who has multiple patents in the field of MESFET fabrication and design. In 2013, SJT Micropower, Inc started doing business as RF Micropower. Dr. Thornton continues to serve as the company's president and is concurrently a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering at Arizona State University.{{Cite web|url=http://sustainability.asu.edu/people/persbio.php?pid=8077|title=Trevor Thornton - Person - Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability|website=Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability|language=en-US|access-date=2016-07-12}} Dr. Seth J. Wilk currently serves as the CEO.{{Cite web|url=http://rfmicropower.com/team.htm|title=SJT Micropower - Team|website=rfmicropower.com|access-date=2016-07-12}}
From 2006 to 2012, the company was awarded a total of $2,782,727 through SBIR/STTR grants{{Cite web|url=http://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/308851|title=SJT Micropower {{!}} SBIR.gov|website=www.sbir.gov|access-date=2016-07-12}} and as of 2012 has been published in 24 different peer-reviewed conference and journal proceedings.{{Cite web|url=http://rfmicropower.com/publications.htm|title=RF Micropower - Publications|website=rfmicropower.com|access-date=2016-07-12}}
Locations
RF Micropower is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona and has sales offices in Austin, Texas and Morristown, New Jersey.
References
External links
- [http://rfmicropower.com Official RF Micropower website]
Category:Semiconductor companies of the United States
Category:Fabless semiconductor companies
Category:Manufacturing companies based in Arizona
Category:Companies based in Phoenix, Arizona