Transistors Beam Radio Energy To Cure Ceramics, Relieve Pain, and Cook Food

June 23, 2017
The new component from NXP Semiconductors solve many challenges with combining many RF transistors to match the power level of traditional magnetrons.

A transistor based on the same technology inside cellular infrastructure enables applications from drying industrial ceramics or warming organs in hospital treatments.

NXP Semiconductors said Tuesday that it had begun sampling the new component, the latest attempt to replace vacuum tubes widely used in the magnetrons powering industrial heating systems. The high-powered part can be controlled over its full dynamic range up to 750 watts and enables frequency shifting to conserve energy.

"The reliability and enhanced control features of solid-state have long been understood, but industrial system designers had difficulties combining many transistors to match the power level of magnetrons,” said Pierre Piel, the general manager of NXP's RF power business, in a statement.

The radio waves emitted from the MRF13750H act like a volumetric heat source injecting energy into loads and blocking large temperature gradients. It is capable of changing frequencies rapidly, allowing power to be spread more efficiently when processing chemicals or manufacturing ceramics or glass fibers.

NXP's transistor operates in the 700 to 1300 MHz band, which is reserved for industrial, scientific, and medical applications. It is based on laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductors or LDMOS, whose lower maximum power gain frequency than gallium arsenide also makes it suitable for aerospace and radar applications.

NXP has kept alive the solid state RF business that started inside Freescale Semiconductor, which it acquired in 2014 for almost $12 billion. For that deal to pass through regulators, the Dutch supplier sold off its own RF business that became Ampleon, the other major vendor of LDMOS transistors for radio frequency power.

For the last two years, NXP has been showing transistors in a concept oven that can precisely control the amount of heat directed into food with a longer lifespan than the magnetrons inside traditional microwaves. The MRF13750H will enter production in this December, the company said.

Sponsored Recommendations

Frequency Modulation Fundamentals

March 14, 2024
The development of crystal-clear FM communications was an innovation of genius and toil. Utilized today in applications such as radar, seismology, telemetry and two-way radios...

44 GHz Programmable Signal Generator

March 14, 2024
The Mini-Circuits SSG-44G-RC is a 0.1 to 44 GHz signal source with an RF output range of -40 to +17 dBm with fine resolution. This model supports CW and pulsed (? 0.5 ?s) outputs...

Webinar: Introduction to OTA Measurement for mmWave and Sub-THz

Feb. 19, 2024
Join Jeanmarc Laurent, a leading expert from MilliBox, for an exclusive live webinar showcasing a complete Over-the-Air (OTA) testing system setup. In this immersive session, ...

Using a CMT VNA with Socket Server

Feb. 19, 2024
This application note describes use of a software application CMT Socket Server which is distributed and supported by Aphena Ltd. Please email [email protected] regarding purchase...