Merrimac Industries, Inc. (www.merrimacind.com) announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nitronex Corp. (www.nitronex.com) to develop highly integrated power amplifiers using Merrimac's proprietary Multi-Mix multilayer circuit technology and high-power gallium nitride (GaN) transistor technology from Nitronex. The GaN-on-silicon device technology from Nitronex is qualified for commercial applications, such as power amplifiers in cellular and WiMAX wireless infrastructure equipment, as well as in military communications, electronic-warfare (EW), and radar systems. Merrimac's Multi-Mix technology, with its outstanding thermal properties, supports the design and manufacture of reliable high-power amplifiers using RF power transistor die rather than larger, more expensive packaged devices.
Merrimac and Nitronex have agreed to consider the joint development of a roadmap for next-generation amplifier designs based on Merrimac's Multi-Mix amplifier platform and Nitronex'high-performance GaN transistor technology. The roadmap will include the development of prototype units to be used to demonstrate the capabilities of the Multi-Mix GaN amplifiers for different frequency bands and applications.
According to Chris Rauh, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for Nitronex, "We think the combination of the Multilayer Multi-Mix Microtechnology from Merrimac and Nitronex GaN on Silicon devices is a real winner for our customers in many markets." Merrimac Chairman and CEO Mason N. Carter adds, "Merrimac is eager to work with Nitronex on the development of high-power Multi-Mix amplifiers. By combining the high power density of their GaN transistors with the excellent thermal properties of multilayer Multi-Mix Microtechnology, we are confident that we will develop new benchmarks in terms of the RF amplifier power/size ratio, reliability, and value for our customers."