• Circuits Integrated Hellas (CIH)
    682ce3194ae9f2740e37e69c 0525mwrf Cih Kythrion Module Promo

    Satcom Chipset Platform Melds TX, RX, and Antenna Functions Within 3D AiP and SiP

    May 21, 2025
    The chipset platform redefines satellite agility, efficiency, and sustainability through >60% reduction in size, weight, and cost of flat-panel antennas.
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    The Overview: A Satcom Chipset with Unprecedented Integration

    With an eye toward improved flat-panel phased arrays for satcom applications, Circuits Integrated Hellas (CIH) debuted its Kythrion chipset platform. The company has positioned the platform as a key enabler for next-generation satellite technologies.

    Who Needs It & Why: Making Flat-Panel Arrays Lighter in Weight and More Capable

    To get to that next generation of satellites, designers and system integrators need devices that are multifunctional and lightweight. Kythrion is touted as the first platform that integrates transmit, receive, and antenna functionality within a 3D antenna-in-package (AiP) and system-in-package (SiP) architecture. CIH said the platform is designed to meet the extremes of modern aerospace, defense, and connectivity networks.

    A bottleneck in satcom design is the limitations of legacy flat-panel phased arrays. These antennas can make up as much as 20% of payload mass and impose design tradeoffs on size, cost, and power consumption.

    CIH’s Kythrion platform eliminates unnecessary PCB layers and consolidates RF, logic, and antenna elements in a dense 3D chip. It enables satcom developers to deploy more advanced sensors on payloads, including low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites, extending mission lifetimes and reducing launch costs.

    Under the Hood: Vertically Stacked Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors

    How does the Kythrion platform achieve its >60% reduction in antenna size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C)? One key to the puzzle is vertical stacking of compound III-V semiconductors like gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium nitride (GaN) along with silicon technologies. Such an architecture offers improved thermal performance compared to other solutions without needing to overhaul existing manufacturing infrastructure.

    Kythrion addresses the limitations of legacy flat-panel phased array antennas, which often introduce design tradeoffs in size, cost, and power. By eliminating unnecessary PCB layers and consolidating RF, logic, and antenna elements in a dense 3D chip, Kythrion enables satcom operators to do more with less—fitting more advanced high-resolution sensors, multi-spectral imaging systems, or AI-driven analytics on Earth observation platforms, including LEO satellites. It ultimately helps mission lifetimes and reduces launch costs.

    CIH is making Kythrion available as a flexible platform that supports chip sales, design-for-license engagements, or custom integration. The platform is currently undergoing packaging and stress validation, with early-stage demonstrators expected in late Q3 2025 and general availability in Q2 2026. Patent protections are in place for Kythrion’s core design and packaging architecture, with additional filings in development to cover future enhancements.

    About the Author

    David Maliniak | Executive Editor, Microwaves & RF

    I am Executive Editor of Microwaves & RF, an all-digital publication that broadly covers all aspects of wireless communications. More particularly, we're keeping a close eye on technologies in the consumer-oriented 5G, 6G, IoT, M2M, and V2X markets, in which much of the wireless market's growth will occur in this decade and beyond. I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, developers, and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

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    About me:

    In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy, leaving to rejoin the EOEM B2B publishing world in January 2020. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.

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