White Papers

Abstract. Since the invention of radios, military systems have been early adopters of wireless technology, a trend that continues today. As commercial use of wireless spectrum increases, military systems must continue to move to higher ground in order to increase bandwidth and have access to clean spectral bands. Plus, they must continue to become smaller, lighter, longer lasting and cheaper with each generation requiring integrated circuits capable of meeting demanding radiation, performance, power consumption, price and integration requirements. For example as satellite systems evolve to large digital payloads and phased array antennae, highly integrated mixed signal and RF ICs are becoming critical to overall system performance. UltraCMOS™ is a modern, high yield version of silicon-on-sapphire which provides natural radiation hardness with the advantages of high volume commercial CMOS manufacturing. This paper will discuss the variety of products and their applications from Sapphicon Semiconductor and its potential to achieve new levels of integration for single-chip Multi-GHz RF solutions.