GaN on SiC Radar/EW MMIC Production Capacity | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The GaN on SiC Radar/EW MMIC Production Capacity opportunity is a Department of Defense DPA Title III effort managed through the Air Force Research Laboratory to build up a U.S.-based manufacturing capability for gallium nitride on silicon carbide (GaN on SiC) monolithic microwave integrated circuits used in radar and electronic warfare. The core purpose is not just to fund R&D prototypes, but to stand up a domestic production line that is economically viable and capable of sustained manufacturing of both narrowband and wideband MMIC components fabricated using GaN epitaxy on 100 mm SiC substrates. In practical terms, the government is trying to ensure there is a reliable, scalable U.S. supply of high-power RF MMICs suitable for defense needs, with a path to production rather than one-off lab demonstrations.

A central requirement is that the resulting capability function as an open foundry merchant supplier. That means the awardee is expected to offer its fabrication process as a service to outside customers, allowing external companies to send in their own designs to be manufactured without needing to own the fab themselves. The opportunity emphasizes that this openness should be demonstrated through a robust process design kit (PDK). The PDK is important because it packages the process rules, device models, and design constraints in a way that lets outside designers produce manufacturable chips with a minimal number of iterations, ideally achieving first-pass success. In other words, the program is pushing for a mature, user-facing foundry ecosystem rather than an internal-only defense production line.

The project sets an overarching target of reaching Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 8. At MRL 8, manufacturing processes are considered proven and approved for release to production, and they are ready to support Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP). For this program, that readiness specifically applies to manufacturing S-band and wide bandwidth (6 to 18 GHz) GaN on SiC MMIC components. Achieving MRL 8 implies more than demonstrating electrical performance; it requires controlled, repeatable processes, validated inspection and test flows, stable supply chains for materials, and the internal governance to sign off that the process is production-ready.

Beyond readiness level, the government highlights several performance and business outcomes it wants to see: relatively high manufacturing yields, strong device reliability, and reductions in both cost and cycle time (throughput time) for S-band and 6 to 18 GHz GaN on SiC power amplifier MMICs of specified complexity. The emphasis on yield, reliability, cost, and throughput reflects a desire to transition GaN on SiC from a specialized, expensive capability into something that can be produced more routinely and affordably for defense platforms that need high power, high efficiency, and wideband RF performance.

Administratively, this opportunity was issued as a discretionary funding action under a Cooperative Agreement, aligned to the Science and Technology / R&D category, and tied to CFDA 12.800 (Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program). Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity could apply as long as it met any conditions described in the full announcement. The funding opportunity number is BAA-04-08-PKM CALL 17, it was posted on December 23, 2009, and it originally closed on February 19, 2010, with an archive date of March 21, 2010. The Air Force Research Lab is the sponsoring agency, and the provided point of contact for access issues with the full announcement was the contracting officer, Dianna C. Aniton, at 937-656-7197.

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