Military Systems Bolstered By Building-block Breakthroughs

摘要

Technological advances leadrnto tactical advantages. That's why investments in electronic technology for military applications traditionally run high. Yet those investments can often yield useful breakthroughs as well as dramatic improvements in existing technologies.rnMilitary systems such as electronic warfare (EW), signal intelligence (SIGINT), and radar systems receive the most funding. Still, electronic building blocks such as amplifiers, display screens, software, and transistors enable those large systems and, hopefully, provide that tactical edge.rnOne of the most basic electronic building blocks is the transistor. Military system designers have long sought more power from a single device to achieve higher power densities in radar and EW transmitters for a given size. Two of the more significant developments in silicon transistor technology come from companies at the extremes of the supply curve: Freescale Semiconductor and HVVi Semiconductors. The former applies a traditional lateral silicon device architecture, while the latter employs a unique vertical configuration in its novel silicon transistors.