NXP Advances 5G with New Gallium Nitride Fab in Arizona

NXP Semiconductors N.V. announced the grand opening of its 150 mm (6-inch) RF Gallium Nitride (GaN) fab in Chandler, AZ, the most advanced fab dedicated to 5G RF power amplifiers in the US. 

The new internal factory combines NXP’s expertise as the industry leader in RF power and its high-volume manufacturing know-how, resulting in streamlined innovation that supports the expansion of 5G base stations and advanced communication infrastructure in the industrial, aerospace and defense markets.

The opening ceremony was marked by keynote addresses and remarks by NXP executives plus federal, state and local government officials, including:

• Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally;
• U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton;
• Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey;
• City of Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke;
• U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade Joseph Semsar;
• Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United States Andre Haspels

“[This] marks a critical milestone for NXP. By building this incredible facility and tapping key talent in Arizona, we are able to bring focus to GaN technology as part of driving the next generation of 5G base station infrastructure,” NXP CEO Kurt Sievers said in his keynote address.

With 5G, the density of RF solutions required per antenna has exponentially increased – yet maintaining the same box size and reducing power consumption is mandatory. 

GaN power transistors have emerged as the new gold standard to address these dueling requirements, delivering significant improvements in both power density and efficiency.

Nearly 20 years of GaN development expertise and extensive wireless communication industry knowledge uniquely position NXP to lead this next wave of cellular expansion for 5G. 

The company has deeply optimized its GaN technology to improve the electron trapping in the semiconductor to deliver high efficiency and gain with best-in-class linearity, all of which are focused on serving NXP customers with the highest quality GaN device production.

NXP’s strategic move to build an internal GaN fab was driven by its ability to achieve higher performance benefits through leveraging its core competency in cellular infrastructure design, proven track record for high-volume manufacturing and consistency and leadership in total quality processes.

“I am excited by the opening of our new facility in Chandler as it underscores NXP’s decades-long commitment to GaN and the communications infrastructure market,” said Paul Hart, executive VP and GM of the Radio Power Group at NXP. “I would like to thank our customers for their collaboration throughout the years and the entire NXP team that has been instrumental in creating the world’s most advanced RF GaN fab, which is designed and ready to scale to 6G and beyond.”

The internal factory will serve as an innovation hub that facilitates collaboration between the fab and NXP’s onsite R&D team. NXP engineers can now more rapidly develop, validate and protect inventions for current and future generations of GaN devices, resulting in shorter cycle times for NXP GaN innovations.

NXP’s new Chandler-based GaN fab is qualified now, with initial products ramping in the market and expected to reach full capacity by the end of 2020.