AWR announces new PDK for Cree GaN HEMT MMIC foundry

EL SEGUNDO, USA: AWR Corp., the innovation leader in high-frequency electronic design automation (EDA), announced the release and immediate availability of a new process design kit (PDK) supporting the Cree Inc. high-power gallium nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) foundry process.

The new Cree/AWR PDK enables MMIC designers to model Cree’s GaN HEMT MMIC process within AWR’s Microwave Office® software environment and enable the design of MMICs that offer more power bandwidth, higher efficiency, and a smaller footprint than can be achieved using conventional technologies such as GaAs.

The Cree GaN HEMT MMIC process features high power density (4-6 watts/mm) transistors, slot vias, and high reliability (up to 225ºC operating channel temperatures), as well as scalable transistors.

In addition, the Cree/AWR PDK leverages AWR’s Intelligent Net (iNet) automated interconnect construction technology to automatically radius and fillet corners when connecting different parts together, thereby ensuring design-rule-check (DRC)-compliant layouts and eliminating the need for manual editing.

The Cree/AWR PDK is also setup for ready electromagnetic (EM) extraction through AWR’s EXTRACT technology, which can save designers’ time by not having to manually edit schematics for EM results.

The Cree/AWR PDK for GaN HEMT MMIC process is available now.