Semiconductor manufacturer SweGaN has partnered with Ericsson to develop power amplifiers for 6G based on gallium nitride-on-silicon carbide (GaN-on-SiC).

The project focuses on the 7–15 GHz frequency range (X/Ku bands), a key spectrum for upcoming 6G network deployments, by leveraging epitaxial GaN-on-SiC solutions.

GaN is a wide-bandgap material capable of handling greater power levels than silicon, making GaN-based chips more efficient and durable than their silicon counterparts.

Through the epitaxy process, GaN and silicon carbide are combined, with the nitride element grown upon the silicon. The resulting chips can help mitigate overheating for power-intensive applications such as 5G/6G networks, satellite communications, radar systems, and other high-power systems.

SweGaN is providing epitaxial wafers for the collaboration, which will explore the material properties and the characteristics of high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) while also developing high-efficiency power amplifier (PA) circuits to power 6G radio frequencies.

The project is funded by Stockholm-based innovation agency Vinnova, and is targeted at both telecom and defense applications, with security giant Saab working on the initiative.

SweGaN, Ericsson, and Saab are joined by Chalmers University of Technology on the collaboration.

Ericsson and 6G

Telecom operators are not necessarily in a rush to deploy 6G technology as many are still absorbing major 5G network costs with little return on that investment. However, tests continue with the technology, including recent examples from SoftBank in Japan, and T-Mobile US.

Though its role was not defined in the news announcement, Ericsson will draw from its experience in the 6G field for the SweGaN project.

The Swedish telecom giant has collaborated with SoftBank, e& and others on 6G testing in recent years. Its German arm has also received funding from Germany’s Ministry of Economic Affairs to develop semiconductor tech to power 6G massive multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) radios.

The work with epitaxial GaN-on-SiC will be a first for the vendor, along with the wider 6G field due to the tech's early development.

While the chip technology is in development stage, its footprint was recently bolstered by $9.5 million in federal funding for GlobalFoundries (GF) to develop silicon GaN chips at its fab in Essex Junction, Vermont.