Both of these also have high thermal conductivity – exceptionally high in the case of diamond.
The materials will “revolutionise semiconductor electronics with increased power delivery and thermal management in sensors and other electronic applications”, said the company, which is part of RDX.
During phase one, diamond and aluminum nitride semiconductor films will be developed and integrated onto electronic devices.
Phase two will focus on getting these ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors on larger diameter wafers for sensors.
“Raytheon has extensive experience developing similar materials such as gallium arsenide and gallium nitride for Department of Defense systems,” said Raytheon president of advanced technology Colin Whelan. “By combining that history and our expertise in microelectronics, we’ll work to mature these materials towards future applications.”
Some of those applications could be in compact high power radio frequency switches, limiters and power amplifiers, it said.
Work will be conducted at the company’s foundry in Andover, Massachusetts.
