The United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) stated that it was giving a three-year contract to Raytheon the day after the prohibition on rare earth minerals went into force.
China’s government declared in July of this year that it would be redesignating its rare earth minerals as “state-owned.” The action was viewed as a retaliation for Western sanctions imposed on the nation to prevent it from obtaining cutting-edge military equipment.
The US has finally reacted to China’s export ban on rare earth elements, which took effect on October 1, 2024. Raytheon has been tasked by its defense research division to create a new kind of semiconductor that doesn’t rely on the Chinese materials that are now prohibited.
The United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) stated that it was giving a three-year contract to Raytheon the day after the prohibition on rare earth minerals went into force.
The new contract uses aluminum nitride and diamond to develop “foundational” ultra-wide-bandgap semiconductors. By doing this, China circumvents its prohibitions on gallium, a rare earth element that it has classed as state-owned.
Raytheon claims that Ultra-wide-bandgap semiconductors (UWBGS) can enhance thermal behavior and power delivery in sensors used in a range of defense applications. Raytheon will be able to create amplifiers, limiters, and radio frequency switches that are incredibly small and powerful because to this.
Owing to their exceptional thermal properties, they can be incorporated into systems that are placed in challenging situations with high temperatures. According to Raytheon, the agreement might completely transform semiconductor technology.
There will be two parts to the three-year contract: the first will involve creating semiconductor films made of aluminum nitride and diamond and working out how to incorporate them into electronic circuits. The semiconductors will be tuned and produced using larger diameter wafers in the second phase, which will resemble an Intel “tock”.
Gallium nitride (GaN) is the basis of current power and frequency amplifiers, but because China has restricted its exports, the US has to develop a replacement material for potential defense uses. The move to diamond and aluminum nitride is progressive, as these materials are a developing alternative to traditional ones, but they have a great deal of potential to surpass GaN. According to Raytheon, work on semiconductors made of diamond and aluminium nitride will take place at the Andover, Massachusetts, foundry.
Colin Whelan, President of Raytheon’s Advanced Technology, said, “This is a significant step forward that will once again revolutionize semiconductor technology.” “Raytheon has a long history of successfully creating comparable materials for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency systems, including gallium nitride and gallium arsenide. Together with our knowledge of cutting-edge microelectronics, we will draw on this groundbreaking past to help these materials develop for upcoming uses.
Inputs Taken From, Tom’s Hardware