CSIRO - TRW alliance explores advanced semiconductors
The CSIRO (ATNF and Telecommunications and Industrial Physics [CTIP]), and US telecommunications company TRW have formed a strategic alliance to develop high-performance gallium arsenide and indium phosphide components for radio astronomy, advanced millimetre-wave sensors and telecommunications systems.
Velocium, TRW's telecommunication products company, ATNF and CTIP have already worked together on the high frequency (12 and 3.5-mm wavelength bands) upgrade of the Australia Telescope. Indium phosphide (InP) low-noise amplifiers and digital receiver chips, designed by ATNF and CTIP engineers and fabricated by Velocium, are a key part of the upgrade.
The Australia Telescope is a demanding test bed for the new InP chips, which will help improve the future design of InP components for other commercial sensor and telecommunication systems. CTIP started working with TRW in 1993, and in 1999 CTIP and the ATNF gained early access to TRW's InP technology for exploratory research, which helped expedite the technology's development.
Velocium is part of TRW Space & Electronics, an operating unit of TRW Inc. TRW provides advanced technology products and services for the aerospace, telecommunications, automotive and information technology markets worldwide. TRW's news releases can be found at http://www.trw.com .
Steven Tingay
(Steven.Tingay@csiro.au)