Backdoor Entry of Gallium Nitride into Handsets?

Boston, MA - October 09, 2015 –Akoustis has in development a new technology to meet the expected demand for radio frequency filters in LTE phones. The Strategy Analytics RF & Wireless Components report, “Akoustis Sets Out to Unsettle Established RF Filter Supply Base,” profiles the company and its technology, predicting changes in the market regardless of the ultimate success of the company.

According to Christopher Taylor, Director of the Strategy Analytics RF & Wireless Components service and author of the report, “We expect RF filter unit shipments for cellular devices to more than double by 2020, with high-performance bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters soon making up more than half of shipments. The technology in development by Akoustis is just one sign of the growing demand for high-performance filters, a technology that could have big ramifications for RF front-end suppliers Qorvo, Avago Tech, Murata, TDK-Epcos, Skyworks, Taiyo Yuden, and handset OEMs.”

Eric Higham, Director of Advance Semiconductor Applications at Strategy Analytics, added that, “We often get asked whether gallium nitride (GaN) will make it into mobile phones, replacing gallium arsenide for power amplifiers. We don’t think GaN in handset PAs could compete with GaAs in terms of cost, but perhaps BAW filters fabricated in GaN by Akoustis will replace aluminum nitride BAW filters now used in many phones.”