Trends and Opportunities for Gallium Arsenide Semiconductors in Handsets

摘要

Demand for GaAs semiconductor products is largely driven by the handset industry. Specifically within the handset space, GaAs products are most prolific in power amplifier (PA), switch, and small-signal amplifier applications. The PA segment drives roughly ninety percent of this demand, thus tending to be the most competitive segment for compound semiconductor products in handsets. During the last several years, GaAs based Pas have gained market share over silicon competition due to several factors. In this paper, these factors are briefly discussed. Dramatic changes in cost and integration are noted as the adoption of GaAs based Pas has continued to increase. Next, this paper reviews future handset trends that will drive front-end component requirements. Finally, the next series of critical success factors necessary to drive GaAs demand growth are identified.