Renesas Electronics announced the availability of a new SiGe:C heterojunction bipolar transistor (SiGe:C HBT, see Note 1), the NESG7030M04, for use as a low-noise amplifier transistor for wireless LAN systems, satellite radios, and similar applications. This device uses a process that adopts newly-developed silicon-germanium: carbon (SiGe:C) materials.

The SiGe:C HBT is a transistor that amplifies a weak microwave signal received wirelessly to an appropriate level and achieves a noise figure of 0.75 decibel (dB), which is the industry's top level for the 5.8 gigahertz (GHz) band used by wireless LANs and other applications. The fact that it amplifies with such low noise means that it can increase communication sensitivity in end products.

Since it can reduce signal transmission errors, it can achieve operating power consumption as low as one-quarter of that of Renesas’ existing products while maintaining equivalent performance. Renesas sells transistors and ICs for microwave amplifier applications, provides solutions for wireless LANs, consumer cordless phones for the home, terrestrial digital TV broadcast tuners, and equipment that includes GPS functionality.

It has achieved the industry's top market share (Renesas' estimate) for microwave application transistors. Within this context, Renesas has developed a new process technology that uses SiGe:C materials to respond to market needs for even lower noise and to provide solutions for the 12 GHz and higher frequencies used in satellite broadcasting.

Based on this process, Renesas has developed and is now releasing the NESG7030M04 SiGe:C HBT device that achieves both the industry's best low-noise performance as well as stable performance over a wide frequency range from a few MHz to the 14 GHz band.