March 17, 2025 By Ashish Shah Deputy Director, Aerospace and Defense, GlobalFoundries The aerospace and defense sector is experiencing rapid advancements, driven by the need for more sophisticated and reliable technologies. Within this end-market, a particular passion and focus of mine is Communications, Navigation and Identification, or CNI. GlobalFoundries (GF) radio frequency (RF) and millimeter wave (mmWave) semiconductors continue to be critical for the performance and reliability of these systems, meeting the unique demands of the A&D market. Let me tell you how and why this is the case. From defense to first responders Traditionally, radar systems have been used to identify aircraft in both commercial and aerospace and defense arenas. Over the years, there has been a shift towards phased array radar technology. Phased array radars allow for multiple beams to be broadcast and received from the same physical structure—enabling more accurate, power-efficient and cost-effective systems. In addition to tracking multiple signals simultaneously, phased array beams can be electronically steered, or beamformed, providing a larger set of capabilities than previously generations of radars. Due to this enhanced performance, phased arrays have become the technology of choice for this kind of beamforming. GF chips, with their RF and mmWave capabilities, are key enablers of this technology and helping to drive innovation in the radar space for both defense and commercial customers. Our chips are also at the forefront of the development of multi-mode, multi-standard radios, which are agile, process very wide frequency ranges and can seamlessly switch between different communication domains, such as 5G and proprietary signals, without needing multiple physical radio designs. This is crucial for both first responders and defense communications, ensuring reliable two-way connectivity across a range of very different environments. The radio needs to be able to dynamically search the environment and, for example, detect there’s a good 5G signal. It will use that signal while available, but when the 5G signal weakens the radar will then seamlessly switch over to a different signal, or a proprietary signal. This functionality also plays a key role in secure communications. Power efficient and cost-effective Our customers can now go from about 100 megahertz to greater than 15 gigahertz of frequency, providing a very wide aperture in the electromagnetic spectrum. This wide frequency capability allows for more efficient and cost-effective solutions, as one hardware design can be used for multiple applications, with the rest of the processing being done in software. This approach reduces the need for multiple frequency-specific designs, making it more power-efficient and cost-effective. The importance of this application to both first responders and national security is a great example of GF’s dual-use strategy, in which we leverage our technology for both defense and commercial applications. It enables our aerospace defense customers to leverage the economies of scale of GF’s high-volume manufacturing, but with the additional required optimization, performance and security features. Trusted RF and SiGe solutions At the heart GF’s driving innovation in CNI is our RF SOI product line, including our 45RFSOI and 45RFE solutions, which provide the higher performance from a frequency response viewpoint. This means the device can operate at the highest frequencies with a minimum amount of power dissipation, compared to other technologies. GF’s silicon-germanium (SiGe) product line, including our 8XP and 9HP platforms, are also playing a key role in CNI. These technologies bring the highest level of RF performance enabling our customers to push the frequency envelope, while ensuring the power budget is as low as possible. Along with optimized performance and power efficiency, our customers are also concerned with security. GF’s manufacturing facilities in New York and Vermont have Trusted Foundry accreditation and manufacture secure chips in partnership with the U.S. government. As a Trusted Foundry, with decades of experience, GF has incredibly stringent processes, equipment and oversight in place to accept classified information and manufacture classified chips in a way that ensures they are secure and uncompromised. And with our newly announced Advanced Packaging and Photonics Center, this capability will be expanded to post-fab services. The first of-its-kind center will offer full turnkey advanced packaging, bump, assembly and testing for aerospace and defense customers under our Trusted Foundry accreditation, allowing chips used in sensitive national security systems to never leave the U.S. during production. Connect with me At GF, we are committed to leading this charge by providing the most advanced solutions that meet the unique demands of the A&D market. The essential chips we make are optimized for mission-critical performance and reliability, and securely manufactured at our accredited Trusted facilities in New York and Vermont. There are so many exciting advancements in this space. I invite you to visit GF’s booth at GOMACTech 2025, on March 17-20 in Pasadena, Calif., to connect with me and our team to learn more about GF’s innovative solutions and how we can support your A&D needs. For more information, please contact me at [email protected]. Together, we can drive the future of aerospace and defense semiconductors. Ashish Shah is a deputy director of aerospace and Defense at GlobalFoundries. His focus in the aerospace and defense end market is on RF and mmWave technologies enabling next generation communications, navigation, and radar platforms.
