Semiconductors
Cap Wireless/Triquint/Qorvo
High Power, Spatially Combined Amplifier Technology
Semiconductors
Cap Wireless/Triquint/Qorvo
High Power, Spatially Combined Amplifier Technology
117
Patent References to IEEE
$600M
Global Market Value
117
Patent References to IEEE
$600M
Global Market Value
Cap Wireless was once the owner of the Spatium™ broadband amplifiers product line.
Spatium uses patented coaxial spatial-combining techniques to improve broadband RF power efficiency. The technology provides several performance advantages including solid-state reliability, smaller form factors, higher power densities and reduced weight in comparison to TWTA-based systems or conventional planar power combining products. Spatium also provides faster time-to-market and can reduce product lifecycle costs.
In 2013, Triquint Semiconductor purchased Cap Wireless for $14.8 million. In 2015, Triquint Semiconductor merged with RFMD to form Qorvo.33 Today, Qorvo is one of the leading providers of core technologies and RF solutions for mobile, infrastructure, and aerospace/defense applications. In 2020, Qorvo has revenues in excess of $3 billion and continues to sell the Spatium amplifiers. A recent press release states that the global market for these devices is $600 million.34
According to its website: “Qorvo's patented Spatium RF power-combining technology provides a highly reliable, efficient alternative to traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs). It delivers a higher standard of efficiency, reliability and bandwidth as well as clear size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C) advantage in Commercial and defense communications, Radar systems, Electronic warfare (EW), Test and measurement, and Other defense systems”.35
All of the five patents acquired with Cap Wireless are highly cited, but 4 of the 5 are extremely highly cited (most patents get fewer than 15 citations over their lifetime, but these have 180 to 223 citations and 781 citations collectively). These four patents also reference 29-30 IEEE articles each and include 117 IEEE references combined.
Frequently Referenced IEEE Publications
The Cap Wireless patents frequently reference influential articles from the below IEEE publications.
33 https://www.qorvo.com/newsroom/news/2015/merger-of-rfmd-and-triquint-is-now-complete Last accessed June 9, 2020. 34 https://www.qorvo.com/newsroom/news/legacy/triquint-acquires-cap-wireless-and-its-spatium-technology Last accessed June 9, 2020. 35 https://www.qorvo.com/applications/defense-aerospace Last accessed June 9, 2020.