Northrop Develops World’s Fastest Transistor

Northrop Grumman has unveiled a transistor that offers world record-breaking speed and higher frequency and bandwidth capabilities for military communications and radar.

The Indium Phosphide-based High Electron Mobility Transistor (InP HEMT) can operate at a frequency of over 1,000GHz.

Northrop says the advancements will "enable a new generation of military and commercial applications that operate at higher frequencies with improved performance".

Development of the InP HEMT was supported by funding from the US army and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The transistor was unveiled on Tuesday at the 2007 International Electron Devices Meeting in Washington DC.

By Tim McAtackney