IQE (LON:IQE) shares advanced after what it describes as “breakthrough” results in satellite communications tests carried out by the US military.
The company’s technology - gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon carbide (SiC) epiwafers – were used to produce record results for both high gain and high power density transistor devices, the company said.
It added that this meant for the first time it was possible for circuit design to be efficient for both high-voltage and high-power broadband operation.
High frequency microwave capabilities, up to 40 ghz or ‘Ka-band’, are required for the next generation (5G) of wireless communications, IQE highlighted. But, it said that until now designers have had to compromise between frequency and power.
Dr Wayne Johnson, an IQE vice president, in a statement, said: “"These results, achieved on our GaN on SiC epiwafers, demonstrate the ability of IQE to produce record-breaking, world leading results on commercial platforms that enable today's leading edge satellite communications and will be essential for enabling next generation wireless technologies."
IQE’s GaN on SiC wafers were purchased by the US Air Force Research Laboratory, and the results were published in an article in IEEE Electron Device Letters (Volume 36, No.10, October 2015).
The epiwafers were produced by IQE at its facility in New Jersey.
In London, IQE shares gained 1.5p, more than 6%, to trade at 26p each.