Diamond Microwave Devices and Partners Awarded £1.34million to Demonstrate Pulsed PA

Diamond Microwave Devices Ltd (DMD) and its partners have won funding worth £1.34M from the Technology Strategy Board, the government-funded body that supports technological innovation in the UK. The investment will help to fund a £3 million project that will see the development of a new, innovative diamond-based high power, high-temperature, microwave transistor and build a demonstrator microwave pulsed power amplifier capable of >100W output power.

Dr Richard Lang, general manager of DMD says, “We are delighted to receive this significant backing for our work on the next generation of microwave transistors based on innovative diamond material and device concepts. It marks the next phase in the company’s development and our ambitions to bring breakthrough technology into a key market area.” The investment – through the Technology Strategy Board’s High Value Manufacturing funding competition – will support a project dubbed Microwave Power using Diamond (MPower-D) and also involves Element Six Ltd, MBDA UK Ltd, the University of Sheffield and INEX.

Element Six, the world leader in diamond synthesis technology is developing the diamond material and INEX will continue sub-contracted work for DMD, further developing the diamond processing technology. MBDA, Europe’s leading missile systems company, brings its application knowledge and potential pull-through while the III-V Centre at the University of Sheffield is contributing to fundamental research related to materials growth and device processing.

Diamond transistors being developed in this project could be used in power amplifiers for microwave signals in communications, space and defence applications. The technology offers the opportunity to create a world-leading UK-based solid state microwave module development and manufacturing value chain. Commenting on the Technology Strategy Board's support for the project, their Lead Technologist for High Value Manufacturing, Tonino Amorelli, said: "We are committed to stimulating the development of technologies which, as well as maintaining the UK's international competitiveness, also represent major business opportunities. We are therefore very pleased to support the MPower-D project, which brings together world-class expertise from around the UK to develop an innovative technology that could be exploited globally."

DMD and its partners bid successfully for the funding against stiff competition for the limited funds. When the successful projects were announced, Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said, "This investment is intended to maintain and develop the international competitiveness of UK manufacturing companies against a backdrop where manufacturing often gravitates to countries with the lowest overall costs. Manufacturing in high wage economies, such as the UK, has to continue to innovate and change to remain competitive. It's also important to ensure that companies continue to innovate during the downturn to ensure a successful recovery for the UK economy. "DMD was set up in 2006 and is currently an E6 Ventures portfolio company.