Decades of work on producing a new semiconductor is paying off for Raytheon

An edge in developing and producing gallium-nitride (GaN) semiconductor material is behind Raytheon's hard-fought win of the U.S. Navy's Next-Generation Jammer contract and could set a benchmark for competitors seeking to take on the company in future sensor competitions, Raytheon officials say.

GaN circuits, housed on “wafers,” can efficiently amplify high-power radio-frequency signals at microwave frequencies.