RFMD® Receives First GaN Product Purchase Order from Tier-One Wireless Base Station Manufacturer


GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - November 12, 2009 - RF Micro Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq: RFMD), a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance semiconductor components, today announced RFMD® has received its first purchase order from a tier-one wireless base station original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for a product featuring RFMD's state-of-the-art gallium nitride (GaN) process technology. The purchase order is for RFMD's RFG1M09180 180-watt GaN broadband power transistor (BPT) and is in support of the global expansion of 4G wireless networks.

RFMD's RFG1M09180 BPT supports LTE at 750-800MHz, 3GPP/IS95 at 865-895MHz and multi-carrier GSM at 930-960MHz, thereby enabling cost-effective and energy-efficient support of multi-standard base stations. The RFG1M09180 is part of the RFG1M power device family, which addresses power requirements from 30-watt to 360-watt, offers wider bandwidth than incumbent LDMOS technology and supports wireless communication bands from 0.7GHz to 3.8GHz. The RFG1M power device family also features internal matching and is optimized for high-efficiency techniques, such as Doherty and envelope tracking.

Jeff Shealy, VP and general manager of RFMD's Defense and Power business unit, said, "We are pleased to announce our first GaN purchase order from this tier-one wireless base station OEM. The superior combination of output power, bandwidth and efficiency make RFMD's GaN a compelling process technology and the RFG1M09180 a compelling product for next-generation base station applications."

Bob Van Buskirk, president of RFMD's Multi-Market Product Group (MPG), added, "RFMD is excited to support the development of next-generation base station transmit architectures. Given the superior performance characteristics of our innovative GaN technology, we are enthusiastic about our overall growth opportunities, and we are actively targeting the base station HPA market, which we expect will represent approximately half of the high-power RF market within the next three years."

RFMD's state-of-the-art GaN process technology delivers superior RF power per square millimeter and superior RF conversion efficiency, versus current semiconductor technologies, and RFMD expects its GaN technology will become a disruptive technology across a broad range of commercial and defense markets. In wireless base station applications, RFMD's GaN HPAs deliver industry-leading power performance at significantly reduced energy requirements. This satisfies the increasing focus on "green" technologies by enabling more efficient operation of network equipment and by reducing network-related energy costs.

About RFMD:

RF Micro Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq:RFMD) is a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance semiconductor components. RFMD's products enable worldwide mobility, provide enhanced connectivity and support advanced functionality in the cellular handset, wireless infrastructure, wireless local area network (WLAN), CATV/broadband and aerospace and defense markets. RFMD is recognized for its diverse portfolio of semiconductor technologies and RF systems expertise and is a preferred supplier to the world's leading mobile device, customer premises and communications equipment providers.

Headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., RFMD is an ISO 9001- and ISO 14001-certified manufacturer with worldwide engineering, design, sales and service facilities. RFMD is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol RFMD. For more information, please visit RFMD's web site at www.rfmd.com.

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