REDONDO BEACH, Calif., April 10, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame's "Class of 2003" for the development of a new class of integrated circuits originally designed to improve satellite communications, but which later enabled a new generation of cell phones and other wireless products.
The Hall of Fame awards, which honor innovators who have transformed space technology into commercial products, will be presented tonight during the Space Foundation's annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Northrop Grumman Vice President Dwight C. Streit will accept the award on behalf of the company. Streit was instrumental in the development of the technology, called monolithic microwave integrated circuits, or MMICs, which employ the semiconductor materials gallium arsenide and indium phosphide rather than traditional silicon.
The new chips' high performance and extremely efficient use of electricity make them ideal for electronics applications that need to operate at high frequencies and depend on limited battery power. Today, MMIC chips are found not only in satellites but also in applications as diverse as cell phones, fiber-optics communications systems and radio telescopes.
"MMIC chips provide an excellent example of how an advanced technology developed for specialized applications can make the transition to high-volume commercial markets," Streit notes. "The cost-savings associated with mass production, in turn, lower MMIC prices for use in government programs."
The Space Foundation, in cooperation with NASA, established the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 1988 to increase public awareness of the benefits of space spin-off technology and to encourage further innovation.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $25 billion global defense company, headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. Northrop Grumman provides technologically advanced, innovative products, services and solutions in systems integration, defense electronics, information technology, advanced aircraft, shipbuilding and space technology. With approximately 120,000 employees and operations in all 50 states and 25 countries, Northrop Grumman serves U.S. and international military, government and commercial customers.
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