Marki Microwave announced the acquisition of LintrinsIC Semiconductors, a Boston-based fabless semiconductor company specializing in high-power, ultrafast RF switching in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS processes. The acquisition enhances Marki Microwave’s capabilities while reinforcing its position as a single-source provider of high-performance RF and microwave components for test and measurement, defense and satellite communications markets.
Founded in 2021 by Cameron Hill, the company’s FastSwitch™ SOI CMOS technology operates into Ka-Band with power handling from 5 to 50 watts and switching speeds as fast as 1 nanosecond. These characteristics make the portfolio uniquely suited for demanding applications in radar, electronic warfare, defense communications, satellite communications and 5G mmWave infrastructure.
The acquisition strengthens Marki Microwave’s ability to support increasingly complex RF systems by adding high-performance switching to its signal chain expertise. LintrinsIC Semiconductors’ FastSwitch products are highly complementary to Marki’s portfolio of mixers, amplifiers, multipliers, power dividers and filters, enabling more tightly integrated signal chain architectures from a single, trusted supplier.
“This acquisition directly extends our ability to solve high-performance signal chain challenges,” said Christopher Marki, CEO of Marki Microwave. “Modern RF switching environments require precise control under extreme performance constraints. FastSwitch technology delivers switching speed and power handling that redefine what’s achievable in CMOS, while integrating naturally with our existing amplifier and filter product lines.”
Hill brings a strong background in RF semiconductor research and commercialization. He conducted doctoral research at UCSB in the Buckwalter Group under DARPA’s SPAR program, earning a doctorate in electronics and photonics in 2020, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at UCSB. He was named a 2021 Activate Entrepreneurship Fellow and holds multiple circuit-level patents on high-power SOI switches, with publications at IEEE MTT-S and RFIC Symposia.
“Marki Microwave brings the customer access and engineering infrastructure needed to scale this technology,” said Cameron Hill, founder and CEO of LintrinsIC Semiconductors. “Integrating FastSwitch into Marki’s portfolio accelerates adoption and enables a new level of performance in systems where speed, power handling and reliability are critical.”
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.