DARPA THREADS the Needle on Thermal Barriers to RF Power

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Modern military systems, from radar and electronic warfare platforms to communications networks, depend on radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers to transmit signals over long distances. Yet even as RF technologies have advanced, a fundamental challenge has remained: heat. Excess heat limits how much power these systems can generate, constraining performance and preventing promising materials from reaching their full potential.

DARPA’s Thermal Reduction for Electronics through Advanced Devices and Heterogeneous Semiconductors (THREADS) program is working to change that. By developing new materials, device architectures, and thermal management approaches that more effectively remove heat from RF electronics, THREADS aims to enable substantially higher power output without increasing system size, weight, or complexity. The result could be longer-range sensing, more capable electronic warfare systems, stronger communications links, and improved reliability across a wide range of defense platforms.

THREADS weaves together performance and practicality

The program recently completed a successful Phase I, demonstrating approximately a fivefold increase in RF power density compared with today's state-of-the-art devices. Operationally, that performance gain translates into roughly a doubling of radar range, an outcome that could significantly expand the reach and effectiveness of future military systems. Phase I performers achieved these results while maintaining the device lifetimes required for real-world defense applications.

“Heat has long been one of the primary barriers preventing RF systems from reaching their full potential,” said Yogendra Joshi, Ph.D., DARPA program manager. “The progress demonstrated in Phase I shows that we can substantially increase power without increasing system size, opening the door to longer-range sensing, more effective electronic warfare, and more resilient communications. As we move into Phase II, we are focused on translating these advances into capabilities that can have real operational impact.”

In Phase II, performers are working to further increase power levels and thermal performance. At the same time, DARPA has launched a system-level study to identify the RF power thresholds most relevant to current and future military platforms. The results of that effort will be made available to government organizations and government contractors to help inform transition opportunities and accelerate adoption of THREADS-enabled technologies.

Following the THREADS to future capabilities

For potential transition partners, the significance of THREADS extends beyond improvements in component performance. By enabling dramatically higher RF output power within existing size and weight constraints, the technology could unlock new capabilities across radar, communications, and electronic warfare systems – offering a pathway to greater range, resilience, and mission effectiveness without requiring larger platforms or fundamentally new system architectures.

As THREADS advances through Phase II, DARPA continues to engage with potential transition partners to identify the most impactful applications for these technologies.