Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs)

Current Context: The Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) are developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) which will be used in radar imaging satellite modules of EOS 04 i.e. Earth Observation Satellite 04.

• The ISRO had launched EOS 04 in Feb 2014.
• The MMICs are a type of integrated circuit (IC) device and play a vital role in various applications of various sectors.
• They operate at microwave frequencies ranging from 300 MHz to 300 GHz.
• The MMICs are small in size and hence occupy less physical space in the application and can be produced on a large scale i.e. mass production is possible. They are high in performance and available at a reasonable cost.
• They have the abilities like mixing of microwaves, power and low-noise amplification, and high-frequency switching.
• To fabricate MMICs, gallium arsenide (GaAs) is used and now they can even be fabricated using silicon (Si) technology.
• Static Part: 
• HQ of ISRO: Bengaluru
• Chairman of ISRO: S Somanath
• HQ of DRDO: New Delhi
• Chairman of DRDO: Dr. G Satheesh Reddy