© 2012

RF Filters, PAs, Antenna

Switches & Tunability for

Cellular Handsets

System Plus Consulting Taiyo Yuden Wispry Triquint

Sony TDK-EPC

SAMPLE

© 2012 • 2

RF filters, PAs, antenna switches and tunability for cellular

handsets Table of contents

• Introduction and Definitions 3

• Executive Summary 19

1. RF Filter / Duplexer Market 33

– Overview of RF filters / duplexers

– SAW market forecasts and market share

– Technology trends for SAW filters and duplexers

– BAW market forecasts and market share

– Technology trends for FBAR / BAW filters and

duplexers

2. Power Amplifier Market 84

– Technology trends for power amplifiers

– PA pricing, market forecasts and market share

3. Antenna Switching Market 117

– Technology trends for antenna switching

– GaAs switches

– HR-SOI switches

– SOS switches

– Bulk CMOS switches

– MEMS for antenna switching

– Antenna switching pricing, market forecasts and

market share

4. Tunability 151

– Drivers for tunable architectures

– Application description: antenna tuning, tunable PA,

tunable filters/duplexers

– Tuning technology platforms

– Profile of key players

– Tunability pricing, market forecasts and market share

5. FEM Architecture Evolution 214

– Key drivers for radio front end modules

– Trends for GSM FEM

– Drivers and curent architectures for 3G and 4G phones

– FEM market forecasts

6. Background on the RF Industry and Technology Principles

274

– RF ecosystem, supply chain and global drivers

– Architecture of RF filters / duplexers

– Principles of SAW filters and duplexers

– Principles of FBAR / BAW filters and duplexers

• Conclusion and Perspectives 311

© 2012 • 3

Objectives of the Report

– To provide a synthetic view on the market data for the most important RF components used in cellphone FEM: key market

metrics & dynamics:

• Unit shipments and revenues by type of sensor

• Average selling price analysis and expected evolution

• Market shares with detailed breakdown for each player and major OEM contracts

– To provide an analysis on the potential for each technology for each type of device and the impact at the global

architecture level:

• Specificities and competitive situation for current technologies and new developments

• Penetration of technologies in 2011 and expected evolution through 2016

• Impact of new packaging technologies (flip-chip, WLP…)

• How technology changes at the component level will impact the global architectures, and vice versa

– To provide a deep analysis on the challenges and opportunities for tunability in handsets:

• Description of the different types of tuners and level of integration

• Which driver for tunability, why did it start, how market adoption will be like?

• Key tuner providers

• Different levels of processing and strategies for integration in the system (MCU…)

• Insight about architecture changes linked to the emergence of antenna tuners and other tuners…

– To provide a clear understanding of RF FEM value chain, infrastructure & players for the cellular handset business:

• List of major players for each device under consideration

• Analysis on the potential new entrants with disruptive technologies

• Description of the RF ecosystem: link between component providers, module makers, platform companies, OEMs

• Description of the value chain with major players from design to packaging

© 2012 • 4

Who should buy?

• Filter, PA, Switch, Tuner suppliers

– Evaluate market potential of future technologies and

products

– Understand the differentiated value of your products and

technologies in this market

– Build roadmap for modules: which type of modules?

When?

– Identify new business opportunities such as tuners,

envelope tracking…

– Identify potential strategic partners or technology

providers: for more integration…

– Monitor and benchmark your competitor’s advancements

• GaAs, SOI, CMOS, MEMS foundries, wafer suppliers,

packaging houses

– Understand what are the applications that will drive the

volumes in 2016

– Identify new business opportunities and prospects

• Specialists of baseband/ transceiver, of application

processor…

– Spot new opportunities and define diversification

strategies

• Mobile phone OEMs, Platform makers

– Evaluate market potential of future technologies and

products to comply with new standards

– Evaluate the benefits of using these new technologies

in your end system, design architectures for the next

generation of systems

– Screen potential new suppliers able to provide new

functionalities, or cost and size savings

• R&D centers

– Understand how the new front-end and packaging

technologies will impact the future business

– Evaluate market potential of future technologies and

products for new applicative markets

– Identify the best candidates for technology transfer

• Financial & strategic investors

– Understand the structure and value chain of the cellular

handset RF industry

– Estimate the potential of new devices such as antenna

tuners…

– Get the list of the main key players and emerging start-

ups of this industry worldwide

© 2012 • 5

Introduction

• Market for key components of the RF part to reach $4.7B in 2016

– The radio-front end is a key part in every cell phone, from low cost GSM handset to multi-mode multi-band LTE smartphones.

This market is very fragmented in terms of architectures, however there are a few types of components that are key. Filters or

duplexers, power amplifiers and antenna switches are at the heart of every cell phone radio. Those components represent a

$3.6B market in 2011 already, growing at a 5.6% rate annually until 2016. This report highlights that as this market becomes

increasingly attractive, major technical evolutions and changes are observed in the competitive landscape for those categories

of devices.

– Filters and duplexers are the most dynamic market. Driven by duplexers which are growing at a 10.5% rate annually, this market

will reach $1.7B in 2016. Indeed smartphones are widely using WCDMA bands and LTE is a new strong driver. Depending on

each band, SAW or BAW developments are candidate to further growth. While Epcos and Murata dominate the SAW area, we

observe a fierce competition between Avago and TriQuint in the BAW segment.

0

2000

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Market for RF filters and duplexers in mobile phones RF part ($M)

Discretes SAW and BAW filters SAW and BAW duplexers

Yole développement © March 2012

Epcos 42.2%

Murata 38.9%

Others (detailed

in the report) 18.9%

SAW 2011 market share ($M)

Yole développement © March 2012

Avago 65.0%

Triquint 26.4%

Others (detailed

in the report)

8.5%

BAW 2011 market share ($M)

Yole développement © March 2012

© 2012 • 6

Introduction

– Power amplifier is another strategic component in the RF part. This market matures but we still see many new technologies

which impact the market. One current trend is that converged PAs and more broadband PAs are increasingly accepted in the

market. GaAs is still dominating the PA market by far but is poised to loose market shares as CMOS PAs are growing, starting at

the low end side of the market, and as SOI technology could be used for PAs in the near future. There is thus still room for many

changes in the competitive landscape dominated by Skyworks, with RFMD, TriQuint, Avago and Murata / Renesas as

challengers.

– Antenna switches also becomes more mature however we observe evolutions towards 2 directions. First we see an evolution

towards more performance for the new LTE bands and increasing number of throws. This is where Peregrine Semiconductor has

a leading position. Second we see massive adoption of SOI technology since 2010. All big players are now involved with this

technology which offers a good price/performance ratio. GaAs switches are thus decreasing, although some players still release

products with exceptional performances, such as Sony. At the same time new technologies are getting closer to production, this

is what is observed with MEMS.

• Tunability and changes in achitectures

– This report provides a detailed analysis on tunability, which is a new hot topic for radio front end modules. Indeed after years of

development, antenna tuners have been accepted in 2011. Not only GaAs switches but also ferroelectric capacitors and MEMS

variable capacitors have been successfully integrated into flagship products such as some Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphones.

While there is no consensus yet on this topic, antenna tuners are now really providing a significant value proposition, we thus

expect it to be the next very hot market in this space. New types of tuners and massive deployment of LTE within 2014 will be

additional drivers for tunability. Leading the MEMS field, Wispry will be a key player to watch, while Sony and Peregrine also

offer promising approaches based on alternative technologies. The acquisition of Paratek by RIM in March 2012 is also a sign

that antenna tuners will be a strategic technology to be integrated in many cellphone platforms in the near future.

© 2012 • 7

Introduction

Wispry RF MEMS antenna tuner in Samsung Focus Flash and die SEM view (source System Plus Consulting)

– All those changes at the component level (PA, ASM, filters...) and the rise of tunability are having a dramatic impact in the global

RF part architecture evolutions. Both technical and competitive challenges and opportunities are shaping the future front end

modules. Similarly the trend for integration in various types of modules is driving changes at the individual component level.

New packaging technologies now enable compact multi-chip packages: Rx modules, PA modules, multi-duplexers… All

together, the front-end modules are already a $2.0B market in 2011 and grow at a 12.0% yearly rate, this will represent more than

3 times the value of the standalone PAs, filters/duplexers, tuners in 2016.

• Rapid evolution of technology and competitive landscape

– While we start to see some level of consolidation, the competitive landscape in this RF market is changing quickly. Some

companies are getting mire vertically integrated, such as Murata after the acquisition of Renesas PA business, which may

translate in a change in the business model of the company. As highlighted in the report, there are today a limited number of

companies which dominate this RF space, but generally those players are involved in very specific market space, this means

that significant evolutions can be expected in the near future. For instance Skyworks is leading the PA market and is big in

switches but has no activity in filters, while Avago is a large PA vendor and dominates the BAW filter market, but is neither

involved in SAW filters nor in antenna switches.

© 2012 • 8

Introduction

– The evolution of architecture towards modules is one driver that pushes each company to be able to handle all types of

components or to set up specific partnerships. Another driver for competitive change is the technical evolution which is very

quick in this area: at the antenna switch level, players with early involvement in SOI switches (Skyworks, RFMD) are getting more

market shares against players involved in GaAs (TriQuint…). This type of change should be observed with PA technology as

well.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Antenna switches in handsets - Technology breakdown - In value -

GaAs SOS HR-SOI MEMS

Yole développement © March 2012

© 2012 • 9

EXTRACT OF ANTENNA

SWITCH PART

© 2012 • 10

Where are integrated RF switches? Popularity of technologies in 2012

Multiband Multimode FEM

Baseband (Multiband)

Multiband

transceive

r PA + Duplexer

Antenna

Switch

Module

(ASM)

Antenna

PA + Duplexer

Duplexer

4 PA

(GSM)

Filters

(GSM)

PA

T/R antenna switch 1. GaAs substrate

2. HR-SOI substrate

3. SOS substrate

4. CMOS (Infineon has been used then replaced)

Dual band

PA die SPxT switch

PA module

PA die

PA die

PA die

Band switching 1. HR-SOI substrate

2. GaAs substrate

PA receiver side / antenna

diversity (performance driven because of LTE)

1. SOS substrate

2. Separated GaAs die

3. HR-SOI

Only antenna switches

taken into account in this

report

Interstage switches are not

considered in the forecasts

© 2012 • 11

Overview of Cell Phone RF Switch Technologies (at the system level, not individual switch level)

GaAs FET /

pHEMT PIN Diodes SOS HR-SOI MEMS CMOS

Technical factors

Low insertion loss ++ ++ +++ +++ +++ +

Isolation and low

crosstalk +++ ++ ++ ++ +++ ++

Switching speed ++ ++ ++ +++ ++ +++

Frequency range :

Bandwidth +++

+ (limited in low

frequencies)

+++ ++

++ (capacitive switches

limited in low

frequencies)

-

Low power

consumption ++ - +++ +++ ++ +++

Small size + - ++ ++ + +++

Potential for

integration

- (needs external

capacitors + ESD and

digital controller on a

separate CMOS die)

- +

+++ (integration of power

management unit,

converge PA, tuner…)

++ +++

Business factors

Low cost +++ +++

-

(costly

substrate)

++ + +++

Low risk (Maturity,

experience, supply chain

optimization)

+++ +++ ++ + - -

Use Low & medium

performance

Not used

anymore

Very -high-perf:

SP9T…

Medium performance –

mainstream part of the

market + High-

performance

Not ready yet (size and

hot switching issues) –

Promising for high-

performance segments

Just starting in handset

(use for ISM 900MHz

band). But but loss is

generally too high to be

used as a antenna switch

© 2012 • 12

GaAs Switches Example: Sony J-PHEMT switch

• Sony has released a new switch technology

with excellent performances

– PN junction gate provides better performance than

standard MMIC processes

– Low insertion loss: typically 0.5dB for cellular bands

• Many products are using this technology

– Antenna switch modules

– Antenna tuner

– Other modules (PA modules…)

– For diversity switch: Sony uses CMOS SOI technology

SP10T – 2.6x3.4mm² Source: Sony

© 2012 • 13

New packaging approaches Taiyo Yuden - Embedded GaAs switch antenna in PCB

GaAs antenna switch is embedded in

the PCB:

• Allows size reduction (XY & Z) of

the module

• PCB substrate has an enhanced

rigidity thanks to a Cu core

• PCB has small hole size and

reduced Cu line thickness

• Component mounting requires high

accuracy

© 2012 • 14

Switch supply chain

Integrated players

RFMD, Skyworks, Triquint…

Front-end modules

Design Manufacturing

Antenna switch Platform makers /

Handset OEMs

Integrated players

Pure-play switch

manufacturers

Sony, Peregrine…

RFMD, Skyworks, Triquint…

FEM makers

Murata, Epcos, Kyocera, Hitachi,

Avago…

Platform makers

Handset OEMS

Samsung, Nokia, Apple…

Qualcomm, ST Ericsonn, Intel

Mobile Communication…

Commercialization of:

Either ASM

Or bare dies to be integrated in FEM with other components (filters…)

© 2012 • 15

Available MEMS Reports

Trends in MEMS

Manufacturing &

Packaging

IMU &High

Performance MEMS

MEMS & Sensors

for Smartphones

Uncooled IR Cameras &

Detectors for

Thermography & Night

Vision

CMOS Image

Sensors

MEMS Cosim+

MEMS Manufacturing

Cost Simulation Tool

Ferro-Electric

Thin Films MEMS Microphone

New!

Permanent Wafer

Bonding

New!

Motion Sensors for

Consumer & Mobile

applications

New!

Thin Wafer

Handling

New!

Sensor fusion of

acceleros, gyros &

magnetometers

New!

MEMS Players:

Analysis of Financial

Performance

Infrared Detector

Market, Applications

and Technology Trends

New! New!

MEMJET

New!

Technology Trends

for Inertials MEMS

New!

Emerging MEMS Technologies & Markets

© 2012 • 16

Yole activities in MEMS

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