RF Filters, PAs, Antenna

Switches & Tunability for

Cellular Handsets
System Plus Consulting

Taiyo Yuden

Wispry

SAMPLE

2012

Triquint

Sony

TDK-EPC

RF filters, PAs, antenna switches and tunability for cellular

handsets
Table of contents

Introduction and Definitions

Executive Summary

19

1.

RF Filter / Duplexer Market

33

4.

Drivers for tunable architectures

Application description: antenna tuning, tunable PA,

tunable filters/duplexers

Overview of RF filters / duplexers

Tuning technology platforms

SAW market forecasts and market share

Profile of key players

Technology trends for SAW filters and duplexers

Tunability pricing, market forecasts and market share

BAW market forecasts and market share

Technology trends for FBAR / BAW filters and

5.

Power Amplifier Market

84

Technology trends for power amplifiers

PA pricing, market forecasts and market share

6.

3.

151

duplexers
2.

Tunability

Antenna Switching Market

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

Background on the RF Industry and Technology Principles

117

274

Technology trends for antenna switching

RF ecosystem, supply chain and global drivers

GaAs switches

Architecture of RF filters / duplexers

HR-SOI switches

Principles of SAW filters and duplexers

SOS switches

Principles of FBAR / BAW filters and duplexers

Bulk CMOS switches

MEMS for antenna switching

Conclusion and Perspectives

Antenna switching pricing, market forecasts and

market share

2012

311

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:

2012

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

Who should buy?

Filter, PA, Switch, Tuner suppliers

Evaluate market potential of future technologies and

Mobile phone OEMs, Platform makers

products to comply with new standards

products

Understand the differentiated value of your products and

Identify potential strategic partners or technology

providers: for more integration

Monitor and benchmark your competitors advancements

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

packaging houses

Understand what are the applications that will drive the

volumes in 2016

R&D centers

strategies
2012

Identify the best candidates for technology transfer

Financial & strategic investors

Understand the structure and value chain of the cellular

handset RF industry

Spot new opportunities and define diversification

Evaluate market potential of future technologies and

products for new applicative markets

Specialists of baseband/ transceiver, of application

Understand how the new front-end and packaging

technologies will impact the future business

Identify new business opportunities and prospects

processor

Screen potential new suppliers able to provide new

functionalities, or cost and size savings

Identify new business opportunities such as tuners,

envelope tracking

generation of systems

Build roadmap for modules: which type of modules?

When?

Evaluate the benefits of using these new technologies

in your end system, design architectures for the next

technologies in this market

Evaluate market potential of future technologies and

Estimate the potential of new devices such as antenna

tuners

Get the list of the main key players and emerging startups of this industry worldwide

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.

Market for RF filters and duplexers in mobile

phones RF part ($M)
Yole dveloppement March 2012

2000

SAW 2011 market share ($M)

Others
(detailed
in the
report)
18.9%

Epcos
42.2%
Murata
38.9%

0
2010

2011

2012

Discretes SAW and BAW filters

2012

2013

2014

2015

BAW 2011 market share ($M)

Others
(detailed
in the
report)
8.5%

Triquint
26.4%
Avago
65.0%

2016

SAW and BAW duplexers

Yole dveloppement March 2012

Yole dveloppement March 2012

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

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

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.

Antenna switches in handsets - Technology breakdown

- In value -

Yole dveloppement March 2012

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%

0%
2010

2011

2012
GaAs

2012

SOS

2013
HR-SOI

2014
MEMS

2015

2016

EXTRACT OF ANTENNA
SWITCH PART
2012

Where are integrated RF switches?

Popularity of technologies in 2012
Multiband Multimode FEM
Multiband
Baseband transceive
(Multiband)
r

4 PA
(GSM)

Filters
(GSM)

Antenna
Switch
Module
(ASM)

PA + Duplexer
PA + Duplexer
PA

Antenna

Duplexer

PA module
PA die

PA die

Dual band
PA die

SPxT switch

PA die

Band switching
1. HR-SOI substrate
2. GaAs substrate

2012

10

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

T/R antenna switch

1. GaAs substrate
2. HR-SOI substrate
3. SOS substrate
4. CMOS (Infineon has been used then replaced)

Overview of Cell Phone RF Switch Technologies

(at the system level, not individual switch level)

Technical factors
Low insertion loss
Isolation and low
crosstalk
Switching speed
Frequency range :
Bandwidth
Low power
consumption
Small size
Potential for
integration

GaAs FET /
pHEMT

PIN Diodes

SOS

HR-SOI

MEMS

CMOS

++

++

+++

+++

+++

+++

++

++

++

+++

++

++

++

++

+++

++

+++
-

++

+
+++

(limited in low
frequencies)

+++

++

(capacitive switches
limited in low
frequencies)

++

+++

+++

++

+++

+
-

++

++

+++

(integration of power
management unit,
converge PA, tuner)

++

+++

(needs external
capacitors + ESD and
digital controller on a
separate CMOS die)

+++

Business factors
Low cost

+++

+++

(costly
substrate)

++

+++

Low risk (Maturity,

experience, supply chain
optimization)

+++

+++

++

Very -high-perf:
SP9T

Medium performance
mainstream part of the
market + Highperformance

Not ready yet (size and

hot switching issues)
Promising for highperformance segments

Just starting in handset

(use for ISM 900MHz
band). But but loss is
generally too high to be
used as a antenna switch

Use

2012

11

Low & medium

performance

Not used
anymore

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 2.6x3.4mm
2012

12

Source: Sony

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

13

Switch supply chain

Antenna switch
Design

Front-end modules

Platform makers /
Handset OEMs

Manufacturing

Integrated players
RFMD, Skyworks, Triquint

Integrated players

Platform makers
Qualcomm, ST Ericsonn, Intel
Mobile Communication

RFMD, Skyworks, Triquint

Pure-play switch
manufacturers

Handset OEMS
FEM makers

Sony, Peregrine

Murata, Epcos, Kyocera, Hitachi,

Avago

Commercialization of:
Either ASM
Or bare dies to be integrated in FEM with other components (filters)

2012

14

Samsung, Nokia, Apple

Available MEMS Reports

MEMJET

New!

Permanent Wafer
Bonding

New!
Motion Sensors for
Consumer & Mobile
applications

Technology Trends
for Inertials MEMS

New!

Thin Wafer
Handling

New!
IMU &High
Performance MEMS

Emerging MEMS
Technologies & Markets

2012

15

MEMS Cosim+
MEMS Manufacturing
Cost Simulation Tool

Infrared Detector
Market, Applications
and Technology Trends

Sensor fusion of
acceleros, gyros &
magnetometers

New!

New!

New!

MEMS Microphone

Ferro-Electric
Thin Films

Trends in MEMS
Manufacturing &
Packaging

New!

New!

MEMS & Sensors

for Smartphones

MEMS Players:
Analysis of Financial
Performance

Uncooled IR Cameras &

Detectors for
Thermography & Night
Vision

CMOS Image
Sensors

Yole activities in MEMS

Market
Research

Reports

Media business

Market research,
Technology & Strategy

Consulting services

News feed / Magazines /

Webcasts
www.yole.fr

2012

16