2/18/2023 0 Comments Xbar filterAt present, the mobile handset market is dominated by SAW filters. This leads to a debate over which one is the best technology that holds a major competitive advantage, and therefore, the filter vendors that will lead the market. The relative strengths and weaknesses across the KPIs show that no one filter technology fits all. At the same time, they need to implement a technology that allows integration as best as possible across the desired spectrum, while reducing device Stock-Keeping Unit (SKU) counts.įigure 2: Selection of Filter Technology Key to Minimizing Complexity and Cost The ability to pack so many filters into a 5G device becomes a challenge as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) attempt to strike a balance between achieving the best gain and power consumption against the use of these differing, competing filter technologies. Each technology enables a level of improved performance at higher frequencies, although some are at an increased cost due to differences in the manufacturing process. Included in the BAW family are Film Bulk Acoustic Resonators (FBAR), other BAW technologies based on electromechanical coupling materials, such as XBAW and XBAR and piezoelectric-based BAW, such as ultraBAW. In contrast, BAW filters work most effectively at higher frequencies and the market is led by companies such as Broadcom, Murata, Skyworks, Qorvo and Qualcomm. However, these technologies are often more complex to build, which means they are more costly than traditional SAW filters for an equal die size. Additional SAW technologies, such as Thermo-Compensated SAW (TC-SAW) and Thin Film SAW (TF-SAW), as well as piezoelectric-based SAW (ultraSAW)provide an uptick in performance over standard SAW through addressing more challenging bands and having lower insertion losses. The SAW family of filter technologies, which generally operate at lower frequencies and have a simpler manufacturing process, are supplied by companies such as Qorvo, Skyworks, Murata and Qualcomm. Figure 2 provides top-level benchmarks for competing technologies across multiple KPIs, including thermal performance, frequency spectrum support, ability to integrate with other components and systems, complexity and implementation costs, spectral performance and packaging footprint. Other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), such as thermal performance, efficient packaging and integration with the system design, are all crucial aspects that need to be addressed to make sure that the correct choice of filter technology is selected.įigure 1: Filter Performance Essential to RFFE as Markets Move to 5GĪ variety of filters are available in the market, notably acoustic-based piezoelectric filter technologies, such as Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) and Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW), each of which have their strengths in distinct frequency bands and come with varying levels of complexity and costs. While they need to extend performance into these higher frequencies, working across multiple frequency bands and bandwidths, they must also remain low-cost and small enough so as not to impact the overall device form factor. In turn, within the RF, it is the filters that will be the most challenging and essential area to address fully as the market moves to 5G.įilters have been an integral part of mobile devices and the sheer numbers now needed in a 5G device have grown exponentially, while pressure to improve performance, increase thermal efficiency and reduce the overall die area of the chipset have become ever more important to reducing the cost and ensuring integrity of the signal and communication reliability.įilters are needed specifically to unlock the high bandwidths available in 5G, as well as for next-generation Wi-Fi co-integration. However, device democratization of the 5G experience will be constrained, not just by the modem and application processor, but by the Radio Frequency Front-End (RFFE). The adoption of 5G continues to thrive in the mobile devices market and is expected to become more diverse and expand exponentially across all types and price tiers.
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