A picture shows the layout of Qorvo and domestic replacement-penetration in various fields
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RF Front-End Introduction and Supply Chain
The RF front-end module of the mobile terminal mainly includes a power amplifier (PA), a low noise amplifier (LNA), a RF switch (Switch), a filter (Filter), a duplexer (Duplexer) and an antenna tuner (Antenna tuner), as shown in the following figure:
Power amplifier - responsible for amplifying the RF signal in the transmission channel.
Filter - used to retain the signal within a specific frequency band and filter out the interfering and unnecessary signals.
Duplexer - composed of two sets of band-stop filters with different frequencies, used to isolate the transmission and reception signals.
RF switch - used to switch between receiving and transmitting RF signals and switch between different frequency bands.
Low noise amplifier - mainly used to amplify small signals in the receiving channel.
Antenna tuner - matches the impedance between the transmitter and the antenna to improve the efficiency of the antenna in a specific frequency band.
The following figure shows the supplier information of each component of the RF front end. American and Japanese manufacturers such as Avago, Skyworks, Qorvo, Murata, TDK-Epcos, etc. still occupy a monopoly position. Affected by the Sino-US trade war, many domestic manufacturers have begun to deploy the RF industry.
RF front-end modules and their domestic and international supply chains
The integration of RF front-end is an inevitable trend. The volume of consumer terminal products is limited, and the number of RF devices is increasing. The integration of RF devices is an inevitable trend. Integration can reduce costs, improve performance, and provide turn-key solutions to system integrators. At present, integration is mainly achieved by integrating different process technologies in the SiP method to produce power amplifiers (PA), low noise amplifiers (LNA), filters, switches, and passive components. 5G mmWave RF modules will move towards a highly integrated trend. The development trend of RF front-end modules will gradually shift from discrete RF components to the FEMiD and PAMiD forms of integrated modules. The following table shows different RF front-end integrated modules.
The RF front end is becoming more and more integrated. Initially, RF devices for low (approximately <1GHz), medium (~1-2GHz), and high (~2-3GHz) frequencies were packaged in three separate modules. Later, the low-band module was expanded to 600MHz, and the medium-band and high-band modules were combined into one. More and more devices are integrated into the module, and the ultra-high frequency (~3-6GHz) module will support the existing LTE bands and the new bands brought by 5G. Millimeter wave will be a disruptive change, integrating the antenna and RF front end into a single module.
The following figure shows different PAMiD modules used in iPhone Xs. Taking Broadcom 8092 module as an example, this module adopts PAMiD packaging technology. The whole module integrates up to 29 devices, including 18 BAW filters, 5 RF switches, 4 RF PAs, etc. PAMiD integrates Tx and Rx modules, which can simultaneously meet the requirements of improving signal quality and miniaturizing module size.
Application of PAMiD in iPhone Xs
In the 4G era, mainstream RF suppliers such as Qorvo, Avago, Skyworks, Murata, and TDK-Epcos will first switch to 5G Sub 6GHz products and then enter the mmWave field. Fabless manufacturers directly target the 5G mmWave field and develop chip prototype designs and architectures. Terminal system manufacturers, such as Samsung and Huawei, have also shown strong interest in the design of RF chips. Intel may become a favorable alternative to QUALCOMM.
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