IC & RF RF IC

Deep dive into the first Human Machine Interaction (HMI) system with Infineon’s 60 GHz  Radar On-Chip AoP BGT60TR13C and Knowles’ DSP IA8508.

High frequency applications are getting more attractive thanks to two main advances that have developed and spread the technology in several segments, including consumer, industrial, and automotive. The advances are in silicon technology, including RFCMOS and BiCMOS, and in packaging including Antennae-on/in-Packages (AoPs/AiPs) and System-in-Packages (SiPs). Today, high frequency technology can be found on the market either used for communication in 5G technology or for Human Machine Interaction (HMI). This report analyzes the HMI technology integrated in the latest flagship smartphone from Google, the Pixel 4XL.

Using a chipset coupling two components from different companies, the smartphone has various HMI features. These include answering phones with a swipe through the air and turning the volume up and down with squeeze and rotation of the hand. Many gestures can be implemented thanks to a 60 GHz radar sensor from Infineon and a Digital Signal Processing (DSP) from Knowles, which have finally made this possible on a smartphone.

The radar sensor relies on Infineon’s Automotive radar knowledge and latest 0.13 µm SiGe technology development, its B11HFC process. Using AoP technology, the radar features one Tx and three Rx channels directly on top of the Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC). The radar sensor captures and follows the hand gesture. The DSP, integrated in the System-on-Chip component from Knowles, processes received data are like sound wave signals.

The report includes a full investigation of the DSP component and the radar sensor. It features a detailed study of the structure of the AoP and of the new implementation of the SiGe BiCMOS technology, including die analysis, process and a PCB cross-section. It contains a complete cost analysis and a selling price estimation of the system. Finally, it features a technical comparison with the previous generation of SiGe transistor, process name B7HFC200, from Infineon and the direct-ToF sensor from STMicroelectronics, model VL6168X and a cost comparison with the AoP system from Texas Instruments, model AWR1843AoP.

Overview/Introduction

Company Profile and Radar and HMI Technology

Google Pixel 4XL Teardown

Market Analysis

Physical Analysis

• Physical analysis methodology
• Module analysis
  • Module view: Dimensions, marking, integration and block diagram
• DSP Component and Antenna-on-Package analysis
  • Package view and dimensions
  • AoP Package X-Ray: overall view, PCB routing, antenna structure and cross-sections
  • Package opening and cross-section: Dimensions and RDL/PCB
  • Package process analysis
• DSP and MMIC die analysis
  • Die view and dimensions
  • MMIC RF Block IDs: VCO, ADC and Rx/Tx channel
  • Die delayering and main block IDs
  • Die process and cross-section
  • MMIC SiGe transistor, doping structure and CMOS integration

Physical Analysis Comparison

• Infineon’s B7HFC200 vs. B11HFC
• STM VL6180X vs. IFX BGT60TR13C

Manufacturing Process Flow

• Die fabrication unit: DSP, MMIC
• BiCMOS process flow
• DSP and AoP packaging fabrication unit

Cost Analysis

• Overview of the cost analysis
• Supply chain description
• Yield hypotheses
• Die cost analyses: DSP, MMIC
  • Front-end cost
  • Wafer and die costs
• Package Cost Analysis
  • DSP and AoP package cost
  • AoP cost by process step
• Final test and Component cost

Estimated Price Analysis for the DSP IA8508 and the Radar Sensor BGT60TR13C

Cost Analysis Comparison

• IFX BGT60TR13C vs. TI AWR1843AoP

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