Graphene-on-SiC - ISOM

NEWS ANALYSIS
available wireless data standard but
fragmentation between the world’s lTesupported
40 frequencies means it’s not
universal across the uS and europe.
But despite the hope, many analysts
still question when this will take place.
The new RF front-end is slated to reach
handsets later this year, and while
the chipset could make 4G phones
compatible throughout the uS and
europe, compatibility across networks
would be a problem, as operators haven’t
yet confirmed 4G roaming agreements.
operator issues aside, the kneejerk
reaction of many has been that
Qualcomm will not initially target
the high-end markets dominated by
compound semiconductor power
amplifier heavyweights. Research
analyst Joanne Feeney from uS-based
The Qualcomm 4G radio
chip: Hit or hype?
Qualcomm’s new radio chipset may take us
closer to a global 4G phone, but does it really
signal an end to GaAs power amps in handsets?
market is moving into the mainstream,
and you’re going to need a combination
of performance and cost.”
anwar, like many, is also adamant Gaas
still has the performance edge despite
rapid progress from cmoS competitors.
Qualcomm has worked hard on its
envelope-tracking (eT) technology to
reduce power consumption by up to 30
percent, and nudge the efficiency of its
power amplifiers closer to that of Gaas.
at the same time, nujira has revealed
“breakthrough” test results from a
prototype cmoS power amplifier
coupled with its envelope-tracking power
modulators. chief executive, Tim haynes
asserts: “The combination of cmoS Pas
and nujira patented eT architectures
could ultimately signal the death of the
Gaas industry for handset applications.”
however, RFmD has now released new
eT power management products, with
president eric creviston claiming to be
“enthusiastic about the deployment of
eT-based solutions”. as anwar highlights:
“envelope tracking isn’t solely confined
to cmoS Pas. RFmD has just announced
eT for its Pas as well as Gaas Pas
designed to work with Qualcomm’s eT.
other Pa suppliers will follow with Pas
designed for eT.”
When Qualcomm unveiled its
cmoS-based front end module,
shares of compound semiconductor
wireless chip vendors slumped.RFmD’s
nose-dived by more than 14 percent,
Skyworks’ dropped 13 percent, and
TriQuint’s dipped by around 7 percent.
Some analysts cut RF vendor ratings,
describing Qualcomm’s release as a
‘bombshell’, while further down the
supply chain the shares of uK-based
III-V wafer maker, IQe, fell more than 13
percent in a day.
now normality is returning, with shares
of some industry players edging up.
SkyWorks is busy showcasing its
front-end platform − boasting take-up
from myriad oems − while RFmD has
unveiled new power amplifiers and
transmit modules. So was Qualcomm’s
latest offering such a bombshell after all?
Described as the first, single global
4G lTe design for mobile devices,
Qualcomm hopes its “RF360” will end
roaming problems that see travellers allto-quickly
bumped down to a 3G network.
4G lTe is the fastest commercially
longbow Research has stated that
potential technology shortcomings −
relative to Gaas power amplifiers − will
see the chipset adopted in lower-end
smartphones.
likewise, Raymond James analyst,
Tavis mccourt, highlighted uncertain
performance, predicting the solution
would first penetrate chinese markets.
Indeed, in a recent stockholder
conference, Qualcomm chief executive
Paul Jacobs said: “If we are focusing on
china, it’s been a great market for us...
It’s the number one smartphone country
in the world, 200 million smartphones
were shipped in china in 2012 with a
growth of 132 percent year-over-year.”
asif anwar, analyst at Strategic
Technologies, uS, has a different take.
“my initial reaction was, yes, Qualcomm
is going into the high-volume, low-end
chinese market with this,” he says.
“But then the company also talks
about proprietary packaging giving a
50 percent reduction in board, this will
be more expensive...The smartphone
Qualcomm also highlights how its latest
front-end, when combined with its Gobi
or Snapdragon baseband chip-sets, can
provide a comprehensive solution that
will help oems minimise development
and design costs. as Jacobs highlighted
in a recent stockholder conference,
nokia lumia, Galaxy S3, hTc one and
Sony XperiaZ are all built on Snapdragon
chipsets. But do high-end market players
want a complete base-band and frontend
solution?
“If you open up an apple or a Samsung
phone you will see [components from]
TriQuint, RFmD, avago, Skyworks and
anadigics, they are all there,” says
anwar. “So the handset oems are quite
comfortable with mixing and matching
components to optimise performance at
a competitive cost, and differentiate their
products. This isn’t to say the Qualcomm
front-end won’t have an impact, of
course it will, but we’re not going to see
Qualcomm take away Gaas market share
straight away.”
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22 www.compoundsemiconductor.net April/May 2013