Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Surprise, Samsung's A9 Processor is 9% Smaller than TSMC''s in iPhone 6s


Chipworks reversed engineered Samsung's and TSMC's A9
Apple is using both Samsung and TSMC to fabricate the microprocessor for the new iPhone 6 and 6s (see the article below). A second source is typically used to cut down the risk of depending on only one fab for key component.  It is very interesting that the die size of Samsung is 96 mm2 while TSMC die size is 8.85% larger at 104.5 mm2.

Apple improved the approach of using a second source. It implemented two versions at the same time. When you develop new complex products such as A9 with an embedding mobile processor inside A9 , there are risks that the new processor would not work. By using one design at TSMC, and a shrunk version at Samsung, Apple got ahead on the learning curve. It gave Apple a chance to implement improvement while shrinking the die. In addition, the shrunk die at Samsung reduces the cost of the A9 die.

It will be interesting to know if there are some performance differences between Samsung and TSMC versions.




Ron
Insightful, timely, and accurate semiconductor consulting.
Semiconductor information and news at - http://www.maltiel-consulting.com/





Chipworks: Both Samsung and TSMC are making the A9 chip for Apple

And the Samsung version is smaller than the TSMC version.


The only thing that most people will need to know about Apple's A9 is that it's a whole lot faster than last year's A8. But for those of you who are more interested in chip design, Chipworks has unearthed an interesting tidbit: there are two different versions of the A9 chip, one manufactured by Samsung and another by Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC). Most interestingly, Samsung's version (the APL0898) has a slightly smaller footprint than the TSMC version (APL1022).
There have long been rumors that Apple was dual-sourcing the A8 from Samsung and TSMC, but this is the first visual proof that we've seen of the practice. iPhone and iPad processors up to and including the A7 were all made by Samsung.
Apple buys other parts from multiple sources including NAND flash and RAM, but the SoC is a major component with bigger implications for performance and power. Chipworks promises a more in-depth look at how the two processors are different, but for now, all we know is that they differ in size.
We have no way to confirm whether the chips in our review samples were made by Samsung or TSMC. iFixit's teardowns found the Samsung version of the A9 in the iPhone 6S and TSMC's version in the iPhone 6S Plus, which makes sense—a larger phone has more room to spare for a larger chip—but that doesn't necessarily mean that all of the phones are being put together this way. In our testing, both the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus benchmarked nearly identically, and both behaved well during Geekbench's thermal throttling test.

Friday, September 25, 2015

iPhone 6s Teardown: A9, M9 Processors Secret Sauce

The new iPhone is a fast phone. The iPhone tear-down detailed below reveals that the processor A9 is packaged together with the mobility processor M9. "A9 package itself appears bigger—roughly 14.5 x 15 mm, up from 13.5 x 14.5 mm on the A8. That could represent a smaller die plus the addition of the embedded M9"

Placing both processors in close proximity in one package reduces the delay in operations that use both processors. For example operations using the new 3D touch technology. 

In addition, increasing the DRAM size to 2GB  LPDDR4 DRAM , also increase the speed of the phone by providing additional storage enabling more operations to occur at the same time in parallel.

It is also interesting that the battery "1715 mAh. It's a small but notable decrease from the 1810 mAh battery in last year's iPhone 6 "  is smaller. Using one package for A9 and M9 processors, and a larger LPDDR4 DRAM help to reduce power consumption.

Ron
Insightful, timely, and accurate semiconductor consulting.
Semiconductor information and news at - http://www.maltiel-consulting.com/





iPhone 6s Teardown




Step 1  iPhone 6s Teardown 

  • The 6s may look the same as last year's iPhone, but there are plenty of new features in this phone:
    • Apple A9 processor with embedded M9 motion coprocessor
    • 16, 64, or 128 GB of storage
    • 4.7-inch 1334 × 750 pixels (326 ppi) Retina HD display with 3D Touch
    • 12 MP iSight camera supporting 4K video recording with 1.22 ยต pixels, and a 5 MP FaceTime HD camera
    • 7000 Series aluminum enclosure and Ion-X Glass
    • 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi‑Fi with MIMO + Bluetooth 4.2 + NFC + 23-band LTE
    • Taptic Engine
    • ......
    • Step 14 

      • It turns out the rumors were true—battery capacity is down a bit, likely in order to make room for new features like the Taptic Engine and slightly thicker display.
      • The Lithium-ion pack comes in at 3.8 V, 6.55 Whr, and 1715 mAh. It's a small but notable decrease from the 1810 mAh battery in last year's iPhone 6.
      • This iPhone's battery still has the same identity issues as last year's. It seems to think it's from Apple South Asia (Thailand) Limited, Apple Japan, and is made in Changsu, China.
      • Nevertheless, Apple says battery life holds steady at up to 14 hours of 3G talk time and 10 days of standby—the same as in the iPhone 6. ...
      • ...
    • Step 17 

      • And now, for the moment we've all been waiting for... It's time to reveal some ICs on the front of the logic board:
        • Apple A9 APL0898 SoC + Samsung 2 GB LPDDR4 RAM (as denoted by the markings K3RG1G10BM-BGCH)
        • Qualcomm MDM9635M LTE Cat. 6 Modem (vs. the MDM9625M found in the iPhone 6)
        • InvenSense MP67B 6-axis Gyroscope and Accelerometer Combo (also found in iPhone 6)
        • Bosch Sensortec 3P7 LA 3-axis Accelerometer (likely BMA280)
        • TriQuint TQF6405 Power Amplifier Module
        • Skyworks SKY77812 Power Amplifier Module
        • Avago AFEM-8030 Power Amplifier Module
      Image 1/2: 57A6CVI

      EditStep 18 

      • Two more ICs on the front of the logic board:
        • 57A6CVI
        • Qualcomm QFE1100 Envelope Tracking IC
      • Based on alleged schematics leaked last month, the rumor mill had the A9 pegged at a 15% smaller die size from the A8. We can't confirm the die size, but the A9 package itself appears bigger—roughly 14.5 x 15 mm, up from 13.5 x 14.5 mm on the A8. That could represent a smaller die plus the addition of the embedded M9 and other functions.
      Image 1/1: Toshiba THGBX5G7D2KLFXG 16 GB 19 nm NAND Flash

      6 EditStep 19 

      • But wait, there's more! We'll double your order of chips absolutely free!
        • Toshiba THGBX5G7D2KLFXG 16 GB 19 nm NAND Flash
        • Universal Scientific Industrial 339S00043 Wi-Fi Module
        • NXP 66V10 NFC Controller (vs. 65V10 found in iPhone 6)
        • Apple/Dialog 338S00120 Power Management IC
        • Apple/Cirrus Logic 338S00105 Audio IC
        • Qualcomm PMD9635 Power Management IC
        • Skyworks SKY77357 Power Amplifier Module (likely an iteration of theSKY77354)
      Image 1/1: Murata 240 Front-End Module

      1 EditStep 20 

      • More ICs on the back of the logic board:
        • Murata 240 Front-End Module
        • Possibly a Bosch Sensortec barometric pressure sensor BMP280
        • RF Micro Devices RF5150 Antenna Switch
        • NXP 1610A3 (likely an iteration of the1610A1 found in the iPhone 5s and 5c)
        • Apple/Cirrus Logic 338S1285 Audio IC (likely an iteration of the 338S1202 audio codec found in the iPhone 5s)
        • Texas Instruments 65730AOP Power Management IC
        • Qualcomm WTR3925 Radio Frequency Transceiver