Internet of Things
The rise of IoT and the cloud and their associated technologies and platforms are slowly but surely fueling the emergence of new market segments that are shaping our way of life. The versatility of the devices combined with the power of networks and data centers to marshall the data for the endspaces is what is transforming pervasive computing to intelligent computing.
The IoT applications and use-cases that span clients/devices, networks, and data centers drive new requirements for semiconductors including ultra low power, ultra low leakage, smaller and denser packaging, and cost effectiveness. These requirements are at the heart of the differentiated technologies and products developed by GLOBALFOUNDRIES that feature low-power, cost-effective performance, RF, embedded memory, analog/power, and packaging. This “under-the-hood” differentiation at the semiconductor level enhances the user and application experiences for IoT.
Success in the Internet of Things requires that companies work together to innovate and differentiate. By forging long-view relationships with customers and partners to design and develop optimized solutions and driving excellence in execution – high yields and on time delivery – each and every one of us has a direct role to play in realizing the full potential of this critical opportunity.
Market Overview
Breadth of the IoT Applications Space
The Differentiator
GF Products
Customer Applications
Solutions
Key IoT Requirements and Suitability Matrix
| Categorization | Low | Mid | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| GF Products | 130nm - 55LPx, 22FDX® (FD-SOI) | 40nm, 28SLP, 22FDX® (FD-SOI) | 14LPP, 7nm FinFET, 12FDXTM (FD-SOI), and below |
| Class | ARM® Cortex® M0 to M3/M4 | ARM® Cortex® M3/M4 to Cortex®-A9 | ARM® Cortex®-A9+, Intel Xeon |
| Processor | 8-16bit | 16-32bit | 32-64bit |
| Speed | Up to 250MHz | Up to 1 GHz | Above 1 GHz |
| Memory | OTP / MTP: up to 256KB | Embedded NVM Flash/MTP: up to 2MB | External Flash > 4GB |
| OS | None / Simple RTOS / Proprietary | Proprietary/ RTOS / Android Wear | Mobile OS: Android / Wear / iOS HLOS: / Windows 10 IoT Enterprise |
| Connectivity (RF) | Bluetooth® Smart (BLE) / 15.4, Zigbee – typically off-chip | BLE /15.4, Zigbee, Wi-Fi – Integrated Cellular LTE Cat 1 / M – External (optional) | BLE / 15.4, Wi-Fi, USB; LTE Cat 1/ M /NB-IoT → 5G – External |
| Metal Layers | 4-7 | 8-10 |
RF CMOS-Application Landscape and Technology mapping
RF SOI & SiGe
| Application | 24 GHz | 77-86 GHz | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | MID | HIGH | |
| Machine-2-Machine (M2M) | SiGe PA: 5PAe, 1KW5PAe, 5PAx and 1K5PAx | SiGe HP: 8HP, 8XP | |
| 7SW, 45RFSOI (mmWave) | |||
| Industry 4.0 | SiGe PA: 5PAe, 1KW5PAe, 5PAx and 1K5PAx | SiGe HP: 8HP, 8XP | |
| 7SW, 45RFSOI (mmWave) | |||
| Smart Homes / Buildings | SiGe PA: 5PAe, 1KW5PAe, 5PAx and 1K5PAx | SiGe HP: 8HP, 8XP | |
| 7SW, 45RFSOI (mmWave) | |||
| Smart Cities / Grids | SiGe PA: 5PAe, 1KW5PAe, 5PAx and 1K5PAx | SiGe HP: 8HP, 8XP | |
| 7SW, 45RFSOI (mmWave) | |||
| TeleHealth / Medicine | SiGe PA: 5PAe, 1KW5PAe, 5PAx and 1K5PAx | SiGe HP: 8HP, 8XP | |
| 7SW, 45RFSOI (mmWave) | |||
| Smart Cities / Grids | SiGe PA: 5PAe, 1KW5PAe, 5PAx and 1K5PAx | SiGe HP: 8HP, 8XP | |
| 7SW, 45RFSOI (mmWave) | |||
| SiGe Usage Guidelines | 7SW, 45RFSOI Usage Guidelines |
|---|---|
| High PA Output Power | Low to Medium Output Power |
| Low Power / high frequency operation | Low Power / Low to Medium Frequency Operation |
| Low to Medium Digital Integration | High Digital Integration |
| Simplified Impedance Matching / mmWave BEOL | Simplified Impedance Matching / mmWave BEOL (45RFSOI) |
| High Breakdown Voltages | Low to Medium Breakdown Voltages |
| High Operating Voltages | Low to Medium Operating Voltages |
| Excellent Thermal Stability | LNA+Switch integration |
| Low NF; 1/f noise |
For the IoT/wearable power market:
- High-efficiency transient response at drive currents from 10-1000mA
- Low Iddq to conserve power
- Solutions with small footprints
Wearable PMIC
Key Metrics
- Noise performance
- Low leakage process (in single digit μA)
- Charging currents (<600mA)
- Low current (10-20mA) regulator with high PSRR
Battery Charger (Linear)
- 200-400mA chargers
- Low RDSon, low leakage
Lighting
- <7V BD, 20mA LED drivers
- Low ripple, single digit mV
Linear Regulator
- 20mA, High PSRR (>90dB across all freq)
SIDO
- Space constraints drive the need for a single inductor dual output interface
