As the mobile market continues to expand at an exponential rate, the need for innovative ICs and semiconductors to address this market rises with it. UBM TechInsights has analyzed numerous devices over the course of 2011 that were specifically designed for mobile applications. These devices revealed new levels of creativity as engineers exhibited new techniques to meet the demands of portable electronic designers.
The 10th Edition of the Insight Awards aims to recognize the advancements that these mobile-targeted devices represent with the Most Innovative Device for Mobile Applications category. This award is given to the semiconductor, designed primarily for use in mobile applications, which best exhibits innovative properties based on the following criteria:
- Level of integration (device dependent – memory density, number of processor cores, number of supported connectivity protocols)
- Device size and geometry (vs. comparable devices)
- Advanced packaging technology
Based upon this criteria, UBM TechInsights is pleased to announce NVIDIA as the recipient of the Most Innovative Device for Mobile Applications for their Tegra 3 Applications Processor.
The NVIDIA Tegra 3 was chosen for its unparalleled innovation and market leadership in the applications processor space. The Tegra 3, as the latest member of the NVIDIA Tegra mobile processor family, was selected for fulfilling a need in the growing smartphone and tablets markets. Its unique architecture was also innovative; as the device features four ARM Cortex-A9 core processors along with a fifth “companion” core processor. Notably, the design uses an approach called Variable Symmetric Multiprocessing (vSMP), where the four ARM cores are used for demanding applications and a fifth “companion” processor is employed for low power functions such as audio playback; the four cores are shut down in this mode. The NVIDIA Tegra 3 is fabricated in a 40/45 nm CMOS process using nine layers of metal and a single poly layer. The use of flip-chip packing used with a metal heat spreader that dissipates thermal energy was also notable. 6T and 10T SRAM memories are also used though out the die. This is a solid design that we expect to see widely used in tablets this upcoming year.
The Other Finalists
Texas Instruments WL1283C WiLink 7.0 is named a finalist for being the industry's first single-chip to combine 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, FM transmit/receive, and a GPS receiver into a package solution. Since its discovery in the RIM Blackberry Playbook, the WL1283C’s four-in-one implementation has made it a popular selection for designers looking to maximize space in small mobile designs.
NXP receives their first Insight Awards Finalist nomination for their leading-edge NFC controller. As NFC technology became more and more readily adopted into mobile devices, single-chip ICs that made their implementation simple became essential. For their numerous design wins in 2011, NXP’s PN544 is declared a finalist.
For designing a transceiver die with unique functionality, Qualcomm’s HG11-VF535-220 transceiver die is selected as a finalist for this Insight Award. Found in numerous multi-chip packages including the RTR8600, RTR8605, QTR8200, and the QTR8600L, this versatile transceiver die can be used in a variety of baseband applications, from WCDMA to LTE.
Discovered powering the Sony Playstation Vita, the newest processor inside Sony's latest handheld console is a Toshiba-manufactured quad-core processor. The Vita features a 4 core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor and this device has the potential to be used across different platforms apart from just mobile gaming.