關於2.5D封裝的關鍵角色 - 矽中介層的目前進展，上個月舉行的Global Interposer Technology Workshop有些討論，可以參考。SPIL應該是目前是唯一參與2.5D矽中介層生產的封測業者，目前已送樣，預定2014年Q1量產。

What can PCB based Interposers Deliver

All of the rumored “driver applications of 2.5D silicon interposer technology,” like the Apple A7, the next gen Qualcomm phone, the Sony PS4, ST Micro’s “Wioming” application processor, wide IO memory and the next generation Altera FPGA have been postponed. It is believed that all of these postponements are due to cost which certainly is not yet meeting the mobile phone requirements of less than 1 cent per sq mm proposed by Qualcomm’s Matt Nowak (i.e this is roughly $550 for a 300mm wafer of interposers).

Currently these dimensions, which require so called high density interposers (i.e. 1um L/S and as small as 10um TSV), can only be fabricated using front end dual damascene type processing available only at silicon foundries and more recently the OSAT, SPIL.


Corning TSV


Unimicron embedded lines

先進製程不再經濟實惠，IC設計業者對市場打預防針，宣告晶片通膨時代來臨？


Moore's Law isn't making chips cheaper anymore. Keeping Moore's Law going now requires complicated manufacturing techniques that are so expensive they cancel out the cost savings that should come with each new generation. The cost curves are kind of getting flat. Instead of getting more speed, less power consumption and lower cost with each generation, chip makers now have to choose two out of three. At levels like 14 nanometers process node, chip makers need more than traditional manufacturing techniques to achieve the high density. The more dense chips get, the more expensive it will be to make them.
- Henry Samueli, co-founder, chairman and CTO of Broadcom

Broad宣布，2014年底，其第一顆相容ARMv8-A的64-bit微伺服器晶片將會出貨。尚未命名的這顆晶片，採用TSMC 16FF製程，時脈高達3GHz！





此前不久，Samsung亦對投資圈揭露其64-bit處理器發展路線。











而Samsung的Foundry 2.0策略，也正式昭告其擴大晶圓代工業務的計畫，成為除Intel外，另一家搶食fabless訂單的IDM！

輸人不輸陣，先上了再說？


搶搭64-bit風潮，Qualcomm首航之作Snapdragon 410驚現面向千元人民幣低階LTE手機市場的ARM原廠標準Cortex-A53核心，並非自家客製的現行高階Krait 400的全新繼任者。採用TSMC的28LP製程，該晶片預計201年上半送樣，2014年下半有相關手機上市。



Snapdragon 410
• ARM Cortex-A53 64-bit CPU core
• Qualcomm Adreno 306 GPY core
• Qualcomm MDM9x25 modem built-in
• Dual and Triple SIM support
• Qualcomm RF360 Front End Solution, an option, enables multiband and multimode connectivity
• Enhanced ISP powers 13MP camera
• Qualcomm Reference Design versions available soon

沿襲Qualcomm傳統，S410內建4G LTE數據機，支援GPS、GLONASS、Beidou中美歐三大衛星定位系統，適合全球無線多頻環境，運作時脈在1.12~1.4GHz之間。

看來須有點耐心等Krait 500出來。

Given that the most ready 64-bit IP from ARM is the Cortex A53 (successor to the Cortex A5/A7 line), and all of the sudden it makes sense why Qualcomm's first 64-bit mobile SoC is aimed at the mainstream market (Snapdragon 400 instead of 600/800).

ARM included a number of power efficiency improvements and is targeting 130mW single-core power consumption at 28nm HPM (running SPECint 2000). It's expected to see slightly higher power consumption at 28nm LP on this extremely low power design.
- Anandtech

Apple的Air Drop就是這種概念∼

匯率因素與客戶第3季下旬提前調整庫存水位減少投片，28nm產能利用率由滿載降至9成以下，導致11月晶圓出貨量出現下滑，營收443.3億，月減14.4％，衰退幅度比法人預估的1成還要多。

12月進入中國農曆春節前庫存回補旺季，法人估12月營收可望出現8％以上反彈。在20nm開始投片及28nm產能利用率回升等因素下，TSMC明年第1季營收季減率約5％左右，3月之後營收就會再見到強勁成長動能。由於主要手機廠均將在明年第2季推出新機，加上20nm在明年第1季將正式進入量產階段，張忠謀日前預期，明年第2季業績將出現強勁反彈，一路旺到第四季。


魏哲家（left）及劉德音（right）, TSMC co-CEOs



20nm製程2014年一月量產；2013年28nm製程營收將達54億美元（約新台幣1620億元），挹注全年整體營收年成長17%至18%，全年占比23%；明年元月20nm製程也將如計畫量產，明年可望維持雙位數成長。



Apple處理器A8可望自明年第二季起貢獻TSMC約4%營收，全年則約占6%。
- Goldman Sachs

全志A80, 八核全至？



The Allwinner A80 Octa is due out around the end of 2013 or by the first quarter of 2014.

The chip design will allow devices to use up to all 8 processor cores at once. But when you don’t need that kind of performance boost, fewer cores will kick in to save power.

Allwinner晶片路線圖露餡！

1Q14,「A8x」大小核A15/A7的八心架構，支援HMP/GTS！GPU可能由SGX544或Mali的雙核升級成四核。

2Q14, 「A6x」大小核A15/A7的四心架構，GPU性能提升70％。

以上兩者皆採用TSMC 28nm製程。

1Q15, 「A7x」低成本大小核架構，GPU效能提升150%。

4Q15, 「A9x」64-bit的Cortex-A53/A57大小核，GPU效能提升300%, 採用28nm後的新製程。

4Q14, 「Wx」系列，超小、超低功耗，針對穿戴式設備。

聯發科勁敵現身，展訊大白鯊出擊。





以SC開頭的展訊晶片xxxx，命名法則如下：
前兩碼為支援制式，7 for WCDMA, 8 for TD-SCDMA；
後兩碼為CPU/GPU平台，如30A、35S！

SC7735S、SC8835S、SC8735S三者同屬35S平台，前者支持WCDMA，居中者則是TD-SCDMA，後者同時支援TD跟W！

30A跟35S系列都是1.2GHz四核Cortex-A7架構，然30A為Mali 400雙核GPU，僅支援雙卡雙待；而35S是Mali 400四核GPU，支援到雙卡雙通。

Shark晶片代表展訊技術層次的新提昇，成為繼Qualcomm、Mediatek之後，全球第三家提供SoC內建4in1（WiFi、BT、GPS、FM）功能基頻的公司。