Communication Protocols used to in-system program the EEPROM in SiP Module

•IIC™ (Inter Integrated Circuit)
–2-wire
•MW™ (Micro Wire)
–3-wire
•SPI™ (Serial Peripheral Interface)
–4-wire

Certification of SiP module by handheld-maker?

•Yes, handheld-maker should do the duty for making certification of FCC/ETSI etc.
•There is almost no way to have SiP-module provider do the certification for compliance with EMC/SAR regulation even if the SiP module has its own EMI shield
•Further, it is hard to keep SiP module far away from other devices or components on the system board of handheld
•So, system-level certification is always needed; and pre-scan for certification by module provider is certainly welcomed by any system makers

Pin-to-pin backward compatibility to Legacy Models of SiP module

•Trade the cost-effectiveness of changing and not changing the pin-count and pin-out after SiP schematic and/or its layout have upgraded
•The cost includes the re-layout and subsequent re-certification cost-up of system maker who uses that SiP module
•The effectiveness includes any of effectiveness-up of system maker who uses that SiP module, which are due to possible pin-count reduction, pin-out optimization, and the results in form-factor decreasing and easiness of trace/ground routing for either EMI immunity or RF performance enhancement

Form-factors and Profiles of SiP Modules of WiFi-Only or WiFi/Bluetooth-Combo

•SiP circuitry only
–Occupied area: 100~200mm^2
–Thickness: 1~2mm
•Both SiP and out-of-package circuitry
–Percentage occupied area of SiP module with rest out-of-package components, relative to the occupied area of the circuitry by Direct-Chip-Attachment: ~50%
–Percentage thickness of SiP module with rest out-of-package components, relative to the occupied area of the circuitry by Direct-Chip-Attachment: ~100%

SiP Module: Design-guide versus Assembling-guide

•Let manufacturing be dominated by a leading EMS assembling house:
–The assembling house issues his design-guide which reflects his capability of manufacturing to each contracted design house of his
•Let manufacturing be dominated by a leading EDS design house:
–The design house issues his assembling-guide which matches his design goal to all his contracted assembling houses

An issue of WiFi+Flash SiP Combo module

•A SDIO WiFi shares common electrical interfaces with those of a SD flash memory
–A duplex-switch or a wired-OR are utilized for connecting
•A SDIO WiFi uses separated electrical interfaces from those of SD flash memory
–Flexibility is given for the easiness of controls and communications by respective drivers

An issue of WiFi+Bluetooth SiP Combo module

•A WiFi shares common antenna with that of a Bluetooth
–A duplex-switch or a power-divider are utilized for connecting
•A WiFi uses separated antenna from that of a Bluetooth
–Flexibility is given for the easiness of coexistence and EMC between WiFi and Bluetooth

The substrate building/providing for SiP Module making

Who are the best SiP substrate builders and providers in the world?

The packaging and the testing for SiP Modules

Who are the ones of the best assembling houses in the world for SiP Module packaging and testing on the stages of either sample run, pre-production run or production run?

Out-sourcing for SiP Module assembling

•RFI and Information:
–Qualification of Sample-run and Production-run (including Engineering-capability, Manufacturing-capacity, Technology and Management) Surveying
•RFP and Proposal:
–Primary-Item-Development-Specifications Negotiation
•RFQ and Quotation:
–Statement-Of-Works Deal-making

The third Parties of SiP Module Provider

•Chipset Vendors
•Rest Component Providers
•Mechanical Part Providers
•Test Support Equipment and Test Fixture Providers
•Certification Test Houses
•Assembling (Packaging/Testing) Houses

Manufacturing Verification Tests regarding SiP module

•In SiP Module provider side, the MVT test items include:
–Mandatory TX calibration and test
–Mandatory RX test
–Mandatory Memory loading and verification
–Optional Link throughput test
•In system maker side, who uses SiP Module, the MVT test items include:
–Optional TX test (without TX calibration or with TX calibration by default setting)
–Optional RX test
–Optional Memory verification (without Memory loading or with Memory loading by default setting)
–Mandatory Link throughput test

Tests prepared for SiP module provider

•Engineering Verification Tests (for the Quality/Reliability Assurances on Development Stage)
•Design Verification Tests including Contract-Specification, Certification, Regulation, Safety and Environment Tests (for the Quality/Reliability Assurances on Design Stage)
•Manufacturing Verification Tests including Low/middle/high-volume input/in-process/output tests (for the Quality/Reliability Assurance on Production Stage)

Tests propared for system maker who uses SiP module

•Optional assembling go-no-go diagnose by proprietary diagnostic tool (usually developed by SiP Module provider under supporting by chipset vender)
•Optional RF function/performance test by proprietary test tool (usually developed by chipset vender)
•Mandatory System function/performance check, simplified or complicated, by test utility over real platform (usually developed by system maker under supporting by SiP Module provider)

Possible elements in SiP In-package Front-end Module

•Power Amplifier
•Low Noise Amplifier
•Filters
•TX/RX Switch
•Bluetooth/WiFi Switch or Power Divider (Optional)
•Antenna Diversity Switch (Optional)

SiP possible integrated passive technologies

•Thin-film
•Low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC)
•High-density interconnection (HDI)

Bluetooth Coexistence Consideration regarding SiP Module

•Time sharing by 1/2/3/4-wire handshake
•Adaptive frequency hopping (BT1.2 and its descendants)
•Electromagnetic compatibility in Antenna and RF circuitry

Feature of In-Package Memory of SiP Module

•Flash Memory
–Low-cost, high-density, high-speed architecture; low power; high reliability
•EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory)
–Electrically byte-erasable; lower reliability, higher cost, lowest density

The substrate of SiP module

Material:
- Organic (High-Tg FR4/BT, Low-cost)
- Ceramic (LTCC, Small-form-factor)
Stackup:
- Laminate (Low-cost)
- Buildup (Small-form-factor)

SKU selections and RF Feature options of SiP modules

SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) selections:
1) Package: BGA or QFN
2) Power inputs: 3.3V single voltage or 3.3/1.8V dual voltages
3) Interface: SDIO single mode or Localbus/SDIO dual modes
4) 32.768kHz Oscillator: internal or external
5) Standard: WiFi only or WiFi/Bluetooth Combo
RF Feature options:
1) In-package Filters for GSM/3GPP Coexistence
2) In-package Shield for EMI immunity

SiP Driver porting supports

The Operating Systems supported by Drivers:
1) Windows CE
2) Windows Mobile
3) Linux
4) ThreadX
5) uC-Linux
6) uC-OS2
7) uItron
8) OS2
9) Nucleus
10)Symbian

Capability of SiP module provider

1) SiP RF/hardware/mechanical designs
2) SiP software design
3) SiP packaging
4) SiP testing
5) Driver porting support to system-maker
6) Utility/application-program supports to system-maker
7) Antenna engineering support to system-maker
8) Manufacturing process/test supports to system-maker
9) Supports of providing design/application guides to system-maker
10) Supports of helping design/application reviews to system-maker
11) Supports of assisting design/application debugs to system-maker

Main Feature of WiFi SiP Module

Standard
Solution
Dimensions
Package
Host Interface
Driver support
Power supply
Rest components
TX performance @SNR25dB or EVM5.6%
RX performance @ PER10%
Throughput performance @Linux/X86
Power consumption @ TX output power15dBm
Bluetooth coexistence
GSM/3GPP coexistence

How does SiP Module differ from the scheme of DCA

Use SiP (System in Package) Module rather than the scheme of DCA (Direct-Chip-Attachment):
1) If system-maker obtains Known Good Modules from module vendor,
•he can reduce system defects-per-million
•he can reduce system test-time
2) If system-maker obtains Small Form Factor Modules with Low Profile from module vendor,
•he can reduce the occupied area of the regarding circuits without sacrificing the thickness of them

What is SiP

A complete system packaged in one housing.
A SiP contains several ICs (chips) including a microprocessor on a single substrate such as ceramic or laminate.
A SiP is really a multichip module (MCM) that contains all the parts of a complete system.
The SiP term was first used by Amkor Technology in the late 1990s and not trademarked in order to encourage its use worldwide.