Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

The original title: "Radio frequency chip, destroyed by domestic?" "

If you want to say which segment of semiconductor is the busiest recently, it should be in the field of radio frequency, including Feifeng Technology, Huizhiwei, Kangxi Communications and other companies are queuing up for IPO.

However, when it comes to radio frequency chips, the first reaction of many people is to be "out of date". Whether it is a series of outbreaks in the listing of radio frequency-related enterprises, or the cooling of the primary market, investment institutions no longer prefer radio frequency technology, or radio frequency giants such as Skyworks, Qorvo, Broadcom and other radio frequency giants expand to other markets [1], all signs are pessimistic.

Although China seems to be strong in the field of radio frequency, there are still many gaps. 6G, Wi-Fi 7 is coming slowly, the market should continue to be rational, but also to the future layout.

This article is the 22nd article in the series of "domestic substitution" planned by "Fruit Shell hard Technology", focusing on the domestic substitution of RF chips. In this article, you will learn which chips are related to RF, the overall development of RF chips made in China, and the way out of domestic RF chips.

Fu Bin | author

Li Tuo | Editor

1. The word "Radio Frenquency" of mobile phone is translated from English. At first, it was first used in FM / AM, but now RF-related modules are still installed in all devices that need wireless and communication, and are responsible for the reception, conversion and presentation of 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, UWB, LoRa, NB-IoT and other communication protocols. Without a radio frequency module, a mobile phone can no longer be called a mobile phone.

The RF chip is the core of the RF module, which refers to the integrated circuit that can receive or transmit the RF signal and process it. Processing refers to the transmission of the RF signal from which the baseband signal is upconverted and filtered, or the received RF signal is converted and filtered to get the baseband signal.

RF chip does not require a high manufacturing process, but it is not affected by Moore's law [2], but it does not mean that it is very simple. Unlike CPU, GPU or power management chips, RF chips are complex in design and are generally measured by working frequency band and gain, so the overall market is more stable and updated slowly, unlike the former, where new products are released from time to time. [3]

Mainstream RF manufacturers mainly use independent production mode of operation, that is, IDM (Integrated Design and Manufacture, vertically integrated manufacturing), Fabless (no manufacturing semiconductors) mode of the company is difficult to form an advantage with IDM, in addition, the RF chip threshold is very high, can not be done.

On the one hand, the function of mobile terminal equipment increases rapidly, 5G and Wi-Fi 6 technology become the mainstream, and the number of RF chips increases rapidly. however, the space left for RF chips does not increase synchronously. High integration will further increase its design difficulty, coupled with different types of chip combination, interference and coexistence and other problems, design difficulty increases exponentially. For example, in the 4G era, only the flagship head phone manufacturers will adopt highly integrated PAMiD RF front-end solutions, while in the 5G era, L-PAMiD and L-PAMiF have become standard for middle and high-end mobile phones, and RF chip companies that cannot provide related technologies will only be eliminated. [4]

On the other hand, from a commercial point of view, the design of a RF chip not only requires a lot of theoretical knowledge, but also tests the designer's experience. Integrated circuits that do not depend on the manufacturing process mostly rely on the replacement of materials to improve performance. GaAs (gallium arsenide), SiGe (silicon germanium), GaN (gallium nitride), each generation of materials has its own process, devices and circuits, coupled with the requirements of many RF chips are challenging the process limit. This requires a lot of innovation in the structure of the device. [5]

2, each of the four parts has its own market RF chip is a very general word, although in many cases, the RF chip in our mouth mostly refers to the RF front-end chip, but in fact there is more than one kind of RF chip embedded in the mobile phone. each has a broad market prospect.

Generally speaking, the mobile phone wireless communication module is divided into four parts: RF front-end, baseband, transceiver and antenna, each of which is composed of a large number of discrete chips, the market is very complex.

Structure schematic diagram of smart phone communication system [6] Radio frequency front-end RFFE (RF Front End), a domestic favorite radio frequency front-end, is the only way for antennas and RF transceiver chips. it is responsible for the transmission and reception of radio magnetic wave signals. it is a necessary core module for mobile terminal equipment to realize cellular network connection, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and other wireless communication functions.

RF front-end chips usually integrate a variety of different devices, and the type and number of devices integrated in different terminals are also different. In most cases, the RF front-end chip includes power amplifier (PA), filter (Filter), Duplexer or Multiplexer (Duplexer or Multiplexer), low noise Amplifier (LNA), switch (Switch), Antenna tuning Module (ASM) and other devices. In the RF front-end architecture of some terminals, dual-pass devices (Diplexer) and connectors (Coupler) are added after the antenna switch. [7]

Different devices do not do their own tasks, but coordinate with each other: the radio frequency power amplifier (PA) is used to amplify the radio frequency signal of the transmitting channel; the radio frequency low noise amplifier (LNA) is used to amplify the radio frequency signal of the receiving channel; the Duplexer is used to separate the transmitted signal from the received signal; the filter is used to retain the signal of a specific frequency band and filter the signal outside the specific frequency band. The radio frequency switch is used to realize the transceiver conversion of radio frequency signals and centralize the radio frequency signals of different frequency bands in the same channel. [6]

In addition, different devices also affect the communication quality of the whole machine: for example, the link insertion loss of the whole front end affects the RF signal power and sensitivity, the PA amplification performance will affect the power of the transmitted signal, the LNA amplification performance will affect the sensitivity of the received signal, and the filter will affect the out-of-band spurious index of the RF signal. [8]

Introduction of RF front-end devices in the terminal part [7] from 2G to 5G, the design of RF front-end is quite different:

On the one hand, the number of chips in mobile terminal devices is increasing sharply, and the overall value is rising continuously. For example, the value of radio front end in high-end 4G mobile phones is 17 times that of 2G mobile phones, while in 5G era, the value of RF front end is more than twice that of 4G mobile phones. [9]

On the other hand, the space left for RF front-end chips by mobile terminal devices has not increased. In the past, RF front-end module circuit design focused on power amplifier (PA) design, pursuing low-voltage operation, high power output and high power to meet the use of low-voltage batteries, so as to reduce the size and achieve the purpose of power saving [10]. Manufacturers can only not improve the integration of the RF front-end to meet the existing design requirements, which will inevitably increase the threshold of mid-and high-end market entry.

Quantitative change and value of 2G~5G RF front-end [11] in the past years, different device processes and materials of RF front-end have experienced many iterations. At present, below 2GHz frequency band, RF front-end module is mainly silicon integrated circuit process design such as metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), bipolar junction (BJT), silicon germanium (SiGe) or Bipolar CMOS, while above 5GHz band. Gallium arsenide field effect transistor is superior in electrical function. Throughout the market, the trend of RF front-end devices is as follows--

Filter: can be divided into radio frequency filter and base station filter. SAW (surface acoustic wave) and BAW (bulk acoustic wave) are the mainstream technologies at present, which have higher frequency band, lower loss and wider frequency range than SAW,BAW [12]. At present, SAW prefers medium and low frequency data processing, mainly Japanese manufacturers, the market application space is larger, BAW tends to high frequency data processing, mainly American manufacturers, the application space is narrower, but the value is high [2]. From the end of the industry chain, the upstream key materials include piezoelectric wafers (lithium tantalate, lithium niobate, etc., commonly used in SAW, aluminum nitride, etc.) and ceramic substrates, mainly concentrated in Japan; mid-stream device manufacturing is concentrated in Japan and the United States; the downstream demand side includes mobile phones, vehicle terminals, VR equipment, and so on. In the 4G era, a mobile phone needs only more than 30 filters, while hundreds of filters are usually used in the 5G era. In addition, the unit price has increased from $7.50 to $812, and the market space is gradually climbing [13]. On the market side, the filter will increase from $12.1 billion in 2022 to $34.61 billion in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 16.2%; [14]

Amplifier: divided into RF low noise amplifier and RF power amplifier, mainly realized by PHEMT and HBT transistors. PHEMT process with high frequency, low noise and high output power is mainly used in X band and above. HBT process occupies a unique position in applications such as high speed, large dynamic range, low harmonic distortion and low phase noise [15]. Only amplifiers that meet certain technical specifications are practical. Including power output, system efficiency, frequency range and distortion, domestic players include Huizhiwei, Ziguang Zhanrui, Feiji Technology, Anruiwei and so on. On the market side, PA will grow from $5.03 billion in 2022 to $21.04 billion in 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 15% [16], and LNA will grow from $2.05 billion in 2020 to $3.29 billion in 2027, with an annual compound growth rate of 6.97%; [17]

Radio frequency switch: mainly including conduction switch and antenna switch, mainly using RF-SOI technology, widely used in smart phones and other mobile intelligent terminals [11]. In the market, RF switches will grow from US $4.02 billion in 2020 to US $8.56 billion in 2027, with an annual compound growth rate of 11.4%; [18]

Duplexer: also known as antenna multiplexer, consists of two groups of band-stop filters with different frequencies to avoid transmitting signals from the local machine to the receiver. The technical indicators mainly include the operating frequency range, isolation, insertion loss, stability, voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR). In the market, the Duplexer will grow from $7.85 billion in 2022 to $21.62 billion in 2023, with an annual compound growth rate of 10.7%. [19]

The materials and special manufacturing processes of different RF front-end devices are constantly developing [20] the global market of RF front-end is growing steadily, and the degree of concentration is very high. According to Yole, products from Skyworks, Broadcom, Qorvo, Qualcomm and Murata of Japan accounted for more than 80 per cent of the market in 2021 and 2022, while domestic manufacturers such as Ruidi, National Feiluke, Vuitton and Weir share only shared the remaining 20 per cent of the market.

In addition, according to the latest Yole research, the radio front-end market will grow from $19.2 billion in 2022 to $26.9 billion in 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.8 per cent. [21]

Forecast of Radio Frequency Front-end Market from 2021 to 2027 [21]

Market data of major manufacturers of radio frequency front-end from 2021 to 2027 [21] from the perspective of patents, China attaches great importance to the research of RF front-end technology. According to Smart Bud data, using RF front-end as keyword search, a total of 22223 patents were found in 170 countries, with a total value of US $1184138000. Among them, China accounts for the majority, accounting for 85.21% of the global RF front-end patent review, followed by the United States, accounting for 10.48%.

From the trend of patent applications from 2004 to 2023, the number of global RF front-end patent applications and grants increased year by year before 2020, and then gradually slowed down to the 2018 level, while the proportion of authorization began to decline rapidly since 2015.

Compared with the wireless development in the same period, 2004-2020 is the period of high-speed iteration of wireless technology, cellular mobile technology and Wi-Fi technology are rapidly iterative, especially in the period of 5G and Wi-Fi 6, related technologies emerge one after another. Up to now, the overall maturity of the market has gradually improved, the demand for applications related to superimposed RF front-end has slowed down, and the market has also returned to calm.

According to the ranking of RF front-end applicants, Huawei is far ahead in the number of applications, with a total of 866 RF front-end patents, followed by OPPO, North (Tianjin), vivo, South China University of Technology, ZTE, Qualcomm, University of Electronic Science and Technology, Apple and so on. In addition, Glory, Google and Intel are also active in the RF front-end field, with 103, 93 and 91 patents respectively.

According to the ranking analysis of RF front-end applicants, the image source, the RF front-end and the chip are used as keywords to search for the wisdom bud at the same time. It has a total of 932 patents in 170 countries / regions, with a total patent value of US $24935900. Among them, the richest patent reserve is still China, accounting for 78.32% of global RF front-end chip patents, followed by 7.85% in the United States, 2.13% in Europe, 1.86% in South Korea, 1.20% in Germany and 1.06% in Japan.

From the flow chart of the five bureaus, the layout of a large number of RF front-end chip patents in China is mainly concentrated in China, while China and the United States own most of the patents.

Analysis of the trend of the country of origin of RF front-end chip technology, an overview of the situation of patent applicants in the field of RF front-end chips. Qualcomm's patent reserve is substantially ahead of other companies, with a total of 40 patents. In addition, the patents of domestic companies such as ZTE, Weichi Chuangxin, Ruishi Chuangxin, Xinwei Communications, Spreadtrum Communications, Huawei and other domestic companies are also worthy of attention.

According to the applicant ranking analysis of the RF front-end chip, the full name of the smart bud baseband chip-almost monopolized baseband (Baseband) is the basic frequency band, which originally refers to the frequency broadband inherent in the unmodulated original electrical signal, that is, the 0Hz signal at the central point, but now it usually refers to the communication module in the mobile phone, including baseband chip, baseband signal modem and other auxiliary components.

The baseband chip is the core part of the baseband and the butler of wireless communication, which is responsible for signal generation, modulation, coding and frequency shift.

Generally speaking, baseband chips are independent of other chips, and there are a large number of repetitive devices existing in mobile phones, including CPU processors, channel encoders, digital signal processors, modems and interface modules [22]. Standalone systems help improve operational efficiency and prevent them from being affected by application errors or operating system changes. [23]

Baseband chips have long been monopolized. From the existing market, Qualcomm is the absolute leader in the field of baseband chips. According to the Strategy Analytics report, 2022Q3 Qualcomm's mobile phone baseband chips account for 62% of global revenue, followed by MediaTek (26%) and Samsung (6%) [24]. The difficulty lies in:

First of all, the wireless communication technology is iterated for many times, and the terminal generally requires the terminal to have the ability of multi-mode and multi-frequency, which can roam many regions of the world without any modification, which requires the baseband chip to have the ability of downward compatibility, such as covering 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G and Wi-Fi 6 standards. [25]

Secondly, the architecture of the baseband chip is extremely complex, and R & D requires strong technical reserves and continuous financial support. in the hardware architecture, the baseband chip mostly adopts the architecture of MCU (Arm) + DSP+ASIC, which involves codec, channel estimation, channel equalization, synchronization and measurement algorithms, etc. [26]; the software determines the performance limit of the baseband chip, including real-time operating system (RTOS), driver (Drivers) and protocol stack (Protocol Stack). [27]

Finally, the giants with extremely rich technical capabilities and experience monopolize the market, and the laggards may be caught in the market by competitors with only one decision-making mistake or postponement of listing. As a result, many traditional foreign suppliers have given up the research and development of baseband chips. For example, the powerful Intel has to give up the cake of baseband chips.

From a patent point of view, in order to maintain market dominance, the world is increasing its investment in R & D baseband, especially after 5G is gradually commercialized. Smart Bud data show that using baseband as keyword search, there are a total of 344255 patents in 170 countries, with a total patent value of US $40304,149,700. Among them, China accounts for 73.13% of the world's baseband patents, followed by 14.58% in the United States, 5.01% in Japan, 1.73% in Europe and 1.57% in South Korea.

According to the development trend map of baseband patents, Smart Bud Hua is the most active in the baseband field. Huawei Technology Co., Ltd. applied for a total of 32200 patents, followed by Qualcomm, with 9312 patent applications. ZTE, OPPO, vivo, Glory, Samsung, Apple, Sony, Ericsson, Nokia, Intel and other well-known companies also pay close attention to baseband technology.

According to the ranking analysis of baseband applicants, the map source uses both baseband and chip as keywords to search for a total of 5192 patents in 170 countries / regions, with a total value of US $161273000. Chinese baseband chip patents account for 73.12% of the total number of global patents, while those in the United States, South Korea, Japan and Germany are 12.08%, 5.85%, 4.47% and 1.6%, respectively.

From the flow chart of the five bureaus, although the number of baseband patents in China is extremely large, the layout is mainly concentrated at home, and the overseas layout is insufficient. Although the number of the United States, Europe, Japan and South Korea is small, but the layout is more balanced, in addition, the United States layout to China has a large number of baseband chip patents, pay more attention to the relevant market in China.

According to the trend analysis of the country of origin of baseband chip technology, Wisdom Huawei is still the company with the widest layout around baseband chips, with 192 related patents. Qualcomm, MediaTek and Samsung, which monopolize half the sky of baseband chips, also have rich patent reserves. In addition, international enterprises worthy of attention include Avago, LG and Infineon, while domestic enterprises include ZTE, TCL, Spreadtrum, Huaqin Electronics, OPPO, Konka and so on.

Baseband chip applicant ranking analysis, image source: smart Bud RF transceiver-as the name suggests, RF transceiver is equivalent to a mailbox placed in a mobile phone to help receive or send messages, which determines the cost and performance of the entire RF unit. According to the process of spectrum transformation in the transceiver process, the RF transceiver chip is mainly divided into three structures: superheterodyne structure (or intermediate frequency receiver), zero intermediate frequency architecture and direct RF sampling. different structures have their own advantages and disadvantages in integration, performance, cost and power consumption. Among them, the superheterodyne structure is the most classical structure.

RF transceiver chip is also an extremely difficult field to break through. The domestic self-sufficiency rate is almost zero, and its future market size is more than 30 billion US dollars. According to Verified Market Research data, RF transceiver chip will grow from 12.2 billion US dollars in 2021 to 36.57 billion US dollars in 2030, with an annual compound growth rate of 11.6 per cent [29]. With the development of vehicle Internet, industrial Internet of things and satellite Internet industry, the transceiver chip market will only continue to expand. [30]

A RF transceiver chip is composed of a large number of high quality factor discrete components, including low noise amplifier, mixer, RF, intermediate frequency and mirror frequency suppression filter, voltage controlled oscillator, etc., and the product integration is getting higher and higher, coupled with the multi-mode has been a rigid requirement, so the CMOS integration process is extremely complex and difficult [31]. What is more difficult is that the formed chip products must be able to coordinate other parts of the modules to form a set of organic whole system to operate efficiently. [32]

Transceiver chip manufacturers are divided into two categories, one is to rely on the fundamental frequency platform, the transceiver as a part of the platform, such as Texas Instruments (TI), Qualcomm (Qualcomm), NXP (NXP), MediaTek (MediaTek), the other is professional RF manufacturers, do not rely on the fundamental frequency platform to expand the transceiver chip market, such as Infineon (Infineon), Italian Semiconductor (ST), RFMD, Skyworks. [10]

From a patent point of view, China has also invested a lot in the field of transceiver chips. Smart Bud data show that using RF transceiver as keyword search, there are a total of 42947 patents in 170 countries with a total value of US $6278372500, of which China accounts for 69.19% of the global number of RF receiving and receiving patents, followed by the United States (26.22%) and Europe (1.25%).

From the perspective of patent trend, the popularity of RF transceiver continued to rise before 2018, and after 2018, the number of applications decreased year by year, and the proportion of licensing continued to decline.

According to the development trend map of RF transceiver patents, companies such as Smart Bud Apple, Qualcomm, OPPO, Huawei, ZTE, vivo and MediaTek all pay more attention to RF transceiver technology and reserve a large number of related technology patents, of which OPPO is the most keen to apply for RF transceiver patents, with nearly 4000 related patents.

According to the ranking analysis of RF transceiver applicants, when the smart bud uses RF transceiver and chip as keywords, a total of 1247 patents with a total value of US $37196100 were found in 170 countries / regions. Among them, the top four are China, the United States, France and South Korea, accounting for 83.87%, 10.03%, 1.87% and 1.57% of the total global RF transceiver chip patents, respectively.

The flow chart of the five bureaus shows that China and the United States monopolize most of the patents for RF transceiver chips, especially China has a huge layout of RF transceiver chips in China, but the output patents are relatively few.

The patent field of RF transceiver chip technology includes not only ZTE, OPPO, Huawei, Spreadtrum, vivo and other domestic companies, but also Xi'an Electronic Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and other colleges and universities.

RF transceiver chip applicant ranking analysis, image source, smart bud antenna-- also belongs to the semiconductor industry to see the name, the antenna seems to have nothing to do with the chip, but in fact it is also a typical application in the semiconductor industry.

From the mobile phone to the old straight-board mobile phone, we have seen a large external antenna. Until now, the antenna is still an indispensable device for the mobile phone to receive and transmit signals, and its quality even determines the living space of the mobile phone market.

According to the structure, the mobile phone antenna can be divided into PIFA type, slot type, monopole type, reconfigurable type, with lumped parameters and other types [33]. Finally, the ideal antenna must have the characteristics of multi-band, wide band, low cost, low radiation, high performance and so on.

Antenna design is a major difficulty in the industry. nowadays, 5G antennas include multi-band carrier aggregation, 4x4 MIMO, Wi-Fi MIMO and other technologies, which bring great challenges to antenna tuning, amplifier linearity, power consumption and interference. In addition, the number of antennas in the whole machine is increasing with the complexity of the function, but there is no product to put the antenna outside, and the space left for the antenna inside is also very narrow.

In the face of the above difficulties, one solution for the industry is to use a common antenna for channels such as GPS, Wi-Fi, if, HF and UHF, and the other is to use antenna tuning to tune each antenna to the working frequency band, but no matter which design or method is adopted, it will increase the overall design difficulty and involve complex material innovation problems. [34]

In terms of market space, antennas will grow from $19.81 billion in 2021 to $45.58 billion in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.7% [35]. However, it should be noted that the high-end terminal antenna is still led by American manufacturer Amphenol and Japanese manufacturer Murata, and domestic still needs a breakthrough.

From a patent point of view, antenna research and development is related to the consumer electronics market cycle. According to Smart Bud data, using antennas as keyword searches, there are a total of 1223641 patents in 170 countries with a total value of 145613919800 (US dollars).

From the perspective of patent trend, from 2017 to 2020, the industry maintained a high enthusiasm for antenna research, while from 2021 to 2022 it declined back to the level of 2014, when the demand for consumer electronics was sluggish and the mobile terminal market such as mobile phones was declining.

According to the proportion of various countries, the number of antenna patents in China accounts for 66.47% of the global total, while those in the United States, Japan and South Korea are 16.17%, 7.69% and 2%, respectively.

The five-bureau flow chart shows that China's overseas layout in the antenna field is seriously insufficient, compared with the United States, Europe, Japan and South Korea, there are a large number of patents exported to China, which shows the importance of the Chinese antenna market to the world.

According to the trend analysis of the country of origin of antenna technology, Huawei and Qualcomm both have more than twice the number of patents in the field of smart bud antennas, while OPPO, vivo, Samsung and ZTE are closely followed by a large number of patent layouts.

Antenna applicant ranking analysis, map source: wisdom Bud 3, volume of the market, domestic how to go the battlefield of RF chips has been ruthless, once players Freescale (Freescale), Texas Instruments (TI), Marvell (Marvell), NVIDIA (NVIDIA), STE and other successively withdraw from the market [36], existing companies continue to integrate mergers and acquisitions, giving birth to one after another unreachable giant.

For example, Qorvo was formed by the merger of Radio Frequency Micro Devices (RF Micro Devices) and Super Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (Tri Quint Semiconductor) in 2015. After its establishment, it has made a number of mergers and acquisitions, and its product line has expanded to the Internet of things, 5G and other fields.

Although judging from the above various RF chip patents, China seems to have reached the peak, but in fact, in more than 20 years of history, there are not many changes in RF chip technology, and thousands of patents of each company in the world constitute an omni-directional blockade to China. [37]

What is more difficult is that the Matthew effect in the field of RF chips is highlighted. Advanced international manufacturers have accumulated more than 20 years of experience. In the face of new products, new applications and new demand, these manufacturers can do quickly and well. In addition, the domestic and international differences in similar design costs are more than 20%. At the same price, international manufacturers' gross profit margin is obviously more advantageous. [37]

People in the industry also lament that in the field of RF chips, American companies are eating meat, Taiwan companies are drinking soup, and Chinese mainland & Johnson has not even gnawed at the bones. [36]

From the history of the development of domestic RF chips, it is a fickle capital market, which has been used in the field of RF chips for only nearly 20 years.

In the 2G era, the establishment of Redeco marks the beginning of a domestic breakthrough in the field of RF front-end. However, 3G became the mainstream of the market in 2010, and the capital market is still not optimistic about the RF chip market. There are only new players in Wuxi Zhongpu Microelectronics and only Jie Chuangxin on the track.

Until the emergence of 4G, RF chips have become popular in the eyes of capital, scrambling to enter. Before long, the RF chip market was crowded with players. Huizhiwei, Zhuoshengwei, Feixian Technology and Han Tian (now Onruiwei) were set up one after another. in addition to the market expansion, it is gradually inward market. These manufacturers start with relatively mature discrete RF chips and continue to accumulate experience.

During the 5G window period, China has gradually realized the domestic replacement of the RF front-end of the middle and low-end models, accumulating module capacity and moving towards full-category supply [38]. Companies such as Zhuosheng Micro, Weijie Chuangxin, Ruishi Chuangxin, Feifei Technology, Huizhi Microelectronics and other companies have also launched RF front-end module products and mass production. [39]

It should be pointed out that although local manufacturers have continued to achieve breakthroughs in subdivision areas such as RF switches and low-noise amplifiers, they are still lack of high-end products and are highly dependent on imports. [40]

Key events of domestic radio frequency chips, tabulation? fruit shell hard technology, reference materials? semiconductor industry observation [41] [42], set microgrid [43] "dual-use technologies and products" [44] when the domestic radio frequency chip race track was packed with players, the volume began to appear, and the once popular cake began to look different.

In 2020, the gross profit margin of RF front-end chips was as low as 20%, and the market continued to hit a new low. at that time, most start-ups cherished ideals, targeting Skyworks, Qorvo, Qualcomm and many other high-end chip companies, but after a year or two, the products could not even be matched with domestic first-tier brands, and even developed mature chips such as 2G and 3G, and selling goods at a bargain price became the last straw for startups. In fact, Maori exaggerates to such an extent that it is no longer necessary for startups to make domestic substitutes for mature low-end products, but should pay attention to the hard bones such as baseband chips and high-end RF chips. [45] [46]

This situation has not changed after two years. In 2022, there is news that the gross profit margin of PA chips has been low to single digits, and shipping at a loss has become the norm. Head manufacturers also hope to speed up the industry reshuffle through this effect. Already in the midst of a hail of bullets, but the market is even more brutal, the consumer electronics market continues to decline, the wave of order cuts is coming, and destocking makes the market more voluminous, and price reduction is the only thing these companies can do. [47]

Under the negative market mood, the listing of RF chip enterprises has also hit a brick wall. On January 14, 2022, the first share of Science and Technology Innovation Board baseband chip Feijie Technology encountered a break, and the bid opened 20.99% lower on January 27, 2022. On January 27, 2022, radium technology fell 9.18% on April 12, 2022. Weijie Chuangxin, which holds big customers such as Xiaomi and OPPO, also fell 36.04% on its first day of listing.

This market decline is still difficult to reverse, domestic RF chip enterprises in deep trouble can not recover the market, waiting for them only to reshuffle. People in the industry also said that the investment thinking of the traditional industry can not be simply substituted into the chip industry, if you still invest in accordance with the previous thinking, the industry will still be stuck in a quagmire. [48]

After incomplete statistics, from 2021 to now, the related financing events in the RF field have slowed down significantly.

Incomplete statistics of financing events in the radio frequency field in the past two years, tabulation, fruit shell hard technology, reference materials, company announcement although radio frequency chips have not brought good news to the domestic market, without independent products, a mobile phone will be a lot more expensive, and international manufacturers will rely on monopoly advantages to increase prices for terminal supply. [49]

So, how should domestic RF chips develop? fruit shell hard technology believes that:

Radio frequency chip still belongs to the field of semiconductor investment, which has the characteristics of large construction investment, long return cycle and high technical barriers, and many investment institutions still lack understanding and judgment about it, resulting in some projects that are not up to expectations and the level has not been raised as expected. [44]

The experience of RF chip design is greater than theory, and some reliable and effective technical solutions may also be difficult for team engineers to master. Many institutions, companies and universities engaged in RF chips have been in the exploratory stage for a long time, and the technology is advancing slowly. There are repetitive and basic R & D attempts, which requires all parties to reach a consensus to accelerate the conquest of core issues.

The shortage of semiconductor talents is especially serious in the radio frequency field. There will be great differences in the final simulation test indexes of the chip layout made by different engineers of the same structure circuit. At the same time, the domestic talent training mode is single, so it is necessary to further strengthen the talent training. Continue to promote the integration of industry, university and research; [44]

China cannot achieve it overnight. The net profit of giants such as Skyworks and Qorvo is four or five billion yuan a year, while the net profit of domestic first-tier enterprises is only about 500 million yuan a year. Although system vendors are eager to have diversified upstream supply, domestic chip manufacturers lack opportunities for verification. Some RF chip manufacturers have called on system manufacturers to maintain an open and cooperative attitude and evaluate and analyze the devices. [50]

The whole world is affected by the supply and demand of economic and consumer electronics, and it is not only domestic enterprises that are suffering, so how to survive in the downward cycle will be a problem that RF chip companies must consider.

Although the domestic RF chip market seems brilliant at the present stage, with a large number of players and products, there is still a lack of high-end RF front-end chips, baseband chips, RF transceiver chips and high-end antennas, which is different from other chips. the investment logic and thinking of RF chips with slower iteration are different, and the return cycle is longer. With 6G, Wi-Fi 7 and UWB gradually moving towards mobile phones, the market needs to further integrate mergers and acquisitions before everything may get back on track.

References:

[1] Semiconductor industry observation: RF chips, no longer fragrant? .2023.4.8. Https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ s / OJU5eBs8_YHz9ezFc-B2bg

[2] Luo Yiqi. Acceleration of localization of RF chips: ecological joint force cultivation of capitalized electronics industry [N]. 21st Century Economic report, 2021-10-01 (012)

Zhan Wenhao, Dai Guohua. Analysis of the development trend of chip-based mobile phone enhancement technology [J]. Mobile Communications, 2016 pr. 40 (11): 7-11.

[4] Weijie Chuangxin (Tianjin) Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.: initial public offering and letter of intent in Science and Technology Innovation Board. 2022.3.22. Http://www.sse.com.cn/ disclosure / listedinfo / announcement / c / new / 2022-03-22/688153_20220322_1_N3zLKBl9.pdf

[5] Li Ming. Development and Application of Radar RF Integrated Circuits [J]. Modern Radar, 2012, (09): 8-14.

[6] Jiangsu Zhuosheng Microelectronics Co., Ltd.: initial public offering and listing on the gem prospectus. 2019.6.3. Http://www.cninfo.com.cn/ new / disclosure / detail?plate=szse&orgId=9900036858&stockCode=300782&announcementId=1206323462&announcementTime=2019-06-03

Pan Wenguang, Gan Ye Bing, Ma Chengyan, etc. Design of a RF front-end broadband complex filter circuit [D]. , 2010. https://www.lingpa.net/ zb_users / upload / 2021/04/202104171618625557894767.pdf

Peng Zhengxue, Chai Binbin. Research on the development of RF front-end of mobile phone [A]. China Aviation Industry Technology and equipment Engineering Association and Test Technology Branch of China Aviation Society. Proceedings of the 2021 Annual meeting of China Aviation Industry Technology and equipment Engineering Association [C]. China Aviation Industry Technology and equipment Engineering Association, Test Technology Branch of China Aeronautical Society: measurement and Control Technology Magazine, 2021 virtual 548-550

[9] Jiangsu Zhuosheng Microelectronics Co., Ltd.: 2020A-share offering prospectus (application draft). 2020.7.16 http://static.cninfo.com.cn/ finalpage / 2020-07-16/1208038819.PDF

[10] Luo Yu. Analysis of mobile phone RF technology and its development trend [J]. Computer and Telecommunications, 2012, (04): 5-7.

[11] Ping an Securities: the RF front end is in full bloom, the way to the advancement of international companies. 2022.9.8. Https://pdf.dfcfw.com/ pdf / H3_AP202209081578138168_1.pdf?1662646136000.pdf

[12] Zhu Yanjie. RF devices: layout is the first to start [J]. Dynamic Analysis of Stock Market, 2018, (37): 12-13.

Tang Shuo, Xue Chao. Study on the development of radio frequency filter material industry [J]. China Standardization, 2020, (S1): 324,327.

[14] Market Research Future: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/rf-filters-market-6530

Wang Guoqiang, Wang Xiaofeng, Pu Yan, Liu Chengpeng, Pan Shaojun. A broadband RF amplifier with high linearity [J]. Microelectronics, 2018. 48 (04): 463-466. 470.

[16] Fact.MR: https://www.factmr.com/report/1609/rf-power-amplifier-market

[17] Knowledge-Sourcing: https://www.knowledge-sourcing.com/report/global-low-noise-amplifier-market

[18] Business Research Insights:RF Switches Market 2022 Size, Share | Industry Future Growth, Recent Demand, Current Trends, Company Profiles, Expansion Plans, Development, Sales & Revenue, Key Suppliers, SWOT Analysis & Forecast Research | Business Research Insights. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/05/04/2435947/0/en/RF-Switches-Market-2022-Size-Share-Industry-Future-Growth-Recent-Demand-Current-Trends-Company-Profiles-Expansion-Plans-Development-Sales-Revenue-Key-Suppliers-SWOT-Analysis-Foreca.html

[19] Future Market Insights: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/rf-duplexer-market

[20] Everbright Securities: 5G penetration, module trend and domestic alternative driving the rise of China's RF front-end platform leader. 2020.12.13. Https://pdf.dfcfw.com/ pdf / H3_AP202012141439833018_1.pdf?1607951685000.pdf

[21] Semiconductor-Today:RF front-end market growing at 5.8% CAGR to $26.9bn in 2028.2023.2.16 https://www.semiconductor-today.com/news_items/2023/feb/yole-160223.shtml

[22] Liu Cuifang. Baseband and frequency band transmission technology in digital communication and its latest research progress [J]. Scientific and technological Innovation Guide, 2008 (22): 37-37.

You Xiaohu, Pan Zhiwen, Gao Xiqi, et al. Development trend of 5G mobile communication and some key technologies [J]. Chinese Science: information Science, 2014 (5): 551-563.

[24] Strategy Analytics:Qualcomm Gains Baseband Share in Q3 2022.2023.2.14. Https://www.strategyanalytics.com/strategy-analytics/blogs/components/handset-components/handset-components/2023/02/14/qualcomm-gains-baseband-share-in-q3-2022

[25] Zhang Shunyu. Research on Baseband Chip Technology Strategy of Mobile Terminal based on Patent Analysis [D]. Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 2020.

[26] Pan Yingjin. Research on baseband chip architecture and verification [J]. Electronic World, 2016, (05): 179180.

[27] Ping an Securities: baseband radio frequency of 5G mobile phone panorama. 2020.5.25. Http://pdf.dfcfw.com/ pdf / H3_AP202005261380234802_1.pdf

[28] Hu Aung. Research and design of frequency synthesizer in reconfigurable RF transceiver chip [D]. Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 2020.

[29] Verified Market Research:RF Transceiver Market Size And Forecast. https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/rf-transceiver-market/

[30] Litone Communications: Litong Communications launched China's first high-performance 5G RF transceiver chip. 2023.1.19. Http://www.zealync.cn/ newsinfo / 2362572.html

Wang Zhihua; Wu Ende. The present situation and progress of CMOS RF integrated circuits [J]. Acta Electronica Sinica, 2001, 29 (2): 233,238.

Liu Yunqing, Yin Yadong, Zhang Kui, etc. A low power RF wireless transceiver chip baseband controller [J]. Research and Progress of solid State Electronics, 2014 Journal 34 (01): 90-94.

Xiao Xia. New Progress in Mobile phone Antenna Design [J]. Computer Science and applications, 2016, 6 (5): 278283. Http://dx.doi.org/ 10.12677 / CSA.2016.65034

[34] Arrow: material innovation is the only way for RF devices? .2020.1.19. Https://www.arrow.cn/ blog / post / article-spwb-5gtx-rf-device.html

[35] Verified Market Research: https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/antenna-market/

[36] "Electronic Engineering album": RF chip market: meat in the United States, soup in Taiwan, and Chinese mainland can't be gnawed. 2019.5.13. Https://www.eet-china.com/ news / 201905131231.html

[37] CEO Li Yang: how does domestic RF chips break the game in 5G era? 2019.7.4. Https://laoyaoba.com/ n / 721140

[38] Wisdom: uncover RF chip, the king of chips in 5G era, domestic alternative chip bridgehead. 2020.6.9. Https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ s / NFKOwz36-EK6Azmom3aD0w

[39] Rao Zhongjun. Research and Design of RF Front-end receiver Module for New Generation Wireless Communication [D]. Guangdong University of Technology, 2022.

[40] Global Semiconductor observation: domestic RF chips ignite a spark. 2020.10.14. Https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ s / x6GqwDssn-oeR3A6UFIpyQ

[41] Semiconductor industry observation: the era of domestic RF chips is coming! .2021.9.3. Https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ s / Qrr_UVUNDZrlTaRSSKDFrA

[42] Semiconductor Industry observation: the "Noble" behind China's RF Chip Industry. 2021.7.14. Https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ s / KDlPd_FZbI_Ay4iCGhSAtQ

[43] AAAI Fellow: [RF] cold winter, broken hair, patent troubles, domestic RF front-end waiting for spring; Edwin test: semiconductor test reliability is the key; AAAI Fellow list is released .2023.1.26. Https://laoyaoba.com/ n / 846099

Nie Lipeng, Men Jie, Cao Xiaokang. Thinking about the R & D and management mode of RF front-end chip [J]. Dual-use Technology and products, 2021, (12): 36-38.

[45] Economic Observer: semi-conductor reflects investment bubble: capital flows into RF chip enterprises but gross profit is as low as 20%. 2020.11.29 https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ s / OwBzbbUKE9yHml3DecrMPA

[46] Zhong Lin talks about core: is there still a chance for domestic RF front-end chips? 2022.8.30. Https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ s / yQGGTQ2aNZbe3V89Cz92cw

[47] Semiconductor Investment Alliance: aggravating the "inner volume" under three major trends, domestic RF chip track accelerated reshuffle. 2022.6.9. Https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ s / 5xWMjKaECfeAg44XSLuvvA

[48] Zhong Lin talks about the core: RF chips enter a three-year difficult period. 2023.4.4. Https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ s / oQfD2mI40q3pkFa0JRdj0w

[49] Core Infrastructure: capital abandoned, inner roll constantly, RF chip "naked swimmer" has no future. 2022.4.25. Https://mp.weixin.qq.com/ s / MM9oWAVECUbExaM1QqRkVQ

[50] what are the challenges and opportunities for domestic RF chips under the Sino-US trade conflict? .2019.7.23. Https://laoyaoba.com/ n / 723166

This article comes from the official account of Wechat: fruit Shell hard Technology (ID:guokr233), author: Fu Bin

Welcome to subscribe "Shulou Technology Information " to get latest news, interesting things and hot topics in the IT industry, and controls the hottest and latest Internet news, technology news and IT industry trends.