amsung Galax 7 Edge ENGLIH b d

Teardown

Posted: March 2, 2016

Contributed b Jim Morrison, Ra Fontaine, Dick James and Daniel Yang

The following teardown blog contains some of our initial ndings. For more in depth information
on these topics and more, download the full Galax 7 edge teardown report
(http://www.chipworks.com/competitive-technical-intelligence/overview/technolog-reports
/recent-reports/download-galax-s7).

Jump to the Rear-Facing Camera Update #2 (March 8, 2016)

The rumors of shipments b T-Mobile of the new 7 and 7 Edge are true. We were among
the fortunate few who received our units toda. Teardown das at Chipworks are ver fun. We are
alwas looking forward to iPhone and Galax das especiall. Everone is eager and wants to chip
in so the can be the rst ones inside the technolog. Its ver exciting.

We are expecting man new devices inside the 7 and 7 Edge, so this blog will probabl be
spread over a few das. We will be deprocessing man of the chips and this takes time. As we get
major sections of the phone deprocessed, we will update the stor, so make sure ou register to
be notied ever time we update (http://www.chipworks.com/competitive-technical-intelligence
/overview/technolog-reports/recent-reports/samsung-galax-s7-teardown). Immediatel, its the
displa that grabs ou. It is a stunningl brilliant AMOLED displa with a resolution of 1440 x
2560.

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/01-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-External.jpg)

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/02-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-

External.jpg) (http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/03-amsung-Galax-

7-Teardown-External.jpg) (http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/04-amsung-

Galax-7-Teardown-External.jpg) (http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les

/05-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-External.jpg) (http://www.chipworks.com/sites
/default/les/06-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-External.jpg)

12 MP Rear-Facing Camera with Dual Pixel Autofocus (AF)

Just as Apple had, in 2013, reversed the pixel shrink trend of the time b transitioning from a 1.4
m to 1.5 m pixel pitch (iPhone 5 and 5s respectivel), amsung has similarl increased the pixel
pitch of the Galax 7s rear-facing camera. While the 6s 16 MP camera featured 1.12 m pitch
pixels, the 7s rear-facing camera now uses 1.4 m generation pixels. Apple has since settled in
on a 12 MP resolution (currentl with a 1.22 m pixel pitch) for the iPhone 6s/6s Plus cameras.
amsung now meets Apple head-to-head at the 12 MP resolution with its larger pixels. Well have
to wait and see who wins the image qualit battle; as of now, DxOMark Mobile does not have a
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score for the 7/7 Edge. Currentl tied for 1st place are ons Xperia Z5 camera, which features
a 23 MP sensor with 1.12 m pitch pixels, and the 16 MP amsung Galax 6 Edge Plus camera.

o what is new with the 7s camera sstem? Dual pixel phase detection autofocus (PDAF)
technolog! We rst saw this concept in use in 2013 in a much dierent imaging application: the
Canon EO 70D DLR. Canon committed 80% of the 70Ds active pixel arra to dual pixel CMO
AF functionalit. A similar concept has now been adapted to the world of small-pixel mobile
camera chips, where 100% of the 12 MP active pixel arra is committed to both sensing and
providing data to the AF sstem. What is impressive about the new dual pixel feature is the chip
design team's abilit to roll out this technolog in a 1.4 m pixel generation (Canons DLR sstem
used 4.1 m generation pixels). The results are stunning the 7s photos are of high qualit,
especiall when viewed on its Quad HD displa. We havent seen a claim for the 7s AF sstem
speed et. As a reference point, on has reported a 0.03-second focus speed for its hbrid
(contrast and phase detection) AF sstem in the Xperia Z5.

Well be doing more thorough analsis of the dual pixel technolog over the coming das and
weeks, but our initial review of the 12 MP camera module shows a camera module size of 12.1 mm
x 12.1 mm x 5.4 mm thick. Weve been reading the web articles indicating a on IMX260 design
win for the 12 MP socket and were eagerl awaiting results from our lab to conrm. Based on the
ONY logo on the modules ex cable, we believe the speculation to be true.

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/07-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-Camera-
Module.jpg)

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/08-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-

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Camera-Module.jpg) (http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/09-amsung-

Galax-7-Teardown-Camera-Module.jpg) (http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default

/les/19-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-Camera-Module-X-Ra.jpg)
(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/20-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-Camera-Module-
X-Ra.jpg)

Rear-Facing Camera Update #1

Our lab sta have removed the imaging chip from the 12 MP camera module and have found a
on back-illuminated (Exmor R) CMO image sensor. We were expecting to nd TV arras
around the peripher of the active pixel arra, corresponding to ons stacked chip (Exmor R)
technolog platform. on hasnt publicl announced the IMX260, but based on what weve been
reading, we assume that is the part number. Its a bit of a surprise that the IMX260 isnt an Exmor
R sensor, as weve been documenting a lot of on design wins based on its 1st and 2nd
generation Exmor R technolog. It seems the full chip PDAF functionalit, which requires dual
readout from each pixel, was implemented with a multi-chip solution rather than a stacked (CI +
IP) solution.

The on IMX260 die size, as measured from the die seals, is 6.69 mm x 5.55 mm (37.1 mm2).
There are no conventional die identication markings in use on the die, consistent with
back-illuminated (stacked/non-stacked) on CI chips. We conrmed a pixel pitch of 1.4 m and a
Baer-patterned color lter arra. Work on this chip is ongoing and we will be reporting on this
small-pixel event more extensivel with a Device Essentials project and through our Chipelect
I subscription service (http://www.chipworks.com/competitive-technical-intelligence/overview
/chipselect#sensors).

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/21-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-

Camera-Module-Primar-camera-die.jpg) (http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les
/22-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-Camera-Module-Primar-camera-die-corner.jpg)

Rear-Facing Camera Update #2 (March 8, 2016) TO Pt

Our lab sta have completed the initial cross-sectioning work for our IMX260 project and we have
a substantial update to share: the on IMX260 is, in fact, a stacked chip CMO image sensor! As
mentioned, we had expected to nd through silicon vias (TVs) consistent with ons Exmor R
technolog platform. Our earl teardown results revealed what appeared to be a conventional
on non-stacked back-illuminated (Exmor R) chip. After going deeper inside, we see that on
is leading the digital imaging sector into an era of hbrid bonding. Its not currentl known if on
considers this an extension of its Exmor R platform, or if the IMX260 marks the rst of a new (as
of now unannounced) famil of back-illuminated image sensors. For now we consider the IMX260
to be a 3rd generation Exmor R chip.

on has previousl announced (http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326230) a

licensing relationship with Ziptronix (now owned b Tessera) for wafer bonding technolog. on
licensed ZiBond technolog in 2011 and expanded the relationship in 2015 b licensing direct
bond interconnect (DBI) hbrid bonding. We didnt expect to nd it in use in the Galax 7 as
on tpicall promotes such technological evolutions with a press release and/or product
announcement. Regardless, thats wh we do the teardowns to see whats actuall inside
technolog!

Our cross-section reveals a 5 metal (Cu) CMO image sensor (CI) die and a 7 metal (6 Cu + 1 Al)
image signal processor (IP) die. The Cu-Cu vias are 3.0 m wide and have a 14 m pitch in the
peripheral regions. In the active pixel arra the are also 3.0 m wide, but have a pitch of 6.0 m.
Note that in the images weve included we do see connections from the Cu-Cu via pads to both
CI and IP landing pads. The Cu-Cu vias in the active pixel arra dont appear to have
connections to either the CI or IP so the ma be included for via uniformit, however these
are preliminar results and we plan on additional cross-sectional and planar analsis to provide
full coverage of the IMX260s interconnections.

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/04-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-Camera-Update-
on-IMX260-pixel-arra-TOV.jpg)

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 (http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/02-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-

Camera-Update-on-IMX260-pixel-arra-TOV.jpg) (http://www.chipworks.com
/sites/default/les/03-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-Camera-Update-on-IMX260-pixel-arra-
TOV.jpg)

The successful rollout of wafer-to-wafer direct bonding has broader implications for the general
semiconductor industr, but its especiall important to the image sensor communit. Weve
been seeing this technolog in literature for a few ears now, but the IMX260 represents the rst
known direct bond interconnected chip to be used in a such a high volume consumer application
as the amsung Galax 7 camera. Thats it for todas update - we wanted to share these new
images as soon as possible. There is much more to the stor and as our analsis continues well
summarize this new state-of-the-art in our upcoming reports.

5 MP Front-Facing Camera
The front-facing camera module size is 8.0 mm x 7.2 mm x 5.0 mm thick. It contains a
back-illuminated amsung die with 5K4E6XP die markings. The chip has a conrmed pixel pitch
of 1.34 m and uses a Baer-patterned color lter arra.

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/23-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-Camera-Module-
Front-Facing-package.jpg)

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/24-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-

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Camera-Module-Front-Facing-package.jpg) (http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default
/les/25-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-Camera-Module-Front-Facing-package-XRAY-side.jpg)

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/26-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-

Camera-Module-Front-Facing-package-XRAY_0.jpg) (http://www.chipworks.com/sites
/default/les/27-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-Camera-Module-Front-Facing-package-

die-corner.jpg) (http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/28-amsung-Galax-
7-Teardown-Camera-Module-Front-Facing-package-die-corner2.jpg)

Optical Image tabilization Inertial ensor

On the ex tail coming o of the primar camera module, we nd an TMicroelectronics K2G2I
groscope for image stabilization.

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/09-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-Camera-Module-
Optical-Image-tabilzation.jpg)

Design Wins
As soon as we got the cover o, we were able to start to ID some parts. For example, some of the
the sensors and wireless chips are in plain view:

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(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/17-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-ensor-Design-
Wins-v2.jpg)

Once we got the motherboard out, we wanted to go straight for the application processor to look
at the much-vaunted Qualcomm napdragon 820, but of course it is hidden under the Hnix
LPDDR4 DRAM in a package-on-package (PoP) format, as in almost all smartphones.

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/17-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-ensor-Design-
Wins-napdragon-Hnix-H9H-2.jpg)

However, we are adept at popping o the top part of the PoP, so it didnt take long to nd the
napdragon 820, now conrmed as the MM8996. Well have to wait until the chip is o the
motherboard and decapsulated before we can look at the die itself. We might have to wait to look
at it, but if oure interested in its capabilit, our friends over at AnandTech reviewed the
performance of the 820 at the end of last ear. (http://www.anandtech.com/print
/9837/snapdragon-820-preview)

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(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/18-amsung-Galax-7-Teardown-ensor-Design-
Wins-napdragon-Hnix-H9H.jpg)

One thing we noticed is the large increase in the interconnecting solder bumps between the top
and bottom parts of the PoP earlier generations had onl two rows connecting the two parts.
This could be a result of the higher memor bandwidth being used these das, and/or the need
to dissipate more heat from the higher performing processor, particularl the GPU.

Touch creen Controller

Our expectation that amsung adopts their own touch screen controller (TC) in their own phone
was conrmed. The part number is 6A552X. Chipworks rst saw amsungs 6MC41X TC in
a Chinese brand Doov L5Pro phone a few weeks ago. It is now our second time seeing
amsungs TC, but the rst time in amsungs own phone.

RF Front End
As would be expected with a worldphone like the 7, there is plent in its RF section. It is easiest
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to list them b manufacturer:
Avago AFEM-9040 multiband multimode module
EPCO D5275 antenna switch module
EPCO D5287 antenna switch module
Murata FAJ15 front end module
Murata KM5D18098 Wi-Fi module
Qorvo QM78064 high band RF fusion module
Qorvo TQF6260 PA duplexer
Qorvo QM63001A diversit receive module
Qualcomm QFE3100 envelope tracker
Qualcomm QFE2550 digital tuner
Qualcomm WTR4905 transceiver
Qualcomm WTR3925 transceiver

While not strictl in the RF front end, we have also found a NXP 67T05 NFC controller and an
IDTP9221 for wireless charging.

What Else Do We Have?

We should also comment on the K Hnix LPDDR4 DRAM, which, according to K Hnixs
databook, is the fastest LPDDR4 that the make at 3733 Mbps. As a commodit part, this uses a
366-ball package, so that does account for the densit of solder bumps in the PoP we count
342 in that.

The ash is a amsung KLUBG4G1CE 32 GB, universal ash storage (UF), multi-level cell (MLC)
part.

Other parts of note are:

AKM AK09911 compass we have seen this in over 60 phones!
Bosch BMP280 pressure sensor
DP D4A1A audio/voice processor
Knowles 1636 microphone
Knowles 1638 microphone
Maxim C551GY5A time-of-ight sensor
Maxim MAX77854 PMIC
Maxim MAX77838 PMIC
Maxim MAX98506BEWV audio amplier
Qualcomm WCD9335 audio codec
Qualcomm PM8996 PMIC
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 Qualcomm PM8004 PMIC
amsung C3 image processor
amsung 2MPB02 PMIC seen in multiple amsung phones
amsung 6A552X touch controller
TMicroelectronics L2G2I groscope

ta tuned for more...

As we get major sections of the phone deprocessed, we will update the stor, so make sure ou
register to be notied ever time we update (http://www.chipworks.com/competitive-technical-
intelligence/overview/technolog-reports/recent-reports/samsung-galax-s7-teardown).

w Microsoft Band II Teardown (/about- Galax 7: napdragon Chipsets vs Exnos

chipworks/overview/blog/microsoft-band-ii- Chipsets (/about-chipworks
teardown) /overview/blog/galaxy-
s7-snapdragon-chipsets-
vs-exynos-chipsets)

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