Multi-design of architecture, circuit/device/process and package for cost-effective smart mobile devices: An integrated fabless manufacturer (IFM)´s perspective

Advanced mobile devices such as smartphones and smartbooks are complex systems with the overriding objective of providing the best user-experience value by harnessing all the technology innovations. Most critical system drivers are better system performance/power efficiency, cost effectiveness, and smaller form factors, which, in turns, drive the need of system design and solution with More-than-Moore (MtM) innovations. A consistent hardware/software co-design leads to the choice of integrated approach (SoC and/or SiP) over discrete application processor (AP) approach. Smartphones with integration approach is driving affordability and winning in the market place. In this paper, we highlight how the multi-design strategy influenced architecture, device/circuit and package, in the face of growing process cost/complexity and variability as well as design rule restrictions.