Skyworks Solutions has shipped more than 150 million modules incorporating BAW (bulk acoustic wave) filters for 5G mobile devices, according to a company press release. Skyworks said it has secured multiple design wins with “market leading customers.”
“This key achievement marks the success of our long-term investment, commitment and strategy as a company — driving towards world-class BAW technology and performance,” said Joel King, senior vice president and general manager of Mobile Solutions at Skyworks.
The BAW filters are fabricated on an eight-inch production line to ensure adequate capacity to support the volume demand from smartphones, IoT devices and automotive applications.
Skyworks developed an in-house BAW capability to complement its SAW filter technology, which was acquired from Panasonic in 2016. The SAW filter capability began as a joint venture with Panasonic, formed in 2014.
While cell phone volumes have been flat to declining, 5G phones are ramping, and their added frequency bands are fueling strong growth of front-end modules with high performance filters. Strategy Analytics forecasts that 5G smartphones will grow more than 10x to approximately 15 percent of all smartphone shipments this year, from just 1 percent in 2019.
As the RF front-ends become more integrated, RF semiconductor suppliers have moved to add filter technologies to their portfolios. Skyworks is competing with Broadcom, Qorvo, and Qualcomm, the other significant players in the market.