Mobility is now becoming pervasive. As the global population strives to achieve constant connectivity, the trend that began with cellular phones and was quickly replicated across consumer electronics with e-readers and tablets is now being seen as a requirement in many other segments of the market, from industrial to medical.
This demand results in the requirement for ever smaller printed circuit boards (PCBs) and one of the most effective ways to achieve this is to stack two packages on top of each other, known as package on package (PoP.) The two main benefits of PoP are board space savings and minimizing track length between different interoperating parts, such as a CPU and memory. This yields better electrical performance of devices, since shorter routing of interconnections between circuits yields faster signal propagation and reduced noise and crosstalk. Based on these advantages more and more companies are looking to design utilizing PoP most commonly placing the CPU on the PCB and stacking the memory package on top.
The i.MX 6Dual/6Quad processors feature advanced implementation of the quad ARM® Cortex®-A9 core, which operates at speeds up to 1 .2 GHz. They include 2D and 3D graphics processors, 3D 1080p video processing, and integrated power management. Since the launch of the i.MX 6 series, customers have based designs ranging from automotive infotainment systems to industrial, consumer and medical devices on these processors. Both parts are currently available in a 21mm x21 mm 0.8 mm pitch FCPBGA package, however we have increasingly been asked by customers to enable smaller designs with these processors. Based on this customer demand, we will be making i.MX 6Dual/6Quad processors available in a smaller 12 mm x 12 mm, 0.4 mm pitch, FCPBGA, PoP; with the upper package being a 4Gb mobile LP-DDR2 memory package from Micron. Both the top and bottom of the package meet JEDEC standard design guideline ensuring easy of design and layout for customers. The i.MX6 PoP will also be part of NXP’s longevity program so enabling customers to utilize PoP for projects with long life cycles.
PoP, similar to any technology, has advantages but can also present design challenges. Two challenges that may occur with any PoP are soldering, between the packages and thermal dissipation. Both of these challenges can be overcome if the two packages are designed and tested in a stacked PoP implementation. We know that reliable PoP development requires close collaboration with the memory vendor. This is why we choose to partner with Micron for our i.MX PoP offering. Together, we can carefully engineer the packages and review the thermal profiles to ensure maximum compatibility. Micron has published a POP User Guide (CSN 34) that provides a wealth of technical information.
Micron is a major player with LPDRAM and PoP packages in the mobile/wireless space, and now a market leader in supporting LPDDR to the non-wireless market space. They worked closely with us in developing an automotive temp grade 216b 8Gb (dual-die package) x64 LPDDR2 PoP package for use on the i.MX6 Dual and Quad applications processors. This PoP device provides simpler routing to a system and allows for board space savings to customers. The LPDDR2 has been tested to be guaranteed to function up to max temp of 105C temp (Normally max temp 85C.) The memory package also includes on-die temperature sensors that can be used by software to throttle the application processor down if the temperate gets too hot and increase the refresh rate of the DRAM.
Working with Micron has enabled us to offer customers a reliable, longterm PoP solution. However, we realize that many customers looking to capitalize of the advantages of PoP have little experience with the technology. To provide not only an evaluation board, but also design services and expertise in PoP designs, we have worked with two partners that have extensive experience with PoP designs across many industries, TechNexion and Mistral Solutions.
Mistral Solutions has recently launched the VISE board, that runs on the 800 MHz quad/dual core i.MX6 PoP . The VISE board is based on a dual board architecture, consisting of a core module and a carrier module comprising display, audio, gigabit Ethernet and other peripheral Interfaces. The VISE Board is an ideal platform to kick-start design and development of devices from wearables to security cameras. The VISE board is available via Arrow Technologies for more information on Mistral and the VISE board go to: this page.
The Pico -6QPoP board from TechNexion is a small form factor (35 mm x 40 mm) system-on-module that connects to a breakout board that contains sensors and additional interfaces that enables easy access to peripherals. The Pico board will be available in Q2 2015 from TechNexion and through major distributors.
Both boards will support both Yocto Linux and Android Kitkat ensuring both customer choice and fast time to market for software as well as hardware development.
If you’re looking to design a product where small size is a premium, take a look at our PoP solution that is coming soon, it might well be the package you are looking for.
Robert Thompson is business development manager for NXP’s Microcontroller division.
Robert Thompson is Global Director i.MX Ecosystem. He focuses on developing the ecosystem to enable customers to get to market as fast and competitively as possible. Robert is an industry expert in consumer electronics with over 20 years of experience in diverse regions, including Europe, Brazil and the US.
