Taiwan-based compound semiconductor components makers are gearing up to fulfill shipments of PA (power amplifier), RF (radio frequency) and VCSEl devices for a new iPhone model, tentatively dubbed SE2, with their order visibility for the new device increasingly strengthened despite uncertainties about the coronavirus outbreak, according to industry sources.
The sources said iPhone SE2, an entry-level LCD model supposed to be launched in the first half of 2020, will incorporate mostly the same components as adopted for iPhone 8. As US IDMs such as Qorvo and Avago are among suppliers of RF and PA components for the new model, their Taiwanese epi-wafer foundry partners Win Semiconductors, Visual Photonics Epitaxy (VPEC) and Advanced Wireless Semiconductor (AWSC) will indirectly tap into the supply chain of iPhone SE2, the sources said.
Additionally, iPhone SE2 is expected to continue adopting structured-light 3D sensors with VCSEL components contract-fabricated by Win Semi, and the required DOE (diffractive optical element) components will again be processed by TSMC's affiliated backend firm Xintec. LCD driver IC solution, designed in house by Apple, will continue to be packaged by Chipbond Technology with COF (chip on film) technology, the sources said.
Win Semi reportedly will be the sole fabricator of VCSEL components for ToF (time of flight) AR and depth-of-field (DoF) photography applications, as its US IDM clients have also captured orders from Apple. The ToF camera modules are expected to be incorporated into 5G iPhones and iPads to be released in the second half of 2020, the sources said.
As Android handset vendors including Samsung and Huawei will also incorporate ToF technology for facial recognition and DoF photography applications on 5G smartphones, Win Semi, VPEC and AWSC are also poised to benefit from their growing demand for ToF-use VCSEL components.
Article translated by Willis Ke
