FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: RF Acoustic Wave Filters: Who Has the Best IP Position to Face the 4G to 5G Transition?

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: RF acoustic wave filters: who has the best IP position to face the 4G to 5G transition?

Extracted from: RF Acoustic Wave Filters: Patent Landscape Analysis report | RF Front End Modules and Components for Cellphones report | Smartphone RF Front-End Module Review – Yole Group of Companies, 2017

Sophia Antipolis, France – November 15, 2017: Since 2000 and the development of smartphones, the number of frequency bands used in mobile telecommunication has undergone a huge increase from 4 bands in the 2000’s to more than 30 bands today. To manage this growth, also pushed by the upcoming 5G, RF modules have been widely developed. Today filtering is the strongest growing market among the numerous RF component families dedicated to mobile telecommunication applications, with a US$16 billion revenue by 2022, thanks to the traditional need of new antennas and development of multiple carrier aggregation1. “Under this dynamic context, RF acoustic wave filters have appeared as the best solution to achieve filter operations in the sub 6GHz regime,” asserts Dr. Paul Leclaire, Patent Analyst at KnowMade. “Indeed, acoustic wave filters offer low manufacturing cost as well as a high level of integration and performances. Up to now, no other technological solution offers a better trade off.” KnowMade is part of Yole Group of Companies including Yole Développement and System Plus Consulting. The 3 partners are exploring the RF world and propose high added-value analyses focused on this sector. Market trends, companies’ positioning, IP landscape, technology roadmaps, manufacturing processes and related costs have been investigated by Yole Group and are presented in a collection of report. The latest report is today proposed by KnowMade: “RF Acoustic Wave Filters” patent landscape analysis. KnowMade has investigated the patent landscape for RF acoustic wave filters including SAW, TC- SAW, BAW-FBAR, BAW-SMR, etc. to describe the related ecosystem. The technology intelligence & IP strategy consulting company has evaluated the IP position of key players through detailed analysis of

1 Source : RF Front End Modules and Components for Cellphones report, Yole Développement, 2017

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their patent portfolios, including the legal status of the patents, their geographic coverage, their claimed inventions and their prior art contribution. IP strategy and IP blocking potential are also part of this analysis. What are the key players involved? What are their IP positions? How will the IP landscape evolve?

IP dynamics are changing and KnowMade’s analysts, combined with Yole Développement and System Plus Consulting expertise, put the RF acoustic wave filter players and their strategy in the spotlight.

Acoustic wave filters patenting activity was very high between 2000 and 2006. Since then, it has progressively decreasing and reached a plateau since 2010. The market is dominated by historical players with a strong international position that strongly reduce the penetration of new comers in this industry. Between 2017 and 2022, 8% CAGR is expected: acoustic wave technology has become the best way to deliver high performance, small and low-cost filters in analog RF communication. The IP landscape is showing the same evolution, dominated by a limited number of large companies including Broadcom, Skyworks, Taiyo Yuden, Murata and more. After the fast growing period of 2000-2006, acoustic wave filter players have consolidated their position. The recent and numerous mergers and acquisitions have led to the strengthening of players portfolios. Broadcom’s acquisition by Avago Technologies is one good example. Moreover, as 5G communication protocols take shape, players are now developing filters that will address the requirements of the upcoming sub 6GHz applications and future 5G mass market. SAW is the main technology use in mobile telecommunication. Patenting activity started in the early 90’s and IP players are now well established. The IP activity is driven by Murata Manufacturing thanks to its impressive number of granted and pending patents. BAW patenting activity is showing more dynamism compared to SAW market segment. Broadcom has the strongest portfolio also consolidated thanks to its acquisition by Avago Technologies. BAW IP landscape is less established than SAW one and KnowMade’s analysts

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expect a reshaping of this market segment during the next 5 years due to the race between the main IP challengers. For example both companies, Qualcomm and Qorvo are showing interesting IP activities focused on the 4G to 5G transition. This strategy will probably reshuffle the BAW IP landscape and enhance the competition. In the 1990s, SAW filter patent publications grew rapidly, heralding the development of the RF acoustic wave filter market in the 2000s. Since 2010, the market has consolidated, while we have witnessed of the flattening of the patent activity growth and the strength of the IP position of several companies. It is now essential to understand the RF acoustic filter patent landscape, the key patented technologies and players’ IP positions. Such knowledge can help anticipate the upcoming revolution, detect business opportunities, mitigate risks and make strategic decisions to strengthen one’s market position… Yole Group of Company including KnowMade, System Plus Consulting and Yole Développement is definitely involved in the RF FE Front-End industry. Based on its market, technology, patents, reverse engineering and manufacturing costing expertise and its knowledge of the “More than Moore” industry, analysts are answering the industry questionings with a comprehensive collection of reports. A detailed description of each technology, market and IP analysis is now available on I- Micronews.com, with its new RF Electronics reports section.

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About RF Acoustic Wave Filters Patent Landscape Analysis report: SAW and BAW filters are key components of today’s mobile communication modules thanks to their small size, low cost and high performance. But who has the best IP position for the upcoming 5G protocol? - Produced by KnowMade part of Yole Group of Companies. Companies cited in the report: Murata Manufacturing, Taiyo Yuden, Skyworks, Kyocera, Broadcom, Hitachi, Qualcomm/NXP, TDK, Toyo Communication Equipment, Samsung, LG, Seiko Epson, Qorvo, Nihon Dempa Kogyo, NEC, Epson, Sanyo, Siemens, Mitsubishi, Japan Radio, NGK, CTS, Intellectual Ventures, Philips, Thomson, UBE Industries, Intel, and many more... Authors: . Dr. Paul Leclaire works for KnowMade in the field of MEMS and Sensors. He holds a PhD in Micro and Nanotechnology from the University of Lille, France, in partnership with IEMN in Villeneuve-d'Ascq and CRHEA-CNRS in Sophia-Antipolis. . Dr Nicolas Baron is CEO and co-founder of KnowMade. He leads the Physics Department. He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis, and a Master of Intellectual Property Strategies and Innovation from the European Institute for Enterprise and Intellectual Property (IEEPI Strasbourg), France. About RF Front End Modules and Components for Cellphones 2017 report A dynamic market with high responsivity to technical innovation, the RF front end industry is set to grow at 14% CAGR to reach $22.7B in 2022 – Produced by Yole Développement (Yole), part of Yole Group of Companies. Companies cited in the report: ACCO Semiconductor Inc., Alcatel-Lucent, Altis Semiconductor (X-FAB), Analog Devices Inc. (Hittite), Amkor, Apple, ASE Group, Broadcom Ltd. (Avago Technologies, Javelin Semiconductor), Cavendish Kinetics, China Mobile, Coolpad, DelfMEMS, Ericsson, Fujitsu, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Google, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (Foxconn), HTC, Huawei (Hisilicon), Infineon, Intel, Integrated Device Technology (IDT), JCET/STATS ChipPAC, Kyocera, Lenovo, LG, Marvell, Mediatek, NXP Semiconductors (Freescale)... Full list Author: . Claire Troadec is leading the RF activity at Yole Développement. She has been a member of the MEMS manufacturing team from 2013. She graduated from INSA Rennes in France with an engineering degree in microelectronics and material sciences. She then joined NXP Semiconductors, and worked for 7 years as a CMOS process integration engineer at the IMEC R&D facility. During this time, she oversaw the isolation and performance boost of CMOS technology node devices from 90 nm down to 45 nm. She has authored or co-authored seven US patents and nine international publications in the semiconductor field and before joining Yole Développement managed her own distribution company. About Smartphone RF Front-End Module Review Review of RF front-end modules and components found in five flagship smartphones: Apple iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S7, Huawei P9, LG G5, and Xiaomi Mi5 Authors: . Stéphane Elisabeth has a deep knowledge of materials characterizations and electronics systems. He holds an engineering degree in electronics and numerical tech-nology, and a PhD in materials for micro-electronics. . Nicolas Radufe is in charge of physical analysis. He has deep know-ledge in chemical and physical analyses. He previously worked in microelectronics R&D for CEA/LETI in Grenoble and for STMicroelectronics in Crolles. Companies analyzed in the report: Apple vs. Samsung vs. Huawei vs. LG vs. Xiaomi

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About KnowMade – www.knowmade.com Specialized in analysis of patents and scientific information, KnowMade provides Technology Intelligence and IP strategy consulting services. The company is supporting R&D organizations, industrial companies and investors worldwide in their business development by offering them a deep understanding of the technology trends and their IP environment. Knowmade operates in the following industrial sectors: Microelectronics & Optoelectronics, Compound Semiconductors, IC Manufacturing, Advanced Packaging, Power Electronics, RF Devices, MEMS Sensors & Actuators, Photonics, Micro & Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Pharmaceutics, Medical Devices and Agri-Food. Knowmade performs prior art search, patent landscape analysis, scientific literature analysis, patent valuation and freedom-to-operate analysis. In parallel the company proposes litigation/licensing support, technology scouting and IP watch service. Knowmade’s analysts combine their technical and patent expertise by using powerful analytics tools and proprietary methodologies to deliver relevant patent analyses and scientific reviews. About System Plus Consulting – www.systemplus.fr System Plus Consulting specializes in the cost analysis of electronics, from semiconductor devices to electronic systems. Created more than 20 years ago, System Plus Consulting has developed a complete range of services, costing tools and reports to deliver in-depth production cost studies and estimate the objective selling price of a product. System Plus Consulting engineers are experts in Integrated Circuits - Power Devices & Modules - MEMS & Sensors - Photonics – LED - Imaging – Display - Packaging - Electronic Boards & Systems. Through hundreds of analyses performed each year, System Plus Consulting offers deep added-value reports to help its customers understand their production processes and determine production costs. Based on System Plus Consulting’s results, manufacturers are able to compare their production costs to those of competitors. System Plus Consulting is a sister company of Yole Développement. More info on www.systemplus.fr. About Yole Développement – www.yole.fr Founded in 1998, Yole Développement has grown to become a group of companies providing marketing, technology and strategy consulting, media and corporate finance services. With a strong focus on emerging applications using silicon and/or micro manufacturing, the Yole Développement group has expanded to include more than 50 collaborators worldwide covering MEMS, Compound Semiconductors, LED, Displays, Image Sensors, Optoelectronics, Microfluidics & Medical, Advanced Packaging, Manufacturing, Nanomaterials, Power Electronics and Batteries & Energy Management. The “More than Moore” company Yole, along with its partners System Plus Consulting, Blumorpho and KnowMade, support industrial companies, investors and R&D organizations worldwide to help them understand markets and follow technology trends to grow their business. For more information, visit www.yole.fr and follow Yole on LinkedIn and Twitter. . Consulting & Financial Services: Jean-Christophe Eloy ([email protected]) . Reports: David Jourdan ([email protected]) Yole Group of Companies - Press Relations & Corporate Communication: Sandrine Leroy ([email protected])

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