amsungs Galax Note 7 is ENGLIH b d

more than the batteries!

Posted: eptember 12, 2016

Contributed b Dick James

As usual, within das of the August 19 launch of the amsung Galax Note 7
(http://www.samsung.com/global/galax/galax-note7/), we had it in pieces and had identied
most of the signicant components that were inside.

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/01Chipworks-teardown-techinsights-samsung-
galax-note7.jpg)
APU and memor
The application processor that drives our phone is the Exnos 8 Octa (http://www.samsung.com
/semiconductor/minisite/Exnos/w/solution/mod_ap/8890/) (Exnos 8890), similar to the Galax
7 and 7 edge. It has an eight-core CPU, with four amsung-designed M1 cores that can run at
2.3 GHz, and four ARM Cortex A53 cores operating at up to 1.6 GHz. The graphics side of the chip
uses an ARM Mali-T880 MP12 GPU (with 12 graphics cores). It has a LTE Categor12/13 modem and
is made with their latest 14LPP nFET process.

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/02Chipworks-teardown-techinsights-samsung-
galax-note7-ARM%20Mali%20T880MP12%20GPU.jpg)
tacked on top of the CPU in the usual package-on-package (PoP) stack, is 4 GB of amsung
LPDDR4 DRAM. Now that we have 20 nm DRAM processes, the dies are small enough that the
are packaged in a 2 x 2 x 2 conguration. Here is the plan-view X-ra image showing the wire
bonding of the memor chips. The four stacks of memor dies are mirror-imaged, on both the
vertical and horizontal axes.

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/03Chipworks-teardown-techinsights-samsung-
galax-note7-ARM%20Mali%20T880MP12%20GPU-xra.jpg)

The dies are just about square (5.4 x 5.1 mm), which means four stacks of two 4 Gb dies, reducing
the package thickness to 0.5 mm. This ma be the rst time we have seen this particular laout.

The 64 GB of ash memor was supplied b a Toshiba THGBF7G9L4LBATR UF 2.0 part

(http://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/us/product/memor/nand-ash/mlc-nand/ufs.html),
fabricated using the latest 15 nm generation process.

Cameras
There are three cameras in the Note 7: the usual front- and rear-facing units and an extra one for
the iris-scanning securit feature of this phone. The main camera is 12 MP with optical image
stabilization (OI) provided b a TMicroelectronics L2GI 2-axis groscope (http://www.st.com
/content/st_com/en/products/mems-and-sensors/groscopes/l2g2is.html), the middle chip in
this picture:

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/04Chipworks-teardown-techinsights-samsung-
galax-note7-TM-design-win.jpg)
The sele camera is a 5 MP amsung part and the iris scanner is also amsung-made, but we
have not et characterized it as to size and technolog.

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/05Chipworks-teardown-techinsights-samsung-
galax-note7-sele-camera.jpg)

ensors
TMicroelectronics supplies all the MEM motion sensors in the Note 7. In addition to the OI
sensor, there is a LP25HB pressure sensor (http://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/products
/mems-and-sensors/pressure-sensors/lps25hb.html) and a LM6D2 6-axis
groscope/accelerometer module (http://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/products/mems-
and-sensors/inemo-inertial-modules.html?quercriteria=productId=C1448). All of these have
man design wins in phones and wearables.

In addition to the motion sensors, there is an infrared proximit sensor, a heart-rate sensor, and
the now ubiquitous ngerprint sensor. The proximit and heart rate sensors appear to be
amsung products, while the ngerprint sensor is reported to be (http://www.anandtech.com
/print/10559/the-samsung-galax-note7-s820-review) from naptics (http://www.snaptics.com/).

(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/09Chipworks-teardown-techinsights-samsung-
galax-note-7-sensors-stmicroelectronics.jpg)

RF front end
The RF front end in a phone these das is a very complex thing. The connectivit specication
covers a multitude of bands (2G, 3G, 4G LTE-A), as well as Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth
v4.2, GP, A-GP, GLONA, BD, GALILEO, NFC, and wireless charging. Its no wonder that we
have quite an inventor of parts in that area of the phone:
Touch controllers
The touch control function seems to be distributed in the Note 7, possibl since we also have the
-Pen capabilit. There is a Cpress CY8CMBR3145 Capense Express controller
(http://www.mouser.com/new/Cpress-emiconductor/cpress-c8cmbr3-controller/), a amsung
6Y661X, and a Wacom W9018 digitizer, which apparentl assesses the dierent pressure levels
applied b the -Pen to the screen.
(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/06InsideTechnolog-Chipworks-teardown-
techinsights-samsung-galax-note-7-samsung-6R80X01.jpg)

Power management
As with ever other smartphone, there are multiple power management ICs (PMICs), in this case
ve:
(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/07InsideTechnolog-Chipworks-teardown-
techinsights-samsung-galax-note-7-samsung-6R80X01.jpg)

And what about the batteries?

Its now well known that, due to some phones exploding or catching re while being charged,
amsung has launched a recall of the millions of Note 7s alread shipped. On their UK website
(http://www.samsung.com/uk/note7exchange/), the claried that An overheating of the batter
cell occurred when the anode-to-cathode came into contact, which is a ver rare manufacturing
process error. In other words, something in the batter shorted out, likel because a separation
membrane within the batter was defective.

Below is a picture of the batter in the phone we dismantled (left). Note the Cell Made in China,
Assembled in Vietnam. Out of curiosit, we checked out the iFixit teardown of the Note 7
(https://www.ixit.com/Teardown/amsung+Galax+Note7+Teardown/66389), and noted that their
phone had a dierent batter (right).
(http://www.chipworks.com/sites/default/les/08Chipworks-teardown-techinsights-samsung-
galax-note-7-batteries.jpg)

The iFixit phone reads onl Made in China, so there are two batter sources. If ou look closer,
model EB-BN930ABE (left) is from Vietnam, and model EB-BN930ABA (right) is the Chinese
version.

The Korea Herald added a bit more detail (http://www.koreaherald.com

/view.php?ud=20160905000785) and conrmed the two batter sources as compan aliate
amsung DI, suppling 70% of Note 7 batteries, and Chinese compan ATL, suppling the
remaining 30%.

The whole issue is further complicated b the non-removable nature of the batteries in the
phone, necessitating a full recall. Unfortunatel, we can no longer send ours in to get it replaced!

w Who will acquire Intersil? (/about-chipworks Apple iPhone 7 Teardown (/about-

/overview/blog/who-will-acquire-intersil) chipworks/overview
/blog/apple-iphone-
7-teardown)

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