A review of the timing and filtering technologies in smartphones

The explosive growth of the smartphone market especially in supporting LTE (Long Term Evolution) to meet continuous demand for more and faster data transfer has drawn interest from many who want to know how timing and filtering components are used in smartphones to support the crowded spectrum and their future market opportunities. Known to many, the timing and filtering functions in smartphones have been diligently supported for many years by some “physically moving” electromechanical components based on piezoelectric materials-quartz-based crystal, lithium tantalate- and lithium niobate-based surface acoustic wave (SAW) RF filter, and aluminum nitride-based bulk acoustic wave (BAW) RF filter. This paper reviews the current timing and filtering technologies in smartphones and discusses the possible trends.