SensorTek STK339X15 Under-Display Light & Proximity Sensor in the Galaxy S Series

Overview / Introduction  

• Executive Summary
• Reverse Costing Methodology
• Proximity Sensing
• Glossary

Company Profile  

Physical Analysis 

• Summary of the Physical Analysis
• Galaxy S23+ Teardown
• STK339X15 Module
  • Module Overview & Teardown
  • Module Cross Section
  • Connections in the Module
• ASIC Die
  • Overview
  • Delayering
  • Cross Section
  • Process Summary
• VCSEL Dies
  • Overview
  • Cross Section
  • Process Summary

Physical Comparison with the ams TMD4913 

Manufacturing Process Flow 

• Overview
• ASIC Wafer Fabrication Unit
• ASIC Filters & Back-End
• VCSEL Wafer Fabrication Unit
• VCSEL Processes
• Module Assembly Process
• Final Test

Cost Analysis 

• Main Steps of the Economic Analysis
• Yields Explanation and Hypotheses
• ASIC Costs
  • Front-End Costs
  • Back-End Costs
  • Die Costs
• VCSEL Costs
  • Front-End Costs
  • Back-End Costs
  • Die Costs
• Module Assembly Costs
• Completed Module Cost and Breakdown

Selling Price  

Feedback 

Related Products   

About Yole Group  

This full reverse costing study has been conducted to provide insight into the technology, manufacturing cost and selling price of SensorTek’s STK339X15 under-display light and proximity sensor in the Samsung S23+.  This same sensor is also present in the Galaxy S23 base model, the entirety of the Galaxy S22 series and the Galaxy Z Flips 3 and 4.

Smartphones rely on sensing modules to control the capacitive “touch screen” display and modulate its brightness.  There is an intense competition between a handful of suppliers of these modules.  Samsung has historically relied on modules from ams for these functions, but recently, a new module from SensorTek has displaced ams in Samsung’s Galaxy S and Galaxy Z Flip series.

This full reverse costing study has been conducted to provide insight into the technology, manufacturing cost and selling price of SensorTek’s STK339X15 under-display light and proximity sensor in the Samsung S23+.  This same sensor is also present in the Galaxy S23 base model, the entirety of the Galaxy S22 series and the Galaxy Z Flips 3 and 4.

The module consists of a single Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) containing all of the photodiodes and driver logic for the four independently-addressed Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs).  The twenty-nine photodiodes have varying dimensions, diode structures and optical layers.  Some of them are for ambient light sensing and others work with the VCSELs for proximity sensing.

A detailed physical analysis, including teardown, cross sectional analysis, circuit delayering, and scanning electron microscopy determines the component structures and technologies. This information is then used to calculate the costs of each production step to provide a detailed cost breakdown of the manufacturing process and estimate the final selling price of the module to Samsung.

We also include a comparison with the ams TMD4913 light and proximity sensor used in the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

• TSMC
• IQE
• TRUMPF
• SAMSUNG
• SENSORTEK

Key Features

• Detailed photos
• Precise measurements
• Materials analysis
• Manufacturing process flow
• Supply chain evaluation
• Manufacturing cost analysis

Product objectives :

• Technology data, manufacturing cost and selling price of the SensorTek STK339X15 Under-Display Light & Proximity Sensor in the Galaxy S Series
• The module consists of a single Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) containing all of the photodiodes and driver logic for the four independently-addressed Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs).