Apple AirTag Teardown

Techinsightshas analyzed tracking devices for a few years now, from kid tracker wristwatches to the more recent tag-trackers like the Apple AirTag and the Samsung SmartTag+. That is to say - trackers have been on the market long before Apple released their AirTag last April.

我们对标签跟踪器的兴趣是技术的发展。我们生活在一个世界上的四分之一美分大小的设备可以具有多个天线，无线电IC，电池电池，并继续以双向广播的形式运行，将几乎整整一年的准确性范围内的物体定位在准确性之内。

例如，使用较小的模具过程节点设计的IC。具有较小工艺节点的模具意味着较小的晶体管栅极长度，可以使每个模具的晶体管有更多的晶体管，从而减少了IC的功耗，因为晶体管栅极长度较短。

The Apple AirTag has the北欧NRF52832, whose die is built with a 90nm process node - an advancement over the 180nm process used in slightly older 2.4 GHz Noridc Transceiver ICs. The nRF52832 found in the AirTag is the WLCSP50 package which is 75% smaller than the larger 48-pin 6 mm x 6 mm QFN option. There may be multiple reasons for selecting the WLCSP50 instead of a QFN package, one of which could be as simple as requiring less PCB space to use the versatile Nordic chip.

The nRF52832 Bluetooth SoC can support multiple radio types, including a 2.4 GHz proprietary radio if needed. The nRF52832 used in the Apple AirTag supports NFC tag, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Mesh. It is the Bluetooth Mesh feature that enables the AirTag to connect to other Apple devices in the Apple Find My network.

IC软件包进步的另一个示例是能够将多个组件嵌入单个IC软件包中，其中一个好处之一是电路设计的减少PCB区域。多芯片，多组件软件包技术并不是什么新鲜事物，并且继续改进，不仅仅包括死亡。Apple U1 UWB SIP（​​包装系统） - 具有Apple UWB收发器，嵌入式水晶振荡器，Sony RF开关和较小的单个软件包内的离散组件，总包装面积为20.58 mm².

为了与NRF52832进行比较，UWB收发器的模具在TSMC的16nm工艺节点上被固定在类似大小的模具上，在NRF52832中，可以在类似大小的模具上使用更多的晶体管（和电路）。

总而言之，Apple Airtag的无线电IC占用不到30毫米²，或整个可用的PCB区域中的6％。

However, the performance of the AirTag, i.e., its success in staying connected to the Find My network, is not just in the radio ICs but also relies heavily on its antennas and antenna designs.

But the AirTag's small size does not allow for separate antenna parts as we see in other larger devices like mobile phones. Instead, the AirTag has a single frame with all three antennas designed on it.

苹果还包括Airtag中的扬声器，该扬声器对各种情况“ chirps”。PCB上还位于PCB上的Maxim D类音频放大器驱动扬声器。

It is not just the AirTag’s function and design that are noteworthy. The AirTag retails for less than USD 30 and has an estimated manufacturing cost of USD 10 (not including software costs and R&D).

Trackers are not new, and Apple is not the first to offer such a product. Unfortunately, Apple is taking the brunt of the social recoil of how trackers may be used for invasive purposes. We are not sure if listing the technology inside these trackers helps put anyone’s mind at ease.

但是对于技术来说，现在没有回头路了，只有向前。我们相信新电池技术like solid-state batteries,silicon batteries, and shrinking process nodes will only allow engineers in designing radio devices in even smaller packages.