Assessing the cost effectiveness of integrated passives

Passive components integrated into a high-density substrate can be a tolerable way to overcome the size and manufacturing limits of SMD passives mounted onto the system board. Still, this technology is perceived as being "too risky" and not cost effective. In this paper we propose a "passives optimized" solution combining the advantages from both SMD and integrated technology and avoiding the respective drawbacks. Exemplified by a GPS receiver front end, we present a methodology to assess the possible benefits when using the mixed technology.