System-on-chip or system-on-package: can we make an accurate decision on system implementation in an early design phase?

Single chip integration of analog/RF, memory, and logic means extra costs for noise isolation and for technology fusion. In some cases, system-on-package is preferred in terms of cost and performance. In this paper, we present a new design method and models for quantitative cost-performance trade-off analysis for mixed-signal integration. The method emphasizes a priori estimation, and hence is useful for accurately evaluating implementation issues at early system design phases. We show that depending on system complexity, integration scale, and mixed-signal performance requirements, single chip integration is riot necessary cheaper.