NXP Semiconductors
Application Note

Document Number: AN5337
Rev. 1, 03/2017

i.MX 6ULL Product Usage Lifetime
Estimates
Contents

1. Introduction
This document describes the estimated product lifetimes
for the i.MX 6ULL applications processors, based on
the criteria used in the qualification process.
The product lifetimes described in this document are
estimates and do not represent the guaranteed lifetime ofa particular product. The i.MX 6 series consists of an
extensive number of processors that deliver a wide rangeof processing and multimedia capabilities across various
qualification levels.
This document provides guidance on interpreting thei.MX 6ULL qualification levels in terms of the target
operating frequency of the device, the maximum
supported junction temperature of the processor (Tj), andhow this relates to the lifetime of a device.

© 2016-2017 NXP B.V.

1.
2.

Introduction ........................................................................ 1
Device qualification level and available PoH definitions ... 3
2.1.
Commercial qualification ........................................ 3
2.2.
Industrial qualification ............................................ 4
3. Combining use cases .......................................................... 63.1.
Switching between two power states with different
temperatures .......................................................................... 63.2.
Switching between two power states with different
voltages ................................................................................ 7
4. Revision history ................................................................. 8

Device qualification level and available PoH definitions

Each qualification level supported (commercial, industrial) defines the number of Power-on Hours(PoH) available to the processor under a given set of conditions, such as:• The target frequency of the application (consumer, industrial).
— The target frequency is determined by the input voltage of the processor’s core complex(VDD_SOC_IN).
— The use of the LDO-enabled or LDO-bypassed modes.
– When using the LDO-bypassed mode, do not set the target voltage to the minimum
specified in the datasheet. All power-management ICs have allowable tolerances. Set
the target voltage higher than the minimum specified voltage to account for thetolerance of the PMIC.
– The LDO-enabled mode uses the regulators on the i.MX 6ULL. These regulators arewell-characterized and you may set them to output an exact minimum specified
voltage. To achieve a higher PoH, use the LDO-enabled mode.
– 800 MHz and 900 MHz can only be achieved in the LDO-enabled mode.
• The percentage of the active use compared to the standby.
— The active use means that the processor is running in the active performance mode.
– For the commercial tier, the performance modes are 528 MHz and 900 MHz.
– For the industrial tier, the performance modes are 528 MHz and 800 MHz.
– In the stand-by/DSM mode, the datasheet defines the lower operating conditions for theVDD_SOC_IN, reducing the power consumption and the junction temperature. In thismode, the voltage and temperature are set low enough so that the effect on the lifetime
calculations is negligible and treated as if the device was powered off.
• The junction temperature of the processor (Tj).
— The maximum junction temperature of the device is different for each tier of the product,
for example, 95 °C for the commercial tier and 105 °C for the industrial tier. Thismaximum temperature is guaranteed by the final test.
— Ensure that your device is appropriately thermally managed and the maximum junction
temperature is not exceeded.
NOTEAll data provided within this document are estimates of the PoH, based on
extensive qualification experience and testing with the i.MX 6 series. Do
not view these statistically-derived estimates as a limit to the individual
device’s lifetime, nor construe them a warranty for the actual lifetime of adevice. The sales and warranty terms and conditions still apply.

i.MX 6ULL Product Usage Lifetime Estimates, Application Note, Rev. 1, 03/2017
2NXP Semiconductors

Device qualification level and available PoH definitions

2. Device qualification level and available PoH definitions
2.1. Commercial qualification
This table provides the number of PoH for the typical use conditions of the extended commercialdevices:
Table 1. Commercial qualification lifetime estimates—

Case C1: LDO
enabledCase C2: LDO
bypassed
Case C3: LDO
enabled

ARM core operating

Junction temperatue

ARM® core frequency

PoH

(MHz)

(hours)528

21,900

1.15

95

528

16,300

1.18

95

900

21,9001.25

95

voltage(V)[Tj] (°C)

The following figures provide guidelines for estimating the PoH as a function of the CPU frequency andthe junction temperature. Read the PoH directly from the charts below to determine the trade-offs to bemade to the CPU frequency and the junction temperature to increase the estimated PoH of the device.

Figure 1. i.MX 6ULL commercial lifetime estimates in LDO-enabled modei.MX 6ULL Product Usage Lifetime Estimates, Application Note, Rev. 1, 03/2017
NXP Semiconductors

3Device qualification level and available PoH definitions

Figure 2. i.MX 6ULL commercial lifetime estimates in LDO-bypassed mode

2.2. Industrial qualificationThis table provides the number of PoH for the typical use conditions of the industrial devices:
Table 2. Industrial qualification lifetime estimates—Case I1: LDO
enabledCase I2: LDO
bypassed
Case I3: LDO
enabled

ARM core operating

Junction temperatue

voltage

[Tj]

(V)

(°C)

100,000

1.15

105

528

64,261

1.18

105

800

87,6891.2105

ARM core frequency

PoH

(MHz)

(hours)528

i.MX 6ULL Product Usage Lifetime Estimates, Application Note, Rev. 1, 03/2017
4NXP Semiconductors

Device qualification level and available PoH definitions

The following figures provide guidelines to estimate the PoH as a function of the CPU frequency and thejunction temperature. Read the PoH directly from the charts below to determine the trade-offs to be madeto the CPU frequency and the junction temperature to increase the estimated PoH of the device.

Figure 3. i.MX 6ULL industrial lifetime estimates in LDO-enabled modei.MX 6ULL Product Usage Lifetime Estimates, Application Note, Rev. 1, 03/2017
NXP Semiconductors

5Combining use cases

Figure 4. i.MX 6ULL industrial lifetime estimates in LDO-bypassed mode

3. Combining use cases
In some applications, a constant operating use case cannot provide the target PoH. In this case, multiple
operating conditions are used. This method provides some of the benefits of running at a lowerperformance, while keeping the system’s ability to use the highest performance state required by theapplication.

3.1. Switching between two power states with different temperatures
This scenario assumes that the system can achieve a drop in the temperature by throttling back theperformance, while still maintaining a constant voltage. Achieve this temperature change by changing thefrequency, or by simply scaling back the load on the ARM cores and processing units. This use case isparticularly useful if you want to take advantage of the full commercial temperature range of the i.MX6ULL. In this scenario, the system spends 30 % of its PoH at 95 °C, 30 % of its PoH at 90 °C, and 40 %of its PoH at 85 °C (as shown in the following figure). Combine the three PoH values as:
21,900 x 0.3 + 29,655 x 0.3 + 40,529 x 0.4 = 31,678 PoHEq. 1i.MX 6ULL Product Usage Lifetime Estimates, Application Note, Rev. 1, 03/2017
6NXP Semiconductors

Combining use cases

Figure 5. Multiple temperature use case

3.2. Switching between two power states with different voltages
In this scenario, the system is using the 800-MHz full-power state and the 528-MHz reduced-powerstate. For these calculations, it is assumed that the temperature stays constant in either mode. If thesystem spends 50 % of its PoH at 800 MHz and 50 % of its PoH at 528 MHz, combine the two PoHvalues (as shown in Figure 6) with the percentages:
116,866 × 0.5 + 133,334 × 0.5 = 125,100 PoH

Eq. 2i.MX 6ULL Product Usage Lifetime Estimates, Application Note, Rev. 1, 03/2017
NXP Semiconductors

7

Revision history

Figure 6. Multiple power state use case

4. Revision history
This table summarizes the changes made to this document since the initial release:
Table 3. Revision history
Revision numberDate

Substantive changes

009/2016

103/2017

Initial release.
Updated figures. Added Section 3.2, “Switching between two power states with differentvoltages”.

i.MX 6ULL Product Usage Lifetime Estimates, Application Note, Rev. 1, 03/2017
8NXP Semiconductors

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Document Number: AN5337Rev. 1
03/2017