"Automotive Smart Power IC Design"

- Bernhard Wicht, Uni Reutlingen

Smart power ICs combine analog, digital and high-voltage / power functions in a single chip. Based on high-voltage BiCMOS technologies smart power design allows for integration of complete systems or subsystems into single chip solutions. With the adoption of more electronics, vehicles become safer, cleaner, more efficient, more comfortable, more affordable. This tutorial will give an overview of automotive design challenges and will cover the circuit design of main smart power circuit blocks like charge pumps, gate and bridge drivers, linear and switched-mode voltage regulators.
System design aspects like pinout, floorplanning, grounding / supply guidelines will also be addressed. With the combination of mixed-signal and high-voltage circuits, the contents of this tutorial is also applicable to new growth areas like smart buildings or power management for renewable energy.