RF Devices technology
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of chip costs is markedly different. Mercedes-Benz
“What really matters is the system introduced
cost. That’s where Infineon’s SiGe Distronic, a
transceiver, with its high integration, form of
higher yield and significantly better automotive
reliability, gives the cost advantage to radar, in the
the sensor company.” According to late 1990s.
him, SiGe allows the migration of The latest
tasks onto the chip that were version, the
previously performed discretely. This Distronic Plus,
ultimately drives down the total cost is an option on
of the system. “And obviously the S-Class.
mounting one or two chips on a CREDIT:
board [with SiGe], is a much more Daimler
cost effective way, than seven or nine
chips, as it used to be in GaAs.”
If Infineon is to wrestle a significant
share of the automotive radar market
from the manufacturers of GaAs which is partially funded by the automotive radar units will be
chips, then it also has to convince German government. Collaborators deployed in cars in 2013. “On the
potential customers that SiGe is the in the project include BMW, one hand that’s very, very strong
better product. GaAs, after all, is the Continental, Daimler and Bosch. growth. But on the other hand, if you
incumbent technology, and many of consider that there are going to be
its users may be reluctant to move One of the goals of the project is 100-120 million new cars on the road
away from a proven device lower cost automotive radar in 2013, then that’s still less than 10
technology. However, Infineon operating in the 77-81 GHz band. percent of the market.”
appears to have this issue in hand. It Turning to this far wider bandwidth
was a partner in an automotive radar enables an increase in spatial However, it is possible that the
project called KOKON that ran from resolution. “If you look at the more market could take off even more
2004 to 2007, and this enabled the bandwidth-hungry midrange and strongly if studies showed a
company to forge strong short-range applications for dense significant decline in road deaths
relationships with systems traffic, it is clear that you need more through the introduction of
manufacturers Bosch and bandwidth and that will be provided automotive radar, because this could
Continental and carmakers BMW by this frequency band,” explains herald the introduction of legislation
and Daimler. “If you want to be Lehbrink. that required this technology to be
successful in high-frequency radar, fitted to all new vehicles. This chain
you have to have good system know- Infineon is clearly mounting a strong of events has already happened with
how linked to close cooperation with charge on the automotive market, tire pressuring monitoring, but this
your customers,” says Lehbrink. and SiGe looks well poised for technology is far cheaper.
“Sensor development and production success. Anwar certainly thinks so.
at 77 GHz is very different from He predicts that the market for SiGe Even if governments don’t intervene,
taking off-the-shelf parts and putting chips in automotive radar will rise it seems that GaAs is destined to
them on a printed circuit board. from $3 million in 2008 to nearly enjoy some good years of increasing
Offering technology, design, test and $100 million in 2013, when the sales to the automotive radar
qualification from one partner with industry will have reached a tipping manufacturers. But there is that
long-term experience in high point. SiGe will then start to enjoy nagging thought that it could have
frequency technology is crucial to some significant uptick, mainly due been so much better if penetration
success in automotive radar to the activities at Infineon. had occurred far quicker, and it
applications.” appears that SiGe will be the long-
Lehbrink agrees with this view, and term winner. So manufacturers of
Long-term success in any market believes that virtually every GaAs automotive radar chipsets must
also demands the continual automotive radar manufacturer will go capitalize on the next few years, and
development of better products. to the effort of switching from GaAs then fight to maintain strong
Infineon is well aware of this, and has to SiGe, which will be utterly relationships with their customers in
just embarked on a three-year project dominant by 2015. If Anwar’s an effort to slow down declining
called “Radar on chips for cars”, predictions are correct, 10.6 million revenues from this sector.
October 2009 www.compoundsemiconductor.net 19
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