Automotive Electronics
Getting smarter
In a Q&A with CIE Bernd Gessner, general manager automotive at ams, talks to Neil Tyler. Covering standards and compliance to new products addressing new needs, Gessner looks at how the automotive industry is changing and how ams is adapting to meet the challenges ahead
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iE: What are your main automotive products and how are you using them to position yourself in the automotive area?
Bernd Gessner: As a company we focus on high performance analogue ICs, which connect the real world of analogue with the digital one of processors and memories. Analogue is the most profitable segment for us, representing approximately 17-20% of the total semiconductor market. Most customers work with us because of our ability to be extremely accurate; we don’t do low power, we do ultra-low power, extremely low noise and highly integrated circuits with extreme accuracy. In order to design high performance analogue circuits you need to combine design with high performance processes, and this is why we will always continue to invest in our manufacturing processes, including test. In the automotive area, we provide a full value chain, including product definition, IC design, state-of-the-art manufacturing and test. Our product portfolio includes sensors and sensor interfaces, power management and BUS systems, with products being divided into 4 key areas: ASICs, battery management ICs, magnetic position sensing ICs and communication and module supply.
CiE: What are the key drivers within the automotive space?
Gessner: In the automotive space we see 3 big drivers: they are environmental protection and sustainability; safety and comfort /entertainment or infotainment. The environmental protection and sustainability area covers all topics related to providing higher efficiency, as well as the electrification of conventional cars (e.g. EPAS) reinforced 12V, 48V, micro hybrids (Start/Stop), mild hybrids (brake energy
12 October 2012
recovery, boost), PHEV, FEV (e-mobility including e-bikes, scooters). This area also includes brake energy recuperation, variable valve timing etc. The safety area e.g. collision avoidance systems, child seat detection, lane departure warning etc. are mainly paired with our sensor interface ASIC expertise. In addition to this, we have standard products for safety applications. In the area of comfort and enter- and infotainment, which includes double clutch transmission and LED interior lighting for example, we offer ICs with different interfaces and function to make driving more comfortable while saving power and thus reducing fuel consumption.
CiE: Standards and compliance are crucial in this market - what specifications are you having to address and how are they impacting on the development of new products?
Gessner: First of all, we have to consider customer-specific requirements for starting a new product. These requirements are critical, and determine the usage of international standards such as Jedec, Mil or specific ISO standards. ams, however, also use cells which are already qualified according to these standards. We develop new products based on our process technologies, which are qualified according to these international standards. Applicable international standards are always applied when using risk analysis studies (e.g. DOEs, FMEAs) and simulations during the development process. At ams we are committed to meeting the highest quality standards, and have been certified according to ISO/TS 16949:2009, as well as ISO 9001:2008, ISO 13485:2003, AEC Q 100 and different EMC standards like IEC41. This makes us one of the few semiconductor manufacturers worldwide fully qualified for the automotive industry.
As an ISO26262 experienced company, Components in Electronics
we run a safe launch program for every automotive product, and provide ID for every automotive IC. We develop our IC in a development flow conformant to ISO26262, and have a Safety manager for any ISO26262 project. We are experienced in cost effective implementation of ISO26262 requirements, which our customers greatly appreciate, especially in safety critical applications.
CiE: You've had a number of significant wins with products such as FlexRay; what impact will new specifications have on this product and how will you look to comply with new EMC and ESD specifications?
Gessner:We have a unique position on the market as we are able to provide
products with high junction temperature rating of 165°C, which makes the ams device suitable for use in high-temperature powertrain applications
Since the application of FlexRay in vehicles, several changes in specifications have been implemented, such as the newest FlexRay Standard 3.0.1 or the upcoming ISO 10681, which is not yet available for the Physical Layer or EMC and ESD requirements. Our current available FlexRay products comply with the FlexRay standard (available at the time) and are verified against the EMC / ESD requirements. In terms of EMC / ESD we have spent a large amount of time researching and developing activities to fulfill those new requirements, which will be implemented in our upcoming products.
www.cieonline.co.uk
Bernd Gessner
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