SMART TECH & IoT How ASIC applications impact
material considerations Material choices play a critical role in the design and performance of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) across different applications. Here, Ross Turnbull, director of business development and product engineering at ASIC expert Swindon Silicon Systems, explains how material considerations vary across applications, and the importance of getting it right.
Ross Turnbull E
very ASIC application comes with unique requirements. Depending on its task, a custom chip may need to handle extreme conditions and intensive electrical demands within a compact design. Material considerations are central to an ASIC’s success, but the appropriate choices depend on a wide range of factors. These can include whether the chip needs to withstand vibrations, handle extreme environments, be resistant to corrosive materials or, in the case of medical applications, be biocompatible. The requirements of the ASIC can impact choices for substrate, interconnect or dielectric materials, along with the best packaging, passivation and protective layers to use. All of this depends heavily on the application.
A key challenge for engineers is identifying materials that can handle the conditions of an application without sacrificing reliability, durability or performance.
Looking at a few applications in more detail for automotive, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and medical devices, here are some of the key material considerations for engineers to make.
Automotive
ASICs are used for numerous purposes across the automotive industry. One example is tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), which are vital for safety. Direct TPMS has pressure sensing within the tyre itself, providing accurate real-time monitoring.
ASICs for direct TPMS need to be consistently reliable over a device’s lifetime, meeting all requirements for functionality, power budget and efficiency. In particular, the system needs to offer a ten-year operational lifetime from a button battery
power cell. The chips must achieve all of this while withstanding the demanding conditions of motor vehicle tyres such as high temperatures, mechanical stress, vibration, humidity and moisture. With this in mind, the fabrication process and all materials included within the ASIC package must be capable of handling high temperature operations. Each material’s thermomechanical properties need to be considered individually and collectively to ensure the device is not unduly stressed over its full operating range and lifetime. When carefully selected, passivation layers can effectively contribute to stress mitigation, as well as moisture and chemical resistance.
While specific material choices will vary depending on the device and chip requirements, careful consideration of these
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factors and properties enables direct TPMS to operate reliably over a long service life, while handling demanding road conditions.
IIoT
With interconnected ‘Smart Factories’ becoming growing fixtures in the manufacturing industry, IIoT devices are often heavily depended upon. Given the high costs involved with such technology, ASICs must be carefully designed using appropriate materials to ensure they are adequately powerful and reliable, with the capability to last the same life span as the machinery they operate within. Among the challenges for IIoT chips is exposure to a wide range of temperatures, as well as the risk of coming into contact with dust and corrosive chemicals. They need to withstand these conditions
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