Advanced modelling and simulation of smart power ICs and packages for operation at 225 C in automotive Electronics (ADAM-SPICE)

High Temperature Silicon electronics are becoming increasingly necessary for automotive control applications such as Engine Control Units (ECU) because of government requirements to rapidly reduce engine emissions. The ECUs in conventional and hybrid cars are made of multi-chip modules (MCM), reflecting the requirements of digital, analog and power functions. However, MCMs suffer from long term reliability issues, despite improvements made in recent years. Replacing these with power ICs, which have bipolar analog, CMOS digital and power functions built onto one chip will result in highly compact, lightweight and low cost ECUs. However, to our knowledge, very few, if any, such power IC technologies exist, which can operate at 42 V and sustain the temperature requirements of 200 degreeC or more. The available design software tools for device modelling, circuit parameter extraction, and the rules for device and circuit layout are applicable for temperatures only up to 175 degreeC. This necessitates development of models (empirical, mathematical and SPICE) and establish design criteria for low and high voltage semiconductor device components and packages for Si smart power ICs operating at high temperatures (225 degreeC) in automotive applications. Rapidly developing design methodologies, simulation and modelling tools will enable (a) reduction of design cycle time (b) reduce cost and (c) enable long term reliability of components and packages, and; (d) shorten time to market.