ON Semiconductor shares several key technologies in automotive electronics

Autonomous driving is the inevitable path for the future development of automobiles, but for autonomous driving to truly enter our lives, some key automotive electronic technologies need to be resolved, including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and various safety-related technologies. At this year's Munich Shanghai Electronics Show, ON Semiconductor, which focuses on automotive electronics, shared with us several key automotive electronic technologies needed from ADAS to autonomous driving.

After being spun off from Motorola in 1999, ON Semiconductor has clarified its main development lines and core business competitiveness through 14 mergers and acquisitions. Currently, the company focuses on the automotive, communications and industrial fields. In 2016, its estimated revenue was US$5 billion, ranking among the top 20 semiconductor companies in the world, and maintaining a leading position in many fields such as automobiles and power supplies.

Wu Zhimin, Director of Application Engineering for ON Semiconductor China, said that the key focus of ON Semiconductor in the future will be in the automotive, IoT and industrial fields. He especially focused on sharing ON Semiconductor's future plans in automotive electronics, from which we can get a glimpse of several key technologies from ADAS to autonomous driving:

1. Image sensors are the core of ADAS. In the future, each car will be equipped with 19 image sensors.

He believes that image sensors are the core of ADAS technology. In the future, every autonomous car will have 19 CMOS image sensors, which will be responsible for in-cabin ADAS, passenger monitoring, fatigue driving, dashboard control, driving recorder (DVR), etc. He pointed out that the explosive growth of the automotive image sensor market will be driven by active safety features. The figure below shows the compound growth rate of automotive CMOS sensors from 2014 to 2018.

Since ON Semiconductor ranks first in the automotive image sensor market, his judgment is highly reliable.

He believes that in the future, automotive image sensors will adopt some advanced technologies such as LED flicker reduction technology, stacked wafer technology, global shutter, BSI, SmartCell pixels, etc. ON Semiconductor has launched the industry's first hardware-based technology to reduce LED flicker - LFM, and displayed the "Safety Ready" BSI HDR sensor AR0143AT using LFM at this exhibition. This is a 1.3 million pixel 1/4 inch 720p HDR automotive ADAS sensor with excellent low-light performance, 140dB high dynamic range, and the ability to eliminate LED flicker.

ON Semiconductor can provide a modular automotive reference system (MARS) for sensors, which provides compact, ready-to-use cameras to make the development of automotive imaging systems more efficient. MARS allows users to reconfigure cameras with different lenses, image sensors, image signal processors (ISPs), and communication protocols, enabling rapid prototyping and efficient design. The system can be used in automotive camera applications, including ADAS, surround and rear view systems, and in-car cameras.

These are ON Semiconductor’s automotive vision customers, including almost all the world’s well-known automobile brands.

2. Headlamp Trends

He believes that there are two integrated development trends for headlights. The first is the target system of LED and electronic devices in the same unit, that is, a complete light projection unit. The second is the integration of "LED bulbs" - using standardized LED light sources and VBAT power supply, which is as easy to integrate as a bulb.

Other demonstrations included eFuse line reduction and high current solutions, battery-free wireless sensors for car seats, in-car charging and pixel taillight demonstrations.

3. Application of double-sided heat dissipation power modules and wide bandgap materials in automobiles

He said that the double-sided cooling power module is an innovation of ON Semiconductor. The double-sided cooling power module increases power density, reduces size, weight and cost, and realizes compact system design. It has excellent thermal and electrical performance, about 40% Rth junction-fluid reduction, 8nH ultra-low stray inductance, etc. It can cover 650 V half-bridge to 1200 V applications and has a wide range of power levels.

Generally, semiconductor materials with a band gap greater than 2.0eV at room temperature are classified as wide bandgap semiconductors. Wide bandgap semiconductors are widely used in blue, purple and ultraviolet photoelectronic devices, high-frequency, high-temperature, high-power electronic devices and field emission devices. For example, silicon carbide (SiC) devices can withstand high temperatures above 500e and voltages above 1200V. They have the characteristics of high power, strong current, low power consumption and high frequency. They are suitable for large traction electrical equipment systems, trains, military weapons and equipment, etc. Gallium nitride (GaN) devices have the advantages of high reliability, high efficiency, fast response, long life, full solid state and small size. Now wide bandgap materials are also used in automotive electronics. ON Semiconductor is currently the only supplier that can provide both SiC and GaN devices.

4. Development trend of automobile intelligent ignition

There is a basic circuit (the automotive ignition system) in all internal combustion engines except diesel engines. The switching elements used to charge the ignition coil have evolved greatly: from a single mechanical switch, multiple circuit breaker contacts in the distributor, to high-voltage Darlington bipolar transistors installed in the distributor or in a separate electronic control module, to insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) installed in the ignition coil directly on the spark plug, and finally to smart IGBTs installed in the ignition coil directly on the spark plug.

Wu Zhimin said that ON Semiconductor has sold 1 billion automotive ignition IGBTs to global automakers, exceeding the company's milestone. The company holds TS16949 certification, complies with ISO26262 specifications, and has a zero-defect plan that fully utilizes advanced design technologies and test methods.

In fact, automobile ignition technology has also kept pace with the times, and has gone through the development process from discrete ignition IGBT to ignition driver IC to intelligent igniter.

ON Semiconductor's smart igniter module includes ignition IGBT, control IC and passive components, optimized for ignition coils

Wu Zhimin said that the automotive business contributed nearly 1/3 of ON Semiconductor's revenue. He pointed out that by 2021, the total demand for automotive electronic modules will reach US$339 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAAGR) of 6.2% from 2016 to 2021 (2.9% for automotive manufacturing). Therefore, in the future, ON Semiconductor's focus in automotive electronics will be on powertrain, power management, lighting, interior of the vehicle body, vehicle network and active safety. ON Semiconductor will continue to delve into these areas to bring users a safer and more comfortable experience.