Design challenges and innovative solutions in mixed-signal high voltage integrated circuits: case studies for automotive applications

Integrated Circuits (ICs) are playing a starring role in the automotive market, especially since legal and safety requirements have been introduced to rule vehicles emissions and operation. In addition to that the development of dedicated ICs for automotive applications is pushed not only by the harsh environment and the challenging safety requirements typical of the automotive applications, but also by the increase of the complexity of the electronic equipment within the car, and the need to minimize the lead time of automotive products. In the thesis hot topics typical of electronic systems for automotive applications are introduced, the relative study of the state of the art is presented and the limitations of currently available solutions are highlighted. Finally innovative solutions designed and developed to overcome the limitations of the state of the art are described and particular emphasis is given to performance, quality and safety aspects. The thesis reports the design and validation of battery management systems, high voltage output drivers for sensor-based ICs and motor drives, showing how to fulfill in an effective way the performance, quality and safety targets according to the guidelines and constraints of the latest automotive standards, like ISO26262 and AEC-Q100. The designed ICs have been simulated and manufactured, including layout drawings, in HVCMOS 350nm technology from AMS. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed circuits has been validated on silicon and corresponded measurement results have been reported.