Some of the unique requirements of automotive power electronics applications are reviewed, and the technology approaches that can be applied to the requirements are shown. Tradeoffs in terms of technology selection, MOS versus bipolar, and structure are discussed. IC design examples are presented to illustrate the tradeoff selections for applications like high side drivers, ignition, and low side drivers. The automotive environment, loads, and some possible configurations are also discussed.< >
A line interface circuit utilizing on-chip RF modulation to isolate capacitively up to 1500V on the line, and electrothermal methods to transfer supervisory information, will be described. The IC was fabricated in a 200V bipolar process.
