NEWSLETTER MAY 2003

AUTOMOTIVE INNOVATION RELYING INCREASINGLY ON MICROELECTRONICS

Microelectronics applications from in-vehicle entertainment and vehicle location to pollution prevention and collision avoidance are driving global automotive innovation. In fact, automotive electronics are estimated to make up 90% of all innovation in cars worldwide, and the value of vehicle electronics is expected to reach one-third of the overall production costs of a car within the next decade.
Higher power systems are essential to supply the increasing number of electronics components used for safety, comfort and exhaust-emission control, and to help them run reliably. The move from 14- to 42-V power systems will be necessary in the future to ensure a sufficient energy supply for a car as a container for electronics. And a wide range of robust and reliable vehicle-specific semiconductor applications is already in development to improve vehicle safety and convenience as well as environment saving consumption of primary energy resources.

Technology can do much to improve the driving experience. Advanced information systems will provide drivers with current information on road and traffic conditions to enable them to plan routes away from congestion, automated vehicle control systems will use radar and other sensor-based collision warning and avoidance devices to forestall accidents, advanced traffic management systems will be based on automated measurement of traffic flow and congestion information, and automatic vehicle identification and location systems will simplify commercial and fleet operations.

The vision of highly efficient road traffic was already being demonstrated in the EUREKA Prometheus project at the end of the 1980s. But at that time, the electronic components necessary ? highly sensitive sensors and robust, extremely efficient microprocessors ? were not yet ready for high-volume series production and automotive applications. These components are now increasingly available and constructing an intelligent vehicle is rapidly becoming possible. Soon sensors will scan the environment around the vehicle, derive warnings from the objects found, and perform driving manoeuvres, all in a split second ? faster than the most skilled driver.

MEDEA+ research projects target both new applications and the underlying technology requirements of the automotive industry ? including improved design methodologies for complex, heterogeneous system-on-chip devices, suitability of semiconductor processes for 42-V battery supply, reliability of devices at high operating temperatures, and novel packaging technologies for next-generation automotive products.

Electronics have been part of automotive design and construction for the past 20 years, and are now devoted principally to the car's main functions. However, other sophisticated functionality, which can enhance travelling, is starting to emerge. In-car communication, intelligent navigation, accident-prevention and security applications as well as voice recognition and voice-synthesis technologies will become increasingly important.

The MEDEA+ A404 SSAE project is developing new architectures and generic chipsets to support such future applications. To contain costs, the focus is on developing multi-function chip modules ? and their software ? which can be mass-produced easily for a number of car ranges. The chips will accommodate the harsh temperature swings of the automotive environment. Software architecture is being defined in the parallel EUREKA Information Technology for European Advancement (ITEA) cluster Embedded Electronic Architecture (EAST-EEA) project, due to end this year.

Electrical power consumption in cars has increased from a few hundred watts in the 1960s to over 2 kW now, and is expected to continue to grow. Current 14-V battery systems can no longer provide the power required by the large number of electrical and electronic components being installed for safety, comfort and exhaust-emission control. Higher voltages are essential for the future.

The MEDEA+ T122 SC42V AUTOMOTIVE project is determining which state-of-the-art semiconductor processes can support advanced system designs for 42-V battery systems, and developing new processes and design features where existing technologies are not able to satisfy higher voltage requirements. The results will provide a competitive boost for automotive electronics suppliers in Europe, making them world leaders.

High operating temperature systems are the subject of the MEDEA+ T124 HOTCAR project, which involves the complete vertical supplier chain from chipmaker to car manufacturer. In the future, engine and transmission units will be built and tested as complete subassemblies, with all electronic control devices in place, to reduce overall production costs. That can only be achieved if the components are mounted directly on the unit where they will be subjected to long-term extremes of temperature, vibration and humidity.

The primary technical goal of HOTCAR is to achieve and demonstrate cost-effective solutions in terms of chipsets, substrate materials, and package and interconnect technologies. It is focusing on system-on-chip (SoC) solutions, state-of-the-art microchips and other increasingly complex integrated circuits (ICs). This is being accompanied by investigations in the field of advanced packaging technologies to fulfil the requirements of high temperature applications in the automotive area.

Novel space-saving packaging technologies for highly integrated micromodules for automotive products are the focus of the MEDEA+ T503 HI-MICRO project. The objective is to prepare for the volume manufacture of more rugged integrated circuits for new automotive applications, such as near-distance radar vision systems, placed around the car to improve safety.

These components are micromodules combining both silicon germanium (SiGe) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) based, highly integrated, monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) and multi-layer substrates with wafer-scale packaging methods. SiGe technology is being used to demonstrate highly integrated solutions for multichip modules (MCMs) in the 20 to 30 GHz frequency range, while GaAs technology is needed for higher frequency applications.

With an annual global market of more than 60 million vehicles, it is crucial that European semiconductor manufacturers, system designers and carmakers can exploit world-class silicon-based technology. These MEDEA+ projects are intended to enable European manufacturers to help set the global standards in automotive electronics and compete successfully with the USA and Japan.

The MEDEA+ third call for proposals, carried out at the end of last year, has been focussing on projects relevant to "Security and Safety", thus clearly showing MEDEA+?s full commitment to this domain and contribution to solutions as outlined in the following article.