Freescale reveals new integrated technology for intelligent networking apps in automobiles

SAE Convergence 2010, DETROIT, USA: Freescale Semiconductor is introducing its next-generation technology to serve the fast-growing automotive intelligent distributed nodes market.

Freescale’s new integrated LL18UHV technology, along with existing S12 microcontroller (MCU) system-in-package (SiP) product families, meet the technical and commercial demands of applications in which space requirements and cost need to be minimized, such as window-lifts, sunroofs and motor control.

Traditionally, automotive electronic designs have required multiple devices: some created with a high-voltage process to connect to the battery and power actuator outputs, as well as microcontrollers created with a low-voltage digital logic process. This poses a challenge when the end application has physical space limitations. Freescale offers customers two approaches to meet this challenge:

Available today: SiP solutions that combine separate MCU and analog mixed-signal chips, fabricated in two separate processes, in a single package. These SiP devices are ideal for customers who need dual-die solutions where high current is required.

Next-generation: A new, cost-competitive technology for monolithic devices that allows the integration of high-voltage analog, non-volatile memory (NVM) and digital logic on a single piece of silicon for certain applications that require less current.

“With the availability of our S12-based SiP devices and the announcement of our new LL18 UHV technology, we’re providing a powerful roadmap for our customers’ automotive car body networks,” said Ray Cornyn, director of Automotive Microcontroller Products for Freescale. “This new process technology will definitely push the limits of how we think about automotive body microcontrollers.”

Local interconnect network (LIN) connected nodes are the fastest-growing portion of the automotive networking market, and Freescale has responded to the market need with its next-generation LL18UHV technology. This technology uses Freescale’s reliable, low-leakage 0.18 micron fabrication process to combine non-volatile memory, digital logic and 40V analog onto a single piece of silicon.

Freescale expects to develop an entire family of AEC-Q100 qualified products based on LL18UHV technology, with specific product announcements planned for next year. These products will integrate an MCU, automotive voltage regulators, LIN and CAN physical layers, motor drivers and more on a single chip to meet automotive-specific demands and save on overall system cost. These parts will also have a common CPU and digital peripheral set and common analog characteristics.

Introducing MM912F634
The MM912F634 family – the latest devices in Freescale’s cost-effective S12-based intelligent distributed control (IDC) family of products – is now available.

The MM912F634 family is AEC Q100-qualified and provides cost and space savings for window-lift applications. These SiP devices combine die from Freescale’s 0.25 micron SMARTMOS8 MV technology with an industry-leading S12 MCU.