CESA abstract : Semiconductor development - application of experience gained in consumer electronics for automated driving (Freescale)

The paper is a summary of discussions that have taken place in a working group of the ZVEI* with participation of major automotive semiconductor companies (ST, Freescale, Infineon).

In the automotive sector , the desire to be able to quickly and fully benefit from developments in the consumer sector is growing. This is especially true for functions that rely on developments and services from the telephone and Internet sector.

In this contribution we will show what the minimum requirements must be met for the automotive sector for components in all future functions for autonomous driving. Quality management is an important issue. In addition, since safety-critical functions are affected in the car, it is necessary, to comply with the requirements for functional safety ( eg ISO26262 ). Default probabilities and life of components and information storage are different and must be considered very carefully.

Historically, components were developed specifically on the qualification profiles of the automobile. This has led to huge additional expenditures compared to consumer parts development and validation. At the same time, there is often the misconception that quality and reliability can be subsequently achieved by qualifying more.

This misunderstanding leads today to the fact that risks are ignored or underestimated by the use of consumer devices. Market forces ( which we will describe) could ensure that the use of these devices in automobiles, especially under the impact of cost pressures and newcomers in particular, could increase significantly.

In the future we need a new closed loop approach to development, which defines the components and the applications. The necessary system objects are achieved by a balancing of requirements, external interconnection expenses and arrangements between OEM , Tier 1 and semiconductor manufacturer. Under certain circumstances, additional redundancies must be installed and monitoring components are used, which will allow it to quickly start with consumer components, but still meet safety requirements and time to win in order to develop the final automotive product.

*German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association. The ZVEI represents both semiconductor companies and Tier 1. The association offers this combined expertise to make together with the car manufacturers work processes and collaboration fit for autonomous driving .