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ELECTRONIC DEVICE FAILURE ANALYSIS | VOLUME 19 NO. 1
54
GUEST COLUMNISTS
CHALLENGES IN USING MOBILE DEVICES FOR
AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRONICS
E. Jan Vardaman and Linda Bal, TechSearch International, Inc.
Electronic content in automotive applications has
increased dramatically over the past few years.
Automobiles are on the thresholdof a radical change
in technology. The industry has moved from ceramic to
leadframe and laminate and packages. Interconnect
technology is transitioning from wire bond to flip-chip
and wafer-level packaging (WLP), including fan-out WLP.
Vehicles have increased connectivity, improved self-
diagnostics, and a greater number of safety features.
Increasingly, semiconductors thatwerenot specifically
developed for the automotive market are being used in
vehicles. Many innovations desired in future vehicles
have been designed for larger market segments, such
as consumer and computer, that can justify the required
research and development and are able to drive down
cost with high-volumemanufacturing. Some examples of
these features include higher graphics capabilities in info-
tainment, cluster and head-up solutions, and Advanced
Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) technology. There are three
main scenarios of ADAS:
• Systems that provide feedback to the driver when an
obstacle or situation exists. The driver has the sole
discretion to determine and take action.
• Systems where the car electronics take action after the
driver has been warned but fails to take action
• Autonomous driving systems where the driver has no
input
New automotive safety features include increased
connectivity, improved self-diagnostics, crash-avoidance
technology, and advanced driver assistance. This trans-
lates into an increased use of image sensors and radar.
Automotive electronics qualification requirements
are classified by AEC-Q100 grades that depend on the
ambient operating temperature range (Table 1). Grade 0
corresponds to the harshest operating environment and
critical power train operations. Most ADAS operations fit
in Grade 1. Driver information systems displays or com-
munication devices fit in Grade 2 or 3. Table 2 provides
details of AEC-Q100 qualification tests.
Members of the German Electrical and Electronic
Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI) have formed a new
working group to create awareness of the potential
differences between automotive and consumer-grade
“MANY INNOVATIONS DESIRED IN
FUTURE VEHICLES HAVE BEEN DESIGNED
FOR LARGER MARKET SEGMENTS, SUCH
AS CONSUMER AND COMPUTER, THAT
CAN JUSTIFY THE REQUIRED RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT AND ARE ABLE TO
DRIVE DOWN COST WITH HIGH-VOLUME
MANUFACTURING.”
Table 1 AEC-Q100 grades vary based on
operating environment
temperature range
AEC-Q100 Ambient operating temperature range
Grade 0 −40 to +150 °C
Grade 1 −40 to +125 °C
Grade 2 −40 to +105 °C
Grade 3 −40 to +85 °C
Source: AEC-Q100