Atmel Launches New Driver-IC Family for Automotive High-temperature Applications

Convergence Show, Detroit, MI, October 16th, 2006. . . Atmel® Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML), a global leader in the development and fabrication of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced today the availability of three new driver ICs for high-temperature applications (AECQ100, Grade 0). The ATA6824, ATA6827 and ATA6832 are designed using Atmel's new high-voltage SMARTIS™ technology that enables extremely high chip temperatures of up to 200°C. As a result, ambient temperatures of up to 150°C can be achieved, allowing the use of these devices in hot environments. In mechatronic solutions such as turbochargers or exhaust gas recirculation systems, many flaps have to be controlled by DC-motor driver ICs which are located very close to a hot engine. To design a complete motor-control system solution, designers can combine the new driver ICs with Atmel's well-known family of ATmega 8-bit AVR® Flash microcontrollers qualified for high-temperature automotive applications.

In contrast to standard BCDMOS bulk technology, Atmel's innovative SMARTIS technology uses an SOI (Silicon-On-Insulator) substrate. Due to the SOI technology's dielectric isolation, the junction leakage, a major issue in high-temperature designs, can be minimized. Furthermore, SOI devices provide superior latch-up immunity for increased reliability of circuits operating in hot environments.

The small, and low-cost ATA6827 is a fully-protected triple half-bridge driver with integrated power stages to control up to 3 different loads by a microcontroller. Each of the three high-side and three low-side drivers are capable of driving currents up to 1.0A. The ATA6827 supports the application of H-bridges to drive DC motors very well. The operation modes reverse, brake, and high impedance are controlled by the SPI interface. The enhanced version, ATA6832, provides an additional PWM functionality with up to 25 kHz, enabling a DC motor control to be generated without any audible noise caused by the PWM signal.

If higher output currents are required, the ATA6824 highly-integrated MOSFET driver IC is ideal. In addition to the H-bridge driver functionality, this device also includes a 5V/3V voltage regulator for microcontroller supply, a window watchdog and a serial interface. In contrast to competing products, the ATA6824 includes the motion control functionality on-chip so that only the direction command and the PWM signal for the speed information needs to be provided by the microcontroller. Due to the high integration, overall system costs can be reduced while maintaining maximum flexibility regarding the external output stages. Also, high integration results in fewer external components and thus smaller designs with reduced PCB area – a critical issue with automotive mechatronic applications.

The ATA6824, ATA6827 and ATA6832 driver ICs provide several protection features such as over-temperature shutdown, overload and over-voltage protection, as well as protection against short circuits. The devices also meet the strict automotive qualification demands (protection against conducted interference, EMC and ESD protection) and can withstand transients as specified in ISO/TR 7637.

Price and Availability

Samples of the driver ICs ATA6824 (QFN32 package), ATA6827 (QFN18 package) and ATA6832 (QFN18 package) are available now. The pricing is $1.85 for the ATA6824, $1.00 for the ATA6827 and $1.05 for the ATA6832 (at 10k each).

Footnotes:

BCDMOS = Mixed-signal technology with Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS components

DC = Direct Current

EMC = Electro Magnetic Compatibility

ESD = Electronic Static Discharge

PCB = Printed Circuit Board

PWM = Pulse Width Modulation

SOI = Silicon On Insulator technology

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