Packaging challenges of producing smaller power mosfets & schottky diodes for the automotive sector

The global automotive electronics market is expected to be worth more the $240 billion by 2017 (according to research conducted by Strategy Analytics). Innovative IC (Integrated Circuit) and power devices for powertrain, lighting and body electronics are helping car manufacturers to reduce the emission levels, improve the fuel economy, and increase the safety of the vehicles they produce. The total electronics content Inside the average vehicle has risen considerably over recent years and will continue to grow at an almost exponential rate. As a result there is an ever greater need for more compact and high performance semiconductor devices for powering all this complex electronics hardware - offering greater efficiency levels and using up less battery life, while simultaneously saving space. Though semiconductor process technologies continue to adhere closely to Moore's Law, allowing smaller and smaller dimensions for IC dies, far greater technological challenges must be overcome if the packages in which they will be enclosed are to keep up. Major advances are called for if the packaging technology is going to be able to deal with major concerns such as ensuring adequate heat dissipation and robustness, as well maintaining overall cost effectiveness. In order to decrease the amount of board real estate being taken up by power devices, a great deal of engineering effort must now be devoted to issues such as minimizing the interconnect resistance and curbing the lead inductance, while still delivering sufficient thermal management to ensure the long term reliability.