Towards automatic diagnosis of minority carriers propagation problems in HV/HT automotive smart power ICs

In this paper, a proposed methodology to identify the substrate coupling effects in smart power integrated circuits is presented. This methodology is based on a tool called AUTOMICS to extract substrate parasitic network. This network comprises diodes and resistors that are able to maintain the continuity of minority carrier concentration. The contribution of minority carriers in the substrate noise is significant in high-voltage and high temperature applications. The proposed methodology along with conventional latch-up problem identification for a test case automotive chip AUTOCHIP1 are presented. The time of the proposed methodology is significantly shorter than the conventional one. The proposed methodology could significantly shorten the time-to-market and ameliorate the robustness of the design.