The impact of the automotive environment on power semiconductors

The authors discuss: (1) the increased use of power semiconductors (specifically power MOSFETs) in automotive applications; (2) environmental factors that have an impact on device cost; (3) changes that should be made to vehicles to reduce component and system cost; and (4) recent power semiconductor developments that increase the chances of survival in the harsh automotive environment. Basic power FET design, and system voltage variations and their impact on power FETs are also discussed.<
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