en.Wedoany.com Reported - On June 25, South Korea's 8-inch pure-play foundry SK keyfoundry announced the development of an on-chip EMC protection technology based on Bidirectional Silicon Controlled Rectifiers (Bi-SCR), aimed at enhancing the electromagnetic compatibility performance of automotive semiconductors. This technology has been applied to SK keyfoundry's 0.13-micron BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) process products and has entered mass production.
Chips in automotive electronic systems must not only withstand electrostatic discharge risks during manufacturing and assembly but also face more complex electromagnetic interference and system-level electrical stress during vehicle operation. Traditional ESD protection devices are primarily designed for instantaneous discharge scenarios. In contrast, SK keyfoundry's newly introduced on-chip EMC protection technology integrates protection capabilities directly into the chip, targeting the stringent electrical stress environments specified by automotive standards such as ISO 10605, thereby improving the reliability of automotive semiconductors in actual systems.
The Bi-SCR structure is characterized by adjustable trigger voltage and strong high-current handling capability. For automotive power ICs, chip area, integration, and protection performance must be balanced simultaneously. Excessive external protection devices increase system design complexity and occupy board-level space. By implementing the Bi-SCR protection structure as an on-chip solution, SK keyfoundry enables control of EMC stress within the chip, reducing reliance on external protection components such as TVS diodes. This provides customers with greater flexibility in circuit design, space utilization, and system protection.
The 0.13-micron BCD process serves as the key platform for this technology's implementation. The BCD process integrates bipolar devices, CMOS logic, and DMOS power devices within a single process system, commonly used in automotive power management, drive control, and power control chips. By integrating the Bi-SCR on-chip EMC protection technology into this process product, SK keyfoundry demonstrates that the solution has progressed from design verification to deliverable manufacturing, capable of serving automotive chip customers with higher reliability requirements.
SK keyfoundry stated that this achievement stems from the combination of the company's automotive BCD process expertise and its EMC and ESD protection design capabilities. Based on mass production applications, the company plans to continue expanding its product line of protection devices based on high-voltage LDMOS, BJT, SCR, and diodes, while strengthening its foundry capabilities in application areas such as automotive PMICs, motor drivers, and power control ICs.
As the number of semiconductors in Vehicle Industry" target="_blank">new energy vehicles, smart cockpits, body control, and electric drive systems continues to increase, automotive chips' requirements for EMC robustness are surpassing single device-level ESD indicators. By bringing the Bi-SCR on-chip protection technology into mass production, SK keyfoundry enhances its differentiated capabilities in automotive power semiconductor foundry services and provides customers with new process options for developing highly integrated, high-reliability automotive chips. Future attention should be paid to the progress of this technology's adoption across more BCD platforms and automotive application products.
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