Automotive chips are automotive electronics ic, are a type of embedded system chips, one of electronic parts for cars,which are widely used in the control units and other electronic devices of automobiles. With the help of processors and various circuits, automotive chips are responsible for regulating multiple functions of the car, such as engine control, seat adjustment, and audio system operation. Their core mission is to ensure that the car can still achieve efficient, stable and safe operation in complex and changeable driving environments.
Common types of automotive chips
1, Microcontroller (MCU)
Microcontrollers are a core component of automotive chips and are widely used in the control of automotive electrical systems. They integrate memory, processors, input/output interfaces, and logic circuits, and are responsible for regulating numerous functions such as the engine, doors, and lights.
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2,Sensor chips are used to monitor various physical parameters of a car, such as temperature, light and sound, and transmit these data in real time to the car's control unit. They are usually composed of sensor elements and interface circuits.
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3,Analog-to-digital converter (ADC)
The ADC chip is responsible for converting analog signals into digital signals so that the computer system in the car can interpret and process them. This type of chip contains an analog front-end circuit, a sampling circuit, and a digital circuit, and is widely used in the measurement of electrical signals.
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4,Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
DSP chips are specifically designed for digital signal processing and are commonly used in automobiles for audio and image processing. They consist of a processor core and related logic circuits, enhancing the performance of automotive audio and visual systems.
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5,Memory chips are used to store data generated during the operation of a vehicle, such as maintenance records, driver preferences, and music libraries. These data are crucial for enhancing vehicle performance, efficiency, and personalized experience.
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Suppliers:
Automotive chip suppliers can be divided into two major camps: international manufacturers and domestic enterprises, covering multiple fields such as power semiconductors, MCUs, and autonomous driving chips. Currently, international manufacturers still hold a dominant position, but the process of domestic substitution is accelerating, and local enterprises have achieved breakthroughs in specific areas.
Ⅰ.Leading international suppliers
Infineon
The most comprehensive automotive-grade chip supplier with product lines covering power semiconductors, sensors, MCUs, etc. It has 15 production bases worldwide. Its IGBT modules have a leading market share in the electric control systems of new energy vehicles.
NVIDIA has collaborated with automakers such as BYD and Li Auto to develop intelligent driving chips. Although its H20 chip is subject to export restrictions, its CUDA ecosystem is still widely used for training autonomous driving algorithms.
NXP, Renesas Electronics, and Texas Instruments collectively held a 47.8% share of the global automotive semiconductor market in the first half of 2024, mainly providing mid-to-high-end products such as communication chips and analog chips.
II. Representative Domestic Enterprises
◆ BYD Semiconductor
The leading domestic manufacturer of automotive-grade IGBT and SiC power devices, with products covering power semiconductors, MCUs, and sensors, which are applied in all BYD vehicle models and for external customers.
◆ Horizon
Focusing on AI chips for autonomous driving, the Journey series of chips have been installed in models from Li Auto, Changan and other brands, providing integrated solutions for algorithms and computing platforms.
Huawei HiSilicon's Ascend series chips support autonomous driving computing, Kirin chips empower intelligent cockpits, and 5G communication chips enhance vehicle-to-vehicle interconnection capabilities.
◆ Other emerging manufacturers
● Black Sesame Technologies: The HuaShan A1000 chip supports L3/L4 level autonomous driving.
● Guoxin Technology: Automotive-grade MCU and DSP chips are applied in body control.
● China Resources Microelectronics: The second-generation SiC MOS platform main drive module has been mass-produced.
III. Directions of Technological Breakthroughs
Domestic chips are advancing from mid-to-low-end substitution to high-end.
● Power Semiconductors: China Resources Microelectronics and Finspan Semiconductor have launched 1200V SiC MOSFET modules.
● MCU: Chuangwei Semiconductor has released the dedicated body control chip series BAT32A4x9 for automobiles.
● Intelligent Driving Chips: Xingchi Technology has introduced the X9/V9 series covering intelligent cockpits and autonomous driving.
Chip manufacturing process:
The complete chip manufacturing process includes several stages: chip design, wafer fabrication, packaging, and testing, among others. Of these, wafer fabrication is particularly complex. The following illustration helps us understand the chip manufacturing process, especially the wafer fabrication stage. It begins with chip design, where a "pattern" is generated according to the design requirements.
Wafer Material
The raw material used to make chips is the wafer. Wafers are composed primarily of silicon, which is refined from quartz sand. The silicon is purified to an extremely high level (99.999%) and then formed into silicon crystal ingots, which serve as the semiconductor material for integrated circuits. These ingots are sliced into thin wafers used in chip fabrication. Thinner wafers reduce manufacturing costs, but they require more advanced processing technologies.
Wafer Coating
A coating is applied to the wafer to provide oxidation resistance and high-temperature tolerance. This coating is a type of photoresist material.
Photolithography, Development, and Etching
This process uses chemical materials that are sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light. Exposure to UV light causes the photoresist to soften and dissolve. By controlling the pattern of a mask, the desired chip structure can be created.
First, a layer of photoresist is applied to the silicon wafer. A photomask is then placed over the wafer, and UV light is projected onto it. The exposed areas dissolve and are washed away with a solvent, leaving behind a pattern identical to that of the mask. This process forms the required silicon dioxide layer.
Doping with Impurities
Ions are implanted into the wafer to create P-type and N-type semiconductor regions. The process begins by exposing selected areas of the silicon wafer and immersing them in a chemical ion mixture. Doping changes the electrical conductivity of these regions, allowing each transistor to switch on and off or store data.
Simple chips may require only a single layer, while complex chips consist of many layers. The process of photolithography and doping is repeated multiple times, with different layers connected through contact openings. This is somewhat analogous to the fabrication of multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs). Advanced chips may require multiple silicon dioxide layers, resulting in a three-dimensional structure.
Wafer Testing
After the above processes, the wafer contains numerous grid-like dies. Electrical characteristics of each die are tested using probe needles. Since a single wafer contains a large number of dies, organizing probe testing is highly complex. This is why semiconductor manufacturers typically produce chips of the same specifications in large volumes. Higher production volumes lower the cost per chip, which is one reason why mainstream semiconductor devices are relatively inexpensive.
Packaging
Once wafer fabrication is complete, the wafer is diced and the individual chips are mounted and connected to external leads. Depending on application requirements, various package types can be used. This is why the same chip core may be available in different package forms, such as DIP, QFP, PLCC, and QFN. Package selection depends mainly on factors such as application requirements, operating environment, market demand, and user preferences.
The last step in chip manufacturing is testing, which can be divided into general testing and special testing.
General testing involves evaluating the packaged chips under various conditions to verify electrical characteristics such as power consumption, operating speed, and voltage tolerance. Based on the results, chips are graded into different performance categories.
Special testing is performed to meet specific customer requirements. Selected chips with similar specifications are subjected to targeted tests to determine whether they satisfy particular technical parameters. Depending on the results, manufacturers may decide whether a custom chip design is necessary.
Chips that pass the required tests are labeled with specifications, model numbers, and manufacturing dates, packaged, and shipped to customers. Chips that fail to meet specifications may be downgraded for lower-performance applications or discarded as defective products.
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