Complexity, quality and robustness - the challenges of tomorrow´s automotive electronics

Developing a state-of-the-art premium car means implementing one of the most complex electronic systems mankind is using in daily life. About 100 ECU´s with more than 7.000 semiconductor components realize safety, comfort and powertrain functions. These numbers will increase drastically when going the step from the conventional vehicle to the e-car, where a lot more functions have to be realized just by electronics. Finally the functionality has to be guaranteed in one of the harshest environments where electronics are used with a target of 0 ppm concerning the subcomponents for the 15 years lifetime of the car. We give an overview of the challenges on the way to reach this target. The task of getting to a high level of robustness and quality within short maturing periods of new technologies and semiconductor products are discussed. Using state-of-the-art semiconductor process technologies for devices in a car is necessary to fulfill today´s performance requirements and even more future requirements with respect to the e-car. But it leads to a mission which seems to be a paradoxon: combining more robustness of the complete system and quality of its subcomponents with less mature technologies. A way out of this dilemma can only be found by reviewing carefully today´s qualification and validation processes and understand their strengths, weaknesses and capabilities. This must be the starting point for an evolution to a qualification strategy which is suitable for this fundamentally changed situation. Therefore the limits of today´s qualification methods will be discussed as well as some suggestions for future strategies will be made to bring complexity, quality and robustness in an early phase of product lifetime together. The roles of the parties in the supply chain shall be highlighted in these strategies as well.