Universal output stage with reverse polarity protection for automotive applications

This paper aims to present a high performance output stage with reverse polarity protection for automotive applications. Two hot topics in electronic systems used in vehicles equipment are sensing devices and digital communication networks. Output stages are employed in both these applications. In fact they are able to amplify an informative signal from a sensor, but they can also act as output buffers for digital communications. Over the typical requirements usually challenging the output stages, such as high precision and wide output range, these devices have to accomplish additional very critical requirements dictated by the harsh automotive environment, such as a wide operating ambient temperature range (from -40°C to 150°C), strong undervoltage and overvoltage conditions, improved ESD (electrostatic discharge) and EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) requirements and reverse polarity protections.