ROHM Semiconductor, Ltd. has announced the development of a new 16-model lineup of LDOs optimized for MCU power supplies in automotive body and powertrain systems. The new BD4xxMx series, together with the BDxxC0A series designed for power supplies in information systems such as car infotainment, bring the total number of automotive-grade LDOs to 43. The BD4xxMx series utilizes 0.35µm BiC-DMOS processes and takes advantage of ROHM's analog design technology to achieve less than half the no-load current consumption of standard products, contributing to significant energy savings. In addition, novel circuit design enables support for ceramic capacitors, eliminating the need for electrolytic capacitors for oscillation prevention, reducing both mounting area and costs.
In recent years as power supply ICs for automotive applications continue to increase in sophistication and functionality, there comes a greater need for an expanded lineup to cover a wide range of characteristics and application requirements – such as package type and output current – instead of simply focusing on developing an all-in-one solution.
In the automotive sector ROHM are also beginning to see a shift towards parallel purchasing by companies to hedge against risks from natural disasters such as the Great East Japan Earthquake or the flooding in Thailand, as well as increased (global) standardization of commonly used products, which is only expected to accelerate in the future.
In order to quickly respond to these solutions, ROHM offers a broad LDO lineup in various package types and output voltages and currents to suit a range of automotive applications. The BD4xxMx series is available in a range of form factors, from power packages that support harsh environments to ultra-compact, space-saving types, and in different output currents and voltages. ROHM utilized 0.35µm BiC-DMOS processes and takes advantage of proprietary analog design technology cultivated over many years to achieve an input tolerance of 45V along with high reliability to ensure compatibility with automotive applications. Additional features include a no-load current less than half that of conventional products as well as stable low current operation with load, contributing to lower set power consumption.
In addition, unlike conventional products, stable voltage output with no output fluctuations or oscillation is possible using just a small (1-10uF) external capacitance. This allows compact ceramic capacitors to be used, contributing to increase space savings. Applications are expected to include a wide range of automotive systems such as; Fuel Injection, HEV / EV inverters, Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS), Body Control Modules (BCM), Smart key, Heads Up Displays (HUD), LCD monitors, and Cluster systems.
