Keysight Technologies Challenges and Solutions for Power Testing in Automotive Applications Technical Overview
Introduction Each year vehicle electrification continues to increase, with all signs pointing to this trend accelerating in the future. Some of the factors contributing to this development are the increasing use of hybrid and fully electric vehicles to meet green energy goals, the desire for the greater reliability that electronic components generally provide and the need to reduce automotive recalls (which are largely due to mechanical rather than electrical failures). In addition, globalization has created fierce competition in the automotive and automotive component industries as everyone strives to develop automotive functions at a lower cost without sacrificing energy efficiency, safety and reliability. This technical overview provides a synopsis of automotive electronic systems, the challenges they face and what tools automotive electronics engineers need to meet them. It concludes with a discussion of Keysight s solutions to these challenges. Automotive functions undergoing electrification are shown below. Power train control/charger EV HEV On-board chanrger Charging station Safety control Electrical power steering Brake system Body control Power door/window HID lightinf system Sensors Pressure sensors Accelerometer Current sensor Photo sensor Figure 1. Electronically implemented automotive functions
03 Keysight Challenges and Solutions for Power Testing in Automotive Applications - Technical Overview Challenges Facing Vehicle Electrification Many automotive functions are now controlled electronically. Figure 2 shows block diagrams of some typical automotive electronic applications. Powertrain Power steering Brake system Sensor Figure 2. Block diagram examples of electrified automotive functions Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and electric vehicle (EV) technologies can significantly improve automotive fuel efficiency (and even eliminate entirely the need for liquid fuels). At the core of these vehicle electrification technologies is the electrified power train, which consists of a converter to boost voltage and an inverter to drive the motor. Because it is at the heart of all HEV/EV systems, the power train has to be extremely reliable. Among the challenges the power train faces are EV test for the need to withstand high voltages and currents (up to 650 V and 200 A) as well as the ability to function in harsh temperatures (-40 to 40 C) and high humidity. Power devices (such as IGBTs or diodes) used in the powertrain can end up operating at more than 100 C due to energy they are dissipating. Nevertheless, the powertrain has to work reliably even under these extreme conditions. The performance of the diodes and IGBTS used in the powertrain s circuitry is crucial to achieving high fuel efficiency. Using devices with low conduction loss and low switching loss is very important to meet this goal. In addition, increasing the converter/inverter operating frequency allows the surrounding capacitors and inductors to be smaller in size, which in-turn reduces weight and also increase fuel efficiency. Devices fabricated from new materials such as SiC and GaN offer both higher operating frequencies as well as more robust temperature performance, which makes them attractive as components in future power automotive systems.
04 Keysight Challenges and Solutions for Power Testing in Automotive Applications - Technical Overview Of course, even vehicles with no electrical powertrain have many critical electrical systems. DC-DC converters and rectifiers are used in on-board chargers and charging systems, and these circuits have requirements similar to those of the powertrain. Electrical power steering, brake and lighting systems are obviously all crucial for automotive safety, and their operation needs to be as reliable as possible. It is therefore important that all of the components used in these systems (MOSFETs, diodes, capacitors, inductors, etc.) maintain stable behavior under a wide variety of conditions. Electrical sensors used in automobiles provide critical information relating to motion control, operating efficiency and safety, which makes their performance and reliability also very important. For this reason, many automotive and automotive component manufacturers are actively developing improved versions of these sensors. Key challenges facing vehicle electrification systems Must be reliable under a wide range of conditions Employ large operating currents and voltages (e.g. 200 A, 650 V) Must function over a wide temperature range (e.g. -40 to +150 C) Need high conversion efficiencies Need high operating frequencies to reduce module size and weight Need reliable sensors to provide critical safety information Must utilize SiC/GaN devices to increase efficiency and functional temperature range What Challenges Do Automotive Electrical Circuit Designers Face? Since electrical engineers working in the automotive industry have to develop highly efficient, safe and reliable electric circuits, the evaluation of final circuit characteristics is very important. This makes evaluating the efficiency of the entire circuit, including verifying current and voltage waveforms at each node the circuit, a necessary process. For this to be possible, a detailed understanding of the power devices, components and sensors used in a circuit is mandatory. This is especially true for power devices used in the circuit (such as IGBTs and MOSFETs), since their performance often dictates the efficiency, safety and reliability of the entire circuit. Unfortunately, device manufacturer supplied datasheet information is often not sufficient to meet these needs. The datasheet conditions are often different from actual use conditions, and the supplied information often has large margins with no information on device variations. This makes it hard to design reliable and efficient circuits using only the information supplied by device and component manufacturers. The following sections describe in more detail the critical factors necessary for component level testing and explain EV test and power circuit simulator solutions that Keysight has created for the automotive industry to meet these challenges.
05 Keysight Challenges and Solutions for Power Testing in Automotive Applications - Technical Overview Summary of Component Level Automotive Test Challenges Figure 3 summarizes the major considerations when performing component level test for automotive applications; all of these relate back to the previously discussed challenges facing vehicle electrification systems. Of course, underlying these issues is the need for improved safety, reliability and efficiency. Meeting these concerns requires that automotive electrical engineers test component parameters such as on-resistance (Ron), saturation voltage (Vsat), breakdown (BVdss), and input/output capacitances (Ciss, Coss). Moreover, these tests need to be performed under actual operating conditions (such as 400 A or 1200 V) and across a wide temperature range. In addition, to minimize power loss a thorough understanding of parameters such as Crss, gate charge (Qg) and gate resistance (Rg) is necessary. Verifying the performance of automotive sensors (especially capacitive MEMS sensors) is also important, and DC test (IV and CV) is the first step in this process. Besides technical concerns, there are competitive forces driving the testing of semiconductor components used in automotive applications. Tantamount among these is the need for automotive engineers to adopt new technologies (such as SiC and GaN) to reduce costs. In addition, the prevalence of counterfeit or substandard power devices means that automotive companies need to perform some screening of devices before using them in mass production. Testing with real operating condition (e.g. 400A, 1200V) Parameter evaluation critical to power loss/efficiency Critical for safety/reliability - Power device: Ron, Vt, Vsat, Leakage, BV, CV - Component: C, L, R, Leak, etc. Ensuring operation from low to high temperature environment - 40 to + 150 C Both Ron and CV have to be tested in order to identify substandard devices - Ron, Ciss, Coss, Crss, Qg, Rg - Ton, Toff, Power loss Besides parameters, IV, CV and Qg curve are critical for circuit operation analysis Large number of device/component must be tested to know real performance and variation Critical for efficient circuit design Compliance to international standards (e.g. AEC, JEITA, LV) Test equipment should be easy to use without going through product training Figure 3. Summary of component level automotive test challenges
06 Keysight Challenges and Solutions for Power Testing in Automotive Applications - Technical Overview Keysight Solutions for Component Level Test Keysight Technologies provides an overview of our solutions for component level testing. Figure 4 has many solution portfolio for component level testing. Power train control/charger Body control Safety control Sensors Power devices/components B1506A Power Device B1507A Power Device Analyzer for Circuit Design B1505A Power Device Capacitance Analyzer Analyzer/Curve Tracer Switching E4990A/E4991B Impedance Analyzer B1500A Semiconductor Device Analyzer B2900A Precision Source/Monitor Unit E4980A LCR Meter InfiniVision 4000/6000 X-series Oscilloscope 81110A Pulse Pattern Generator Figure 4. Keysight solution portfolio for automotive component level testing The next section describes each solution in detail and gives additional information on Keysight Power Device Analyzers, which are all-in-one solutions for power device and component testing. B1506A Power Device Analyzer for Circuit Design The B1506A Power Device Analyzer for Circuit Design is a complete solution that can help automotive electronic circuit designers maximize the efficiency, safety and reliability of automotive electrical systems. It can evaluate all relevant device and component parameters under a wide range of operating conditions, including IV parameters such as breakdown voltage and on-resistance, as well as three-terminal FET capacitances, gate resistance, gate charge and power loss. Dynamic Tester Oscilloscope/PG - Switching parameter, Power loss (T,r, Tf, E, P) - Gate charge (Qg) B1506A - Turn key solution for power semiconductor and component test - Automatic IV/CV test - Automatic thermal test - CV (Ciss, Crss, Coss, Cgs, Cds, Cgd ) up to 3kV - Power loss calculation - LCR Meter Capacitance measurement (low voltage) Curve Tracer - IV curve
07 Keysight Challenges and Solutions for Power Testing in Automotive Applications - Technical Overview Characterizing Devices Under Actual Operating Conditions The B1506A covers a wide range of current and voltage, from sub-na to 1500 A and microvolts to 3 kv. This supports the evaluation of the vast majority of devices and components used in automotive electronic circuits. The B1506A s 50 μs pulse width measurement capability limits self-heating effects and provides more accurate device characteristics. Moreover, the B1506A can also evaluate device capacitance, gate resistance and gate charge characteristics all key parameters for determining device power loss. Figure 5 shows some typical device parameters obtained using the B1506A BV and Leakage up to 3 kv Id-Vds up to 1500 A Vsat taken with I sourcing Rg and Ciss versus Vgs Up to 3 kv Ciss, Coss, Crss Gate charge (Qg) Figure 5. Typical characteristics measured by the B1506A
08 Keysight Challenges and Solutions for Power Testing in Automotive Applications - Technical Overview Verifying Device Operation Across Temperature Characterizing device behavior across temperature is important for automotive applications, but it is not easy to do. Temperature test chambers can be slow to stabilize, and the long cables from the test equipment to the chamber introduce resistance and inductance that can cause oscillation issues. In contrast, the B1506A provides automated, easy to use and accurate temperature dependent measurement across a wide range of temperature (from -50 to +250 C). Two solutions are available. One solution supports industry-standard intest Thermostream temperature systems, while the other solution is a thermal plate (also available from intest) that resides inside the B1506A s test fixture (see Figure 6). With these solutions, thermal testing that used to take an entire day can be done in less than one hour (refer to Figure 7). Thermostream solution (-50 to +220 C) Thermal plate solution (Room temperature to +250 C) Figure 6. Temperature testing solutions supported by the B1506A. +25 C - 45 C +150 C control Example device characteristics across temperature Figure 7. Examples of temperature dependent measurements made using the B1506A.
09 Keysight Challenges and Solutions for Power Testing in Automotive Applications - Technical Overview Maximizing Circuit Efficiency Through Optimal Device Selection Maximizing circuit performance and efficiency requires more data than conventional curve tracers can supply. In particular, as switching frequencies increase switching loss and drive loss begin to dominate device power loss. This makes characterization of device capacitances, gate resistance and gate charge extremely important. However, since these parameters are difficult to measure many automotive engineers do not attempt them. The B1506A solves this issue with its ability to not only automatically measure all of these parameters, but also with its capability to use the extracted parameters to perform power loss calculations. Figure 8. Calculated power loss vs. frequency made using the B1506A Intuitive and automated datasheet characterization The B1506A s datasheet characterization mode enables anyone to automatically measure key device parameters without any specialized training. All characteristics can be printed out in datasheet format, making it easy to compare the performance of different components. Figure 9. Easy Test Navigator software provides intuitive and automated device and component testing with datasheet generation capabilities.
10 Keysight Challenges and Solutions for Power Testing in Automotive Applications - Technical Overview B1507A Power Device Capacitance Analyzer If you already have a conventional curve tracer or production power device tester for DC characterization but lack capacitance measurement capability, then the B1507A can bridge this gap in your testing resources. It provides automatic transistor input, output and reverse transfer capacitance measurement capability at high voltage bias (up to 3 kv), as well as the ability to measure gate resistance. B1505A Power Device Analyzer/Curve Tracer The B1505A is a more flexible alternative to the B1506A that offers wider current and voltage ranges, better low-current measurement accuracy, high voltage with medium current measurement (e.g. 500 ma at 1.2 kv) capability, a GaN current collapse testing option and the ability to measure more than three pins simultaneously. In addition, the B1505A can measure both on-wafer and packaged devices. Besides being widely used by power device manufacturers, the B1505A is valuable for automotive electronics engineers utilizing GaN power devices, measuring the sense emitter current of 4-terminal IGBTs, and characterizing HVICs for gate driver circuits. Keysight Oscilloscopes and Pulse Generators Switching characteristics are an important part of component level test, and Keysight has both oscilloscopes and pulse generators that can help evaluate these parameters. The InfiniiVision 4000 X series oscilloscopes provide sufficient bandwidth and resolution at a reasonable cost, and they can be used with a current probe if necessary. The 81110A pulse generator is also able to provide voltage pulses fast and large enough to characterize automotive components. +Vb +V DD PG 50 Ω 50Ω 50Ω + RG 50Ω G + D S RL Load = Current probe
11 Keysight Challenges and Solutions for Power Testing in Automotive Applications - Technical Overview Sensor Characterization Solutions Easy characterization of DC MEMS performance using B1500A and B2900A SMUs With the ability to both source and measure current and voltage, SMUs are convenient tools to characterize the IV performance of automotive sensors. For example, both the B1500A and the B2900A series have SMUs that can perform DC current and voltage characterization on MEMs devices (such as accelerometers). As shown in the graph below, an SMU can measure output voltage as the MEMS device is manually rotated 360 degrees. 90 90 90 90 DUT X OUT Voltag e PIN1 Indicator Time B2900A Source Measure Unit B1500A Semiconductor Device Analyzer MEMS accelerometer output voltage measurement MEMS evaluation using the E4980A LCR Meter MEMS capacitive sensors (such as pressure sensors or accelerometers) detect mechanical displacement through capacitance change. To test the functionality of these devices, electrostatic force (rather than physical stimulus) is usually used as it results in greater test efficiency. However, since the capacitive change in the actuator is very small, test equipment with the ability to measure capacitance with sub-femto farad resolution is necessary. The E4980A is ideal tool for this as it can measure capacitance with atto-farad repeatability (σ < 1 ff). 3.0E-15 Measured data deviation 4284A SHORT E4980A SHORT (Avg11) Standard deviation [F] 2.0E-15 1.0E-15 0.0E+00-1.0E-15-2.0E-15 E4980A LCR Meter -3.0E-15 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Times Enhancing Circuit Designs for Faster Time to Market In addition to the comprehensive suite of hardware for your automotive power testing needs, Keysight offers the Advanced Design System (ADS) to support HEV/ EV electronics engineers in the circuit design validation phase with its power circuit simulation capabilities. With its ease of use and powerful capabilities, Keysight's ADS has garnered a global share of over 70% among high frequency circuit designers, enabling design of power circuit simulation tests that match actual measurements. More information is available at: www.keysight.com/find/ads
12 Keysight Challenges and Solutions for Power Testing in Automotive Applications - Technical Overview Summary The ongoing trend of ever-increasing automotive electrical content creates many challenges for electronic circuit designers and the need for better power circuit simulator solutions. The goals of improved operating efficiency and better safety mandate that the components used in these circuits undergo much more extensive testing than in the past. For semiconductor devices and components, IV, CV, Qg and gate resistance must be characterized to meet these requirements. MEMS sensors require low-level IV characterization as well as extremely precise CV measurements. Keysight Technologies can provide complete solutions that meet all of these testing needs.
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