Analog and power management circuits Due to the electrification of the car, the need for high-voltage batteries grows every year. The global high-voltage battery market is projected to exceed USD 175 billion by 2030! Simultaneously, the demand for battery management systems (BMS) increases yearly. These systems monitor every cell to ensure safe operation and the most efficient battery usage. However, these are low-power systems with low input voltages. Bridging the gap between the high-voltage battery and the low-voltage BMS requires power converters with high input voltages and large conversion steps.
Recent research at MICAS has shown the ability to integrate a 400 V to 12 V power converter on a chip. However, this relatively high output voltage requires an extra step-down converter to achieve the targeted 5 V output. Secondly, since a high-voltage battery consists of stacked sub-modules, each with its own BMS, the required input voltage is around a factor of four lower. This enables extra possible research paths towards higher efficiency, lower output ripple, and safe start-up. All requirements are essential for integrated circuits in the automotive sector.
