Design for Manufacturability of High Voltage Ics on SOI for automotive applications

Cars are getting smarter, but their electronics need to handle higher voltages without overheating or shorting out—and this project found a way to build those chips more reliably. The HIVICS project tackled a fundamental manufacturing problem: how to pack high-voltage transistors and control circuits onto a single silicon chip without them interfering with each other. Standard silicon chips struggle with heat buildup and electrical leakage when voltages climb. The team used Silicon on Insulator (SOI) substrates—a layered wafer design that insulates components—and optimised them through computer simulations. They developed novel Compound Buried Layers that improve heat flow and reduce unwanted capacitance, and created patterned Tungsten Silicide layers for even better performance. They also built accurate 3D thermal models to predict how neighbouring transistors heat each other, and a stress model to prevent cracking during oxidation. If this research succeeds, it could make power electronics in electric vehicles, hybrid cars, and communications infrastructure more efficient and durable. The chips would run cooler, waste less energy, and last longer—improving systems most drivers never think about, but that quietly keep modern vehicles safe and responsive.