Atmel's New Hex Half-Bridge Driver IC in BCD-on-SOI Technology Cuts Car Comfort-Application Costs

Heilbronn, Germany (ots/PRNewswire) -

Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) announced today the
availability of its new ATA6836 low-cost half-bridge driver IC. As a
result of the device's high voltage capability (up to 40V), the
ATA6836 can be used in both passenger car applications (e.g., flap
control of air condition systems) and in 24V truck applications. The
ATA6836 is manufactured using Atmel's high-voltage 0.8 um BCD-on-SOI
technology (SMARTISTM) and incorporates a broad range of protection
features. This manufacturing technology also enables the use of much
smaller lower-cost QFN packages, which reduces the cost of automotive
comfort applications.

In contrast to standard BCDMOS bulk technology, Atmel's innovative
SMARTIS technology uses an SOI (Silicon-On-Insulator) substrate. Due
to the SOI technology's dielectric isolation, junction leakage, a
major issue in high-temperature designs, is minimized. Furthermore,
SOI devices provide superior latch-up immunity leading to increased
circuit reliability.

The ATA6836 is a fully protected hex half-bridge driver with
integrated power stages. Each of the six high-side and low-side
drivers is capable of driving currents up to 650 mA via a
microcontroller, e.g., Atmel's automotive-qualified microcontroller
ATmega88. Customers' assembly efforts are substantially reduced as
external clamping diodes are not needed due to the half-bridge
configuration.

One of the main applications of the ATA6836 is the actuation of
three fully independent DC motors in three H-bridges. The ATA6836
also supports the operation of up to five DC motors sharing four
common lines, as long as the motors are not all actuated at the same
time. This configuration can be used, for example, in automotive air
conditioning systems, where five air-flow control flaps can be
operated from one ATA6836. Software can be used to avoid the
simultaneous actuation of the DC motors. In addition, the half-bridge
configuration also enables the operation of six different resistive
or inductive loads.

The ATA6836 provides several protection features such as
overtemperature warning and shutdown, overload, overvoltage
protection, and full protection against short-circuits. The SPI
output register contains a number of diagnostic bits, which can be
read by the microcontroller. In the event of undervoltage at the
supply pin, the power-supply fail bit in the output register is set
and all outputs are disabled. If the overtemperature pre-warning bit
is set, software routines to decrease the power dissipation and
temperature can be implemented. Temperature increases beyond a
certain level can force the IC to shut down to prevent destruction.

The ATA6836 features 4 kV ESD protection, which provides maximum
safety against damage during assembly. The device also meets the
strict automotive qualification demands (protection against conducted
interference, EMC, and ESD protection) and can withstand transients
as specified in ISO/TR 7637.

Availability and Pricing

Samples of the ATA6836 driver IC are available now in Pb-free
QFN24 packages, measuring only 5 mm x 5 mm. Customers using the
predecessor version, T6816, can easily switch to the SO28 package to
accommodate new designs. For applications with more powerful DC
motors, Atmel offers the high-power version ATA6838 with 1.5A output
stages. All other features are identical to the ATA6836. Pricing
starts at US $2.00 for the ATA6836 and at US $2.10 for the ATA6838
for 10k-piece quantities each. An application board for development
support can be ordered for US $130.

Footnote
BCDMOS = Mixed-signal technology with Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS components
DC = Direct Current
EMC = Electro Magnetic Compatibility
ESD = Electronic Static Discharge
QFN = Quad Flat No Leads
SOI = Silicon On Insulator technology
SPI = Serial Peripheral Interface

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of
microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory
and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's
broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is
able to provide the electronics industry with complete system
solutions focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications,
computing and automotive markets.

(C) 2007 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel(R), logo
and combinations thereof, and others are registered trademarks,
SMARTIS(TM) and others are trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its
subsidiaries. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of
others.

Information

Product information on Atmel's new hex half-bridge driver IC
ATA6836 may be retrieved at:
http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/product_card.asp?part_id=4194

Press Contacts
Dr. Susanne van Clewe, Marcom Manager Communications and Automotive
Products
Phone: +49-7131-67-2081, Email: susanne.van-clewe@hno.atmel.com
Helen Perlegos, Public Relations
Phone: +1-408-487-2963, Email: hperlegos@atmel.com

Web site: http://www.atmel.com

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Contact:
Dr. Susanne van Clewe, Marcom Manager Communications and Automotive
Products, +49-7131-67-2081, susanne.van-clewe@hno.atmel.com, or
Helen Perlegos, Public Relations, +1-408-487-2963,
hperlegos@atmel.com, both of Atmel Corporation