Role of semiconductor devices in portable electronics power management

Abstract

Semiconductor devices continue to play a major role in enabling the realization of new portable products, which at present is one of the fastest growing segments in the electronics industry. To address key portable system requirements such as lighter weight, reduced size and heat dissipation, semiconductor devices associated with power management functions have become increasingly application-specific. In this paper, power devices and high voltage ICs that target power management related functions are examined. Tradeoffs in device design parameters related to various applications such as voltage regulation, battery and load management are outlined. Of particular interest is the area of off-line AC-DC conversion that employs mixed-signal bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCDMOS) technology. Examples of switched AC-DC converters used in portable products which utilize cost-effective high voltage integrated circuits are presented.