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This paper focuses on present information and technical details about the connectivity and new technologies in automotive infotainment systems, based on an independent research of the authors using public references. The evolution of the consumer electronics and the electronic products in all areas allowed new features in the automotive market. The changes in the microelectronics industries accelerate the release of new technologies. Transistor by transistor, the electronics industry is literally changing the world. Consider this: in 2015, there will be more than seven billion mobile devices in the world consuming and generating massive amounts of data. In addition to that, there are more than one billion transistors for each person in world due to the popularization of computers, smartphones and tablets. In this sense, vehicle’s development is following the same tendency, the leverage of new technology even in the entry level vehicles is a must.

The reliability of the microelectronic devices and circuits is a major factor that determines both their manufacturability and application lifetime. One of the most pervasive problems on the integrated circuit (IC) industry is the electrostatic discharging (ESD) failure. ESD damage has become more prevalent in newer technologies due to the higher susceptibility of smaller circuit components. In addition, the changes on the IC technology have also changed the ESD protection techniques, requiring a continuous improvements and studies. ESD causes about 40 % of IC failures and represents, annually, a loss of billions of dollars due to repair, rework, shipping, labor and overhead costs associated with the damage, which highlights the importance of fundamental understanding of ESD aspects and design of efficient ESD protection.

This paper describes how new transistors layouts can mitigate failures Induced by atmospheric radiation, focusing on the total ionizing dose (TID) effects. By conducting an experimental comparative study of the TID effects between the Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) manufactured with new layouts proposals and the standard layout (Conventional), for devices exposed to 10 keV X-ray irradiation using a Shimadzu XRD-7000 equipment, this paper suggests a new approach of layouts to have a better performance in radiation environment with low cost impact, lower power consumption, more speed and they could keep robustness and reliability.

The detailed study of cosmic ray's influence is recent, as well as the invention of the transistor. Ionizing particles from space that focus on silicon integrated circuits (IC) can cause many undesirable effects. These particles are mainly from solar activity, and can be classified into two basic groups: charged particles, e.g, electrons, protons or heavy ions, and electromagnetic radiation (photons), as X-rays, Gamma -rays, or Ultraviolet (UV) light. When they collide in an IC, these energetic particles cause a current pulse, which can affect the correct functioning of the device. These electronic circuits have become increasingly susceptible to the effects of radiation, due to miniaturization, thus increasing the incidence of failures.

The intention of this paper is to discuss the importance of analysis of some electrical parameters in order to design analog circuits in electronic modules, including automotive ones. Today, the challenge is to have devices which consume less power, high performance and higher integration density, so that it explains why such analysis is crucial to achieve better performances and meet the desired results.

It has the aim to discuss the evolution of electronics components, integrated circuits, new transistors concepts and associate its importance in the automotive modules. Today, the challenge is to have devices which consume less power, suitable for high-energy radiation environment, less parasitic capacitances, high speed, easier device isolation, high gain, easier scale-down of threshold voltage, no latch-up and higher integration density. The improvement of those characteristics mentioned and others in the electronic devices enable the automotive industry to have a more robust product and give the possibility to integrate new features in comfort, safety, infotainment and telematics modules. Finally, the intention is to discuss advanced structures, such as the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and show how it affects the electronics modules applied for the automotive area.