STMicroelectronics Introduces Chip to be Integrated in Motor Assembly

    GENEVA--July 3, 2001--STMicroelectronics today announced an integrated semiconductor chip that functions as a controller and can be directly embedded in the motor assemblies and solenoids of cars. Previously, such chips had to be housed in a separate `electronics box'. With the new design, which is smaller and more rugged than previous technologies, the chip can be integrated into the electromechanical components of a car, which operate key functions such as, in this case, a turbocharger, and in future cases, control units for engines, brakes and airbags.
    ST has produced the chip for Hella, based in Germany, in turn for DaimlerChrysler cars and expects to produce similar chips for other automotive applications in the near future.
    In addition to eliminating the need for an `electronics box' to house such chips, the breakthrough represents a key step towards the `mechatronic car', in which intelligence is distributed throughout a car and embedded in the mechanical components. To the extent necessary, communications take place between different nodes of the network, with power functions, control, and storage situated at appropriate sites throughout the car. This movement towards `distributed intelligence', which resembles a series of embedded controllers linked through an Ethernet, will vastly reduce the quantity of cabling necessary in wiring a car. In consequence, cars will weigh and cost less to own and to operate. The elimination of `electronics boxes' throughout the car will have a similar impact.
    ST is a world leader in smart power semiconductor technology and mixed signal chips, which combine analog and digital functions. Smart power chips are also used in many other applications, including fax machines, hard disk drives, and ink jet printers. The new chip was fabricated in ST's proprietary fifth-generation BCD technology.
    The semiconductor component of the car has increased substantially in recent years and the market for automotive chips continues to show steady growth.