The feature allows designers of electronic circuits and systems in the automotive and industrial markets to collectively verify power devices and driver ICs thermal issues on different solution circuits.
The ROHM Solution Simulator, which runs on the company's website, makes it possible to carry out a variety of simulations for free – from component selection to individual device and even system-level verification, enabling easy and accurate verification of ROHM products such as SiC devices in power semiconductors, driver/power supply ICs, and passive components (i.e. shunt resistors) in solution circuits under close to actual application conditions.
The newly added thermal analysis function can be implemented in solution circuits for devices and applications where heat is likely to become an issue in electronic circuit design. Examples are PTC heaters (heaters specifically designed for electric vehicles without internal combustion engines) equipped with IGBTs and shunt resistors as well as DC/DC converter ICs and LED drivers in order to meet the increasing demand to simulate temperature during circuit operation.
According to ROHM, this is the only simulator in the industry that enables web-based electrically and thermally coupled analysis of not only of the semiconductor chip (junction) temperature during operation, but also pin temperatures as well as thermal interference of board components on solutions circuits that include both power semiconductors and ICs along with passive components. As a result, thermal analysis that used to take as much as a day can now be performed in about ten minutes (100x faster than conventional methods).
This allows users to quickly and easily check the temperature of various parts of the device before prototyping (instead of after as is currently the case), reducing the need for rework.
The Solution Simulator enables full circuit verification of power semiconductor and analogue ICs. The tool is free of charge.
