IN Brief:
- ROHM has introduced configurable PMIC and DrMOS combinations for automotive SoC power rails.
- The devices target ADAS, driver-monitoring systems, sensing cameras, cockpit electronics, and integrated ECUs.
- Vehicle platforms are moving towards domain and zonal computing, increasing pressure on reusable power architectures.
ROHM has introduced a configurable PMIC and DrMOS power-supply solution for automotive SoCs used in ADAS, driver monitoring, sensing cameras, cockpit systems, and integrated ECUs.
The new architecture combines BD968xx-C PMIC devices with the BD96340MFF-C DrMOS, allowing power stages to be configured around different SoC requirements without forcing a full redesign of the power tree. Standalone PMIC options support lower-end SoC designs, while PMIC and DrMOS combinations address higher-current rails used by more demanding processors.
The BD96803Qxx-C and BD96811Fxx-C are intended for standalone operation, while the BD96805Qxx-C and BD96806Qxx-C can be paired with the BD96340MFF-C for low-voltage, high-current demands. The PMICs operate across a 2.7 V to 5.5 V input range and are housed in wettable-flank QFN packages, while the DrMOS uses a flip-chip QFN package. All devices are AEC-Q100 qualified for in-vehicle use.
Automotive electronics is moving away from distributed single-function ECUs and towards consolidated compute platforms. Cameras, radar, driver monitoring, displays, gateways, and safety-related control functions are increasingly tied into higher-performance SoCs, where rail sequencing, transient response, thermal design, and board area become central design constraints.
That consolidation creates a power-design problem across vehicle platforms. A single vehicle family may carry different compute loads depending on trim level, regional specification, sensor set, or software package. A fixed power architecture can become expensive to reuse when SoC requirements change between models, while repeated redesign adds verification work and slows platform rollout.
Configurable PMIC and DrMOS combinations give engineers a way to scale the power tree while retaining qualified device families and familiar design flows. The same approach can support a lower-power sensing camera, a mid-range parking-assist controller, or a higher-performance ADAS processor by changing the PMIC and DrMOS configuration rather than replacing the whole architecture.
The package choices are part of the engineering value. Wettable-flank QFN packages support solder-joint inspection, which remains important in high-reliability automotive assembly. Flip-chip QFN packaging on the DrMOS side supports current density and thermal performance where the power stage is handling more demanding rails. Both details affect manufacturability, inspection, and reliability under vibration and temperature cycling.
ROHM’s recent automotive power work has also included smaller MOSFET packaging with solder-joint robustness, as seen in its gull-wing automotive MOSFET designs. The new PMIC and DrMOS devices sit in the same pressure zone, where automotive power electronics must shrink while maintaining qualification discipline.
As domain controllers and sensor-rich systems mature, power architecture reuse will become a practical design requirement rather than a convenience. Vehicle compute is moving faster than traditional platform cycles, and configurable power stages offer a way to keep up without turning each SoC generation into a new power-supply programme.
