High Temperature Automotive Electronics

Until the end of the 1950s the only electronic component in the automobile was the radio. Everything else was mechanical, electromechanical or electrical.

At the end of the 1950s, the first major solid-state electronics component, the alternator, was introduced. The first units were for trucks and buses and used selenium rectifiers, but silicon diodes were used in car applications. The voltage regulator was transistorized by the early 1960s.

With the success of the alternator, suppliers began to offer other automotive electronics. The 1960s saw the first solid-state ignition systems, tachometers, automatic speed controls, automatic headlight controls, windshield wiper controls, turn signal and emergency flashers, all solid-state radios and the first electronic engine control system. The new solid-state components were mostly used in non-critical applications, so their failure would not result in loss of drivability, they generally were more expensive, and thought to be not as reliable as electromechanical systems.

The 1970s, however, were the staging point for a host of new electronic components that would burst on the scene in the 1980s.

This expert is highly knowledgeable regarding the automotive environment and the various electrical and physical specifications that automotive grade electrical/ electronic (E/E) components must meet. This associate is highly experienced regarding the reliability issues associated with increasing the maximum operating temperature of the major components of the E/E system: (1) semiconductor devices and integrated circuits, (2) hybrid circuit technologies, (3) hybrid circuit packaging technology and (4) cables and connectors.

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