Low on-resistance Power MOSFET Design for Automotive Applications

Power Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) are thought to be highly robust switches in high-speed power switching applications due to its high input impedance and compact size. This paper concerns the design of the power MOSFET with low voltage rating and low on-resistance for an automotive electric power steering system. Two types of power MOSFETs, i.e. planar MOSFETs and trench MOSFETs, have been designed, modelled, and simulated using industry-standard Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) tools. The specific on-resistance due to the various designs is compared, and, several methods to achieve low on-resistance are presented and evaluated for these two types of MOSFETs.