Mixed Signal IC Design; A Custom HDD Motor Control, Power Management IC

This turn key IC development program was a servo, power management, and flash memory interface IC intended for use in small form factor Portable Hard Disk Drivers. IC Design Services negotiated the semiconductor development contract, designed 100% of the analog and power management circuits and embedded a 10K gate digital ASIC coded by the Customer. The design contained IP elements;

3 phase brushless motor driver

Back EMF Detection, Comutation Controller

Class AB & D Voice coil motor driver H Bridge

Current and Velocity Controls

10 Bit, 20 Mhz Analog to Digital Converter
12 Bit Digital to Analog Converters
Switched Capacitor DC-DC Converter(3X positive, 1X Negative)
I2C Flash Memory Interface
2 Wire Serial Control Interface
OTP based EEPROM
Other IP blocks; Reference, Opamps, Comparators, Voltage regulation

This IC had over 200 specifications and was released to production in less than 1 year. IC Design Services Statistical design methodology enabled the IC to reach defect limited yield is less than 6 months; device was released to production with yield 5% below defect limited yield. The device shipped in high volume(>20 million units) for many years.