INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DEVICE, SAFETY CIRCUIT, SAFETY-CRITICAL SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DEVICE

摘要

An integrated circuit device (100) comprises a first integrated circuit (101) and a second integrated circuit (102) wherein the first and second integrated circuits (101, 102) are comprised on a single semiconductor die (100). The second integrated circuit (102) is a safety circuit (102) arranged to monitor the operation of the first integrated circuit (101), report any detected faults and drive the device into a failsafe state if a fault is detected. The first integrated circuit (101) may be a power management module for a safety critical system. An isolation barrier in the form of a trench (107) is formed between the two integrated circuits (101, 102) so that the safety circuit (102) is protected from any high voltage or thermal stresses arising in the first integrated circuit (101). The device (100) has particular application to automotive safety-critical systems such as electric power steering systems.