According to reports from Electronic Enthusiasts (by Huang Shanming), with the rapid development of new energy vehicles and energy storage products, many companies in the industry chain are accelerating the industrialization layout of solid-state batteries. Companies such as SAIC Group and CATL have announced plans for mass production of all-solid-state batteries. Globally, major battery manufacturers expect to achieve mass production of all-solid-state batteries around 2027, with the construction of pilot production lines expected to be completed and operational between 2024 and 2026.
As the mass production date of solid-state batteries approaches, the PMIC (Power Management Integrated Circuit) for solid-state batteries also needs to undergo technological innovations. The PMIC must meet specific requirements based on the characteristics of solid-state batteries to ensure efficient and safe operation.
What Requirements Must the PMIC for Solid-State Batteries Meet?
In recent years, solid-state battery technology has made continuous breakthroughs. As a battery technology that uses solid electrodes and solid electrolytes, it has significant safety and energy density advantages compared to traditional liquid electrolyte lithium-ion batteries. However, to fully leverage the potential of solid-state batteries, corresponding PMICs are needed to ensure effective management and safe usage of the batteries.
Typically, solid-state batteries have a wide output voltage range, requiring the PMIC to accurately regulate and stabilize the output voltage during different charging and discharging stages to meet the demands of various loads in the battery system. For example, during battery charging, the input voltage needs to be converted to a suitable charging voltage for the battery while maintaining voltage stability to prevent overcharging, which could damage the battery. During discharging, the PMIC must convert the battery voltage to a stable voltage required by the load.
Moreover, during the charging and discharging process of solid-state batteries, the PMIC needs to monitor the current size and trends in real-time and accurately. This helps to promptly identify abnormal situations such as overcharging, over-discharging, and short circuits, allowing for appropriate protective measures to be taken to extend the battery’s lifespan. When it detects excessive charging current, the PMIC can automatically reduce charging power to prevent the battery from overheating.
In addition to hardware protection mechanisms, the PMIC should also have software protection algorithms that analyze and process temperature data to predict potential overheating situations and take corresponding preventive measures. For instance, it can adjust charging or discharging power based on the temperature trend of the battery to avoid rapid temperature increases.
It is important to note that while the PMIC is responsible for charging, protecting, and monitoring the battery’s status, intelligently managing battery health and lifespan, solid-state battery management needs to consider its unique electrochemical behaviors, including potentially different charging curves and temperature sensitivities. For example, the typical operating voltage range for common lithium-ion solid-state batteries may be from 2.7V to 4.2V. When the charging voltage exceeds 4.2V, the PMIC should automatically cut off the charging circuit.
Additionally, an efficient DC-DC converter is essential to ensure that power conversion from the battery to the load is as efficient as possible, minimizing energy loss.
Furthermore, due to the high current transmission efficiency of solid-state batteries, research from Delft University of Technology indicates that through interface optimization, a room temperature conductivity of 2.47×10^-4 S/cm can be achieved. For LiFePO₄-lithium metal solid-state batteries, a critical current density of 0.25 mA/cm² shows higher stability during room temperature cycling, with coulombic efficiency reaching 99.9%. This means that in practical applications, solid-state batteries can operate stably at higher current densities, thus achieving efficient current transmission.
Of course, this is good news for PMICs, as the improved energy conversion efficiency of solid-state batteries reduces the heat generated by PMICs, lowering the requirements for cooling systems. At the same time, the high efficiency increases the design flexibility of PMICs, allowing for higher frequency operations to reduce the size of external components (such as inductors and capacitors) or to integrate more functions without worrying about heat accumulation issues.
In terms of cost, although high-efficiency PMICs may require more complex manufacturing processes and more expensive materials, the overall cost may be optimized due to the reduced need for other components (such as heat sinks).
Practical Applications of Solid-State Battery PMICs
Today, many PMICs integrate multi-channel buck, boost, and LDO voltage regulation functions with complex configurable capabilities for each rail parameter and interactions between different rails. For applications related to solid-state batteries, such as small wearable devices to large new energy vehicles and energy storage stations, these products typically have a power source and one or more DC rails. Although many applications have similar priorities to some extent, the ranking of priorities and their relative weights determine the differences among these applications.
It is important to note that there is no single optimal PMIC solution that can simultaneously satisfy all conditions regarding individual DC rail management and the relationships, timing, and operational requirements between these rails.
For instance, for wearable devices, priority factors include low static current, high efficiency, and ultra-compact form factor. To extend the battery life of a watch, the PMIC needs to employ efficient DC-DC converters, achieving conversion efficiencies of over 95%. At the same time, considering the limited internal space of the watch, the PMIC design should minimize heat generation or design effective heat dissipation paths.
Highly integrated PMICs consolidate charging management, power regulation, protection circuits, and other functions onto a single chip, reducing space occupation on the watch’s mainboard. They also support multi-level low-power modes, such as automatically switching to ultra-low power mode when the watch is stationary, further extending battery life.
In portable energy storage product applications, devices such as portable power stations, outdoor power sources, and electric scooters typically require greater power output than smart watches, along with longer running times and faster charging speeds.
The solid-state batteries in these portable energy storage devices may use multi-series battery packs, such as 3.6V to 14.4V (usually 4 lithium-ion batteries in series). The PMIC needs to support this wide voltage range and provide stable output voltage to different load devices.
It must also support fast charging protocols (such as QC4.0+, PD3.0) to allow energy storage devices to charge fully in a short period. At the same time, it must ensure that the battery temperature remains within a safe range during fast charging.
Additionally, standard communication interfaces (such as I²C, SPI, USB-C PD, etc.) must be provided to facilitate data exchange with the main controller or other management units, allowing real-time monitoring of battery status and necessary adjustments.
Clearly, to meet the more complex demands of today’s systems, PMICs must expand their output range, enhance their original DC performance, improve their additional features, and increase user-defined flexibility.
Currently, companies like TI and Qorvo have launched several excellent PMIC products that can meet the performance requirements for PMICs in the era of solid-state batteries. Of course, as solid-state batteries are officially launched in the future, the design of PMICs will also be adjusted accordingly to unleash optimal performance.
Solid-state batteries require a customized PMIC to manage their unique properties, including but not limited to efficient power conversion, precise current control, intelligent battery management, and other functions tailored to their specific needs. As solid-state battery technology advances, the design of PMICs will continue to evolve to meet higher performance and safety standards.
Disclaimer: This article is original from Electronic Enthusiasts, please indicate the source above if reprinted. For group communication, please add WeChat elecfans999, for submission inquiries, please email [email protected].
Read More Hot Articles
-
Net Profit Soars! 13 AIoT Companies’ H1 Performance Comparison, Which AIoT Chip Layout Holds the Most Potential?
-
Rapid Construction of Electric Vehicle Charging and Swapping Stations, Advanced Chips and Algorithms Improve Charging Efficiency
-
Energy Consumption Reduced by 20%! Mercedes-Benz and Leap Motor Invest in Axial Flux Motors
-
Beautiful Scenery? 12-Layer HBM3E Mass Production, 16-Layer HBM3E Under Research, Industry Chain in Motion
-
With Huawei’s Support, Laser Radar Explosive Growth Boosts VCSEL Market! Two Major Manufacturers Reveal New Product Solutions
Set us as a star, and don’t miss any updates!
If you like it, reward us with a “look”!
