Analysis and implementation of a safety mechanism suitable for Functional Safety Power Management Integrated Circuits

One of the challenges of step-down DC/DC converters employed in safety-critical applications is preventing high-voltage propagation to downstream components caused by a failure of one of the power switches of the regulator, leading to a hazardous situation. This thesis presents the design and implementation of a safety switch capable of quickly detecting a fault condition and reacting by disconnecting the converter from the battery, including a built-in self-test mechanism to prevent latent faults. The effectiveness of the safety mechanism under multiple operating conditions is then verified by fault injection simulations.