ISL6308A Datasheet, PDF (9/28 Pages) Intersil Corporation – Three-Phase Buck PWM Controller with High Current Integrated MOSFET Drivers

ISL6308A
OFST (Pin 5)
The OFST pin provides a means to program a DC current for
generating an offset voltage across the resistor between FB
and VDIFF. The offset current is generated via an external
resistor and precision internal voltage references. The
polarity of the offset is selected by connecting the resistor to
GND or VCC. For no offset, the OFST pin should be left
unconnected.
OCSET (Pin 12)
This is the overcurrent set pin. Placing a resistor from OCSET
to ICOMP, allows a 100µA current to flow out of this pin,
producing a voltage reference. Internal circuitry compares the
voltage at OCSET to the voltage at ISUM, and if ISUM ever
exceeds OCSET, the overcurrent protection activates.
ISEN1, ISEN2 and ISEN3 (Pins 32, 25, 19)
These pins are used for balancing the channel currents by
sensing the current through each channel’s lower MOSFET
when it is conducting. Connect a resistor between the
ISEN1, ISEN2, and ISEN3 pins and their respective phase
node. This resistor sets a current proportional to the current
in the lower MOSFET during its conduction interval.
UGATE1, UGATE2, and UGATE3 (Pins 31, 27, 20)
Connect these pins to the upper MOSFETs’ gates. These
pins are used to control the upper MOSFETs and are
monitored for shoot-through prevention purposes. Maximum
individual channel duty cycle is limited to 66%.
BOOT1, BOOT2, and BOOT3 (Pins 30, 26, 21)
These pins provide the bias voltage for the upper MOSFETs’
drives. Connect these pins to appropriately-chosen external
bootstrap capacitors. Internal bootstrap diodes connected to
the PVCC pins provide the necessary bootstrap charge.
PHASE1, PHASE2, and PHASE3 (Pins 29, 28, 22)
Connect these pins to the sources of the upper MOSFETs.
These pins are the return path for the upper MOSFETs’
drives.
LGATE1, LGATE2, and LGATE3 (Pins 34, 23, 17)
These pins are used to control the lower MOSFETs and are
monitored for shoot-through prevention purposes. Connect
these pins to the lower MOSFETs’ gates. Do not use external
series gate resistors as this might lead to shoot-through.
PGOOD (Pin 35)
PGOOD is used as an indication of the end of soft-start. It is
an open-drain logic output that is low impedance until the
soft-start is completed and VOUT is equal to the VID setting.
Once in normal operation, PGOOD indicates whether the
output voltage is within specified overvoltage and
undervoltage limits. If the output voltage exceeds these limits
or a reset event occurs (such as an overcurrent event),
PGOOD becomes high impedance again. The potential at
this pin should not exceed that of the potential at VCC pin by
more than a typical forward diode drop at any time.
OVP (Pin 38)
Overvoltage protection pin. This pin pulls to VCC when an
overvoltage condition is detected. Connect this pin to the
gate of an SCR or MOSFET tied across V_IN and ground to
prevent damage to a load device.
Operation
Multi-Phase Power Conversion
Modern low voltage DC/DC converter load current profiles
have changed to the point that the advantages of
multi-phase power conversion are impossible to ignore. The
technical challenges associated with producing a
single-phase converter that is both cost-effective and
thermally viable have forced a change to the cost-saving
approach of multi-phase. The ISL6308A controller helps
simplify implementation by integrating vital functions and
requiring minimal output components. The block diagram on
page “Block Diagram” on page 3 provides a top level view of
multi-phase power conversion using the ISL6308A
controller.
Interleaving
The switching of each channel in a multi-phase converter is
timed to be symmetrically out-of-phase with each of the
other channels. In a 3-phase converter, each channel
switches 1/3 cycle after the previous channel and 1/3 cycle
before the following channel. As a result, the three-phase
converter has a combined ripple frequency three times
greater than the ripple frequency of any one phase. In
addition, the peak-to-peak amplitude of the combined
inductor currents is reduced in proportion to the number of
phases (Equations 1 and 2). Increased ripple frequency and
lower ripple amplitude mean that the designer can use less
per-channel inductance and lower total output capacitance
for any performance specification.
Figure 1 illustrates the multiplicative effect on output ripple
frequency. The three channel currents (I_L1, I_L2, and I_L3)
combine to form the AC ripple current and the DC load
current. The ripple component has three times the ripple
frequency of each individual channel current. Each PWM
pulse is terminated 1/3 of a cycle after the PWM pulse of the
previous phase. The peak-to-peak current for each phase is
about 7A, and the DC components of the inductor currents
combine to feed the load.
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FN6669.0
September 9, 2008