LTC3407AIDD Datasheet, PDF (10/16 Pages) Linear Integrated Systems – Dual Synchronous, 600mA, 1.5MHz Step-Down DC/DC Regulator

LTC3407
APPLICATIONS INFORMATION
V_OUT
=
0.6V
⎛⎝⎜₁₊
R2 ^⎞
R1⎠⎟
Keeping the current small (<5μA) in these resistors maxi-
mizes efficiency, but making them too small may allow
stray capacitance to cause noise problems and reduce the
phase margin of the error amp loop.
To improve the frequency response, a feed-forward capaci-
tor C_F may also be used. Great care should be taken to
route the V_FB line away from noise sources, such as the
inductor or the SW line.
Power-On Reset
The POR pin is an open-drain output which pulls low when
either regulator is out of regulation. When both output volt-
ages are within ±8.5% of regulation, a timer is started which
releases POR after 2¹⁸ clock cycles (about 175ms). This
delay can be significantly longer in Burst Mode operation
with low load currents, since the clock cycles only occur
during a burst and there could be milliseconds of time
between bursts. This can be bypassed by tying the POR
output to the MODE/SYNC input, to force pulse-skipping
mode during a reset. In addition, if the output voltage
faults during Burst Mode sleep, POR could have a slight
delay for an undervoltage output condition and may not
respond to an overvoltage output. This can be avoided by
using pulse-skipping mode instead. When either channel
is shut down, the POR output is pulled low, since one or
both of the channels are not in regulation.
Mode Selection & Frequency Synchronization
The MODE/SYNC pin is a multipurpose pin which provides
mode selection and frequency synchronization. Connect-
ing this pin to V_IN enables Burst Mode operation, which
provides the best low current efficiency at the cost of a
higher output voltage ripple. When this pin is connected
to ground, pulse-skipping operation is selected which
provides the lowest output ripple, at the cost of low cur-
rent efficiency.
The LTC3407 can also be synchronized to another LTC3407
by the MODE/SYNC pin. During synchronization, the mode
is set to pulse-skipping and the top switch turn-on is syn-
chronized to the rising edge of the external clock.
Checking Transient Response
The regulator loop response can be checked by looking
at the load transient response. Switching regulators take
several cycles to respond to a step in load current. When
a load step occurs, V_OUT immediately shifts by an amount
equal to ΔI_LOAD • ESR, where ESR is the effective series
resistance of C_OUT. ΔI_LOAD also begins to charge or dis-
charge C_OUT generating a feedback error signal used by the
regulator to return V_OUT to its steady-state value. During
this recovery time, V_OUT can be monitored for overshoot
or ringing that would indicate a stability problem.
The initial output voltage step may not be within the
bandwidth of the feedback loop, so the standard second-
order overshoot/DC ratio cannot be used to determine
phase margin. In addition, a feed-forward capacitor, C_F,
can be added to improve the high frequency response, as
shown in Figure 2. Capacitor C_F provides phase lead by
creating a high frequency zero with R2 which improves
the phase margin.
The output voltage settling behavior is related to the stability
of the closed-loop system and will demonstrate the actual
overall supply performance. For a detailed explanation of
optimizing the compensation components, including a re-
view of control loop theory, refer to Application Note 76.
In some applications, a more severe transient can be caused
by switching in loads with large (>1μF) input capacitors.
The discharged input capacitors are effectively put in paral-
lel with C_OUT, causing a rapid drop in V_OUT. No regulator
can deliver enough current to prevent this problem, if the
switch connecting the load has low resistance and is driven
quickly. The solution is to limit the turn-on speed of the
load switch driver. A Hot Swap™ controller is designed
specifically for this purpose and usually incorporates cur-
rent limiting, short-circuit protection, and soft-starting.
Efficiency Considerations
The percent efficiency of a switching regulator is equal to
the output power divided by the input power times 100%.
It is often useful to analyze individual losses to determine
what is limiting the efficiency and which change would
Hot Swap is a trademark of Linear Technology Corporation.
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