LTC1629-PG_15 Datasheet, PDF (14/28 Pages) Linear Technology – PolyPhase, High Efficiency, Synchronous Step-Down Switching Regulators

LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
The MOSFET power dissipations at maximum output
current are given by:
additional transition losses due to their larger junction
capacitance.
( ) ^P_MAIN
=
V_OUT
V_IN

I_MAX
N

2
1+ δ
R_DS(ON)
+
k₍V_IN
)²

I_MAX
N

(^C_RSS)(^f)
( ) ^PSYNC
=
V_IN
– V_OUT
V_IN
 _IMAX  ²
 N 
1+ δ
R_DS(ON)
where δ is the temperature dependency of R_DS(ON), k is a
constant inversely related to the gate drive current and N
is the number of stages.
Both MOSFETs have I²R losses but the topside N-channel
equation includes an additional term for transition losses,
which peak at the highest input voltage. For V_IN < 20V the
high current efficiency generally improves with larger
MOSFETs, while for V_IN > 20V the transition losses rapidly
increase to the point that the use of a higher R_DS(ON) device
with lower C_RSS actual provides higher efficiency. The
synchronous MOSFET losses are greatest at high input
voltage when the top switch duty factor is low or during a
short-circuit when the synchronous switch is on close to
100% of the period.
The term (1 + δ) is generally given for a MOSFET in the
form of a normalized R_DS(ON) vs. Temperature curve, but
δ = 0.005/°C can be used as an approximation for low
voltage MOSFETs. C_RSS is usually specified in the MOS-
FET characteristics. The constant k = 1.7 can be used to
estimate the contributions of the two terms in the main
switch dissipation equation.
The Schottky diodes, D1 and D2 shown in Figure 1 conduct
during the dead-time between the conduction of the two
large power MOSFETs. This helps prevent the body diode
of the bottom MOSFET from turning on, storing charge
during the dead-time, and requiring a reverse recovery
period which would reduce efficiency. A 1A to 3A (depend-
ing on output current) Schottky diode is generally a good
compromise for both regions of operation due to the
relatively small average current. Larger diodes result in
C_IN and C_OUT Selection
In continuous mode, the source current of each top
N-channel MOSFET is a square wave of duty cycle V_OUT/
V_IN. A low ESR input capacitor sized for the maximum
RMS current must be used. The details of a close form
equation can be found in Application Note 77. Figure 4
shows the input capacitor ripple current for different
phase configurations with the output voltage fixed and
input voltage varied. The input ripple current is normalized
against the DC output current. The graph can be used in
place of tedious calculations. The minimum input ripple
current can be achieved when the product of phase num-
ber and output voltage, N(V_OUT), is approximately equal to
the input voltage V_IN or:
V_{OUT =} k
V_IN N
where k = 1, 2, …, N – 1
So the phase number can be chosen to minimize the input
capacitor size for the given input and output voltages.
In the graph of Figure 4, the local maximum input RMS
capacitor currents are reached when:
V_{OUT =} 2k − 1
V_IN 2N
where k = 1, 2, …, N
0.6
0.5
1-PHASE
0.4
2-PHASE
3-PHASE
0.3
4-PHASE
6-PHASE
0.2
0.1
0
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
DUTY FACTOR (V_OUT/V_IN)
1629 F04
Figure 4. Normalized Input RMS Ripple Current vs
Duty Factor for 1 to 6 Output Stages
14