Thermal Design made SIMPLE with LM43603

Application Report
SNVA719 – September 2014
Thermal Design made Simple with LM43603 and LM46002
Marc Davis-Marsh
ABSTRACT
This Application Report will walk through the thermal design of power supplies using the LM43603 and
LM46002. In the process we will cover common tips and approximations to speed up your design.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Contents
Board Layout for Good Thermal Design ..................................................................................
Power Dissipation Hand Calculation ......................................................................................
Power Dissipation on WEBENCH® ........................................................................................
Comparison to Thermal Camera Images and WEBENCH® ............................................................
Figures ........................................................................................................................
References ...................................................................................................................
1
2
2
5
7
7
List of Figures
1
1
Efficiency Curve .............................................................................................................. 2
2
θJA vs Copper Area; 2oz Copper on Outer Layers and 1oz Copper on Inner Layers ............................... 5
3
Layout Recommendations .................................................................................................. 7
Board Layout for Good Thermal Design
Thermal design doesn’t need to be arduous. Let’s walk through a quick thermal design for the LM43603 or
LM46002 using WEBENCH® and some rules of thumb. Then we will look at measurement results and see
the type of accuracy we can expect.
CAUTION
Use of these tips will speed up your board layout for good thermal
performance, but you should still take due diligence to ensure that your
design is working to your specifications.
First off, in any thermal design, you need to calculate how much power is being dissipated by your device.
You can do this one of two ways. You can calculate it by hand or you can use the online design tool
WEBENCH®
Secondly you need to determine the thermal environment to which the part is going to be subjected. If you
have an enclosure with access to open air and the device is allowed to run hot this would correspond to
an ambient temperature (TA) of your open air and a maximum junction temperature (TJ) for the device of
125°C. This would allow you to calculate a thermal impedance from the junction to ambient air (θJA).
Tj
Tamb
TJA d max
Pd(IC)
(1)
And finally, you need to lay out the board with enough copper or external heat-sinking to achieve the
thermal impedance calculated above. The rest of this application note will walk you through the process.
SNVA719 – September 2014
Submit Documentation Feedback
Thermal Design made SIMPLE with LM43603 and LM46002
Copyright © 2014, Texas Instruments Incorporated
1
Power Dissipation Hand Calculation
2
www.ti.com
Power Dissipation Hand Calculation
The most common method to calculate the power dissipation is to look in the datasheet curves and find
the efficiency for your operating condition. With the efficiency information you can back calculate the
system power dissipation. You would then subtract out the inductor power loss or external diode power
losses to find the IC power loss. Here is an example: Your input voltage is 24 V. Your output Voltage is 5
V. Your peak load current is 3 A. You decide to run at 500 kHz to trade off physical component size and
efficiency. You look up the datasheet in the product folder at the TI
website.Http://www.ti.com/product/LM43603
Then you find the efficiency curve in which you are interested.
100
Efficiency (%)
90
80
70
60
12 VIN
24 VIN
50
0.001
0.01
0.1
Load Current (A)
1
C011
Figure 1. Efficiency Curve
The efficiency from the graph is ≈86%.
The DCR of the inductor (33 mΩ) can be found in the Bill of Materials on page 10 of the LM43603EVM
User’s Guide. The power dissipation PD can then be estimated by
PD (IC) ~ PD (System) – PD (Inductor)
PD (IC) ~ (Vout x Iout ) x [(1/Efficiency)-1] – ((1.1 x Iout)2 x DCR)
PD (IC) ~ (5V x 3A ) x [ (1/0.86)-1] – (1.1 x (3A)2 x 0.033 Ω)
PD ~ 2.08W
3
Power Dissipation on WEBENCH®
The easiest method to calculate the power dissipation is to run the design in WEBENCH® and read the IC
power dissipation from the table. Here is an example: Your parameters are the same as before: Vin = 24
V, Vout = 5 V, Iout = 3 A, fSW = 500 kHz. Go to WEBENCH® either on the TI.COM main page or the
product folder at the TI website. Http://www.ti.com/product/LM43603
On the right hand side enter the parameters into the WEBENCH® interface. Enter an ambient temperature
of 27°C. Click "Open Design".
2
Thermal Design made SIMPLE with LM43603 and LM46002
Copyright © 2014, Texas Instruments Incorporated
SNVA719 – September 2014
Submit Documentation Feedback
Power Dissipation on WEBENCH®
www.ti.com
Once into the WEBENCH® interface the design, several versions of the design will have been created and
WEBENCH® will show the version it feels has been optimized for size and efficiency. To force
WEBENCH® to use the frequency we want, the lower left corner has a check box for user preferred
frequency. Check this box, enter your preferred frequency and update the design.
SNVA719 – September 2014
Submit Documentation Feedback
Thermal Design made SIMPLE with LM43603 and LM46002
Copyright © 2014, Texas Instruments Incorporated
3
Power Dissipation on WEBENCH®
www.ti.com
If you look at the operating values at the bottom left, or click on the Op Vals tab for a close up, you will
see a variety of values that WEBENCH® has computed to complete the design. The Value IC PD is the
power dissipation of the IC. According to WEBENCH® the power dissipation is 1.96W.
What other information can we glean from WEBENCH®
If you look further into the Operating values you can see that WEBENCH® has calculated and estimated
the IC temperature based upon the θJA simulated on a JEDEC board. The IC θJA WEBENCH® used was
38.9°C/W and the calculated IC temperature calculated was IC TJ = 102°C.
If the IC temperature is low enough for your design, then try to mimic a JEDEC layout. A JEDEC layout
has an unbroken 3 by 3 inch (76.2 x 76.2 mm) ground plane on the 2nd layer that connects to the
exposed pad of the IC with thermal vias. The number of thermal vias should be appropriate to the size of
the exposed pad. Typically the thermal vias are 8 mils (200 um) to avoid solder wicking and spaced near a
1 mm grid. With the LM43603, with an exposed, pad of 2.4 x 3.2mm, you can easily fit nine thermal vias.
If the JEDEC thermal impedance is too high for your application, remember that the JEDEC design uses
no additional copper heat-sinking on the top or bottom layers to spread the heat away from the exposed
pad. While this is very realistic for a high density design, the board design is not always so constrained.
There is often room on either the top or bottom layer for additional copper to spread the heat away from
the part.
In the datasheet for the LM43603 there is a curve that shows the area of copper used for heat-sinking
versus the thermal impedance. Remember when using this curve that it is assuming that either 2 layers or
4 layers all contain the copper heat sinking area shown on the x-axis of the curve.
4
Thermal Design made SIMPLE with LM43603 and LM46002
Copyright © 2014, Texas Instruments Incorporated
SNVA719 – September 2014
Submit Documentation Feedback
Comparison to Thermal Camera Images and WEBENCH®
www.ti.com
50.0
1W @ 0fpm - 2 layer
2W @ 0fpm - 2 layer
45.0
1W @ 0fpm - 4 layer
2W @ 0fpm - 4 layer
,JA (ƒC/W)
40.0
35.0
30.0
25.0
20.0
20mm x 20mm
30mm x 30mm
40mm x 40mm
Copper Area
50mm x 50mm
C007
Figure 2. θJA vs Copper Area;
2oz Copper on Outer Layers and 1oz Copper on Inner Layers
You can see from the graph that the thermal impedance can be reduced from the JEDEC value of
38.9C/W to around 24°C/W if we pay attention to the thermal design. A general rule of thumb is that the
amount of copper needed on the top and bottom of a two layer design is
Board Area (cm2 ) t 15.29
cm2
u PD
W
For the 2.09W in our design this leads to a recommended minimum copper for heat-sinking of 56 x 56mm.
If we look at our curve this corresponds to θJA ≈ 27°C/W, and an IC temperature of 86°C.
4
Comparison to Thermal Camera Images and WEBENCH®
Now the test. Can I use WEBENCH ® or the datasheet to predict the temperature of a running board? If
we go back to the WEBENCH®interface and click on the thermal tab, we can start a thermal simulation of
the Evaluation board for the LM43603. The simulation parameters are on the left hand side. Enter an input
voltage of 24 V, and output current of 3 amps. The temperature of my lab is 27°C. And the copper weight
is 2 oz. Click the “Create a New Simulation” button. This will start a pop-up window with a list of
simulations. When yours is finished click on the results and you will see a simulation similar to the one
below. The simulation predicted the IC temperature to be 67°C using the evaluation board. Now what if we
use the θJA from the curve. The Evaluation board size is 90 x 70 mm. The area is roughly equivalent to 79
x 79 square mm. If we extrapolate from the curves in Figure 2 this leads to a θJA of roughly 20°C/W. This
leads to an estimated IC temperature of 20 * 2.08 + 27 = 68.6°C. With an Evaluation board under a
thermal imaging camera you can see that the case temperature was measured to be 64.2°C. The die
temperature of the part would be a few degrees hotter than the case. Using ψJT of 0.7W/C from the
datasheet, we can calculate that the die temperature was 0.7C/W * 2.08 + 64.2 = 65.6°C. So with this data
we can see that both methods were very accutate, With these tools, and parts with great thermal layouts,
a thermal design for the LM43603 or LM46002 can be extremely simple. For more information on thermal
layouts, please see SNVA419 Thermal Design by Insight, Not Hindsight.
SNVA719 – September 2014
Submit Documentation Feedback
Thermal Design made SIMPLE with LM43603 and LM46002
Copyright © 2014, Texas Instruments Incorporated
5
Comparison to Thermal Camera Images and WEBENCH®
www.ti.com
LM43603EVM
VIN=24V VOUT=3.3V IOUT=3A
6
Thermal Design made SIMPLE with LM43603 and LM46002
Copyright © 2014, Texas Instruments Incorporated
SNVA719 – September 2014
Submit Documentation Feedback
Figures
www.ti.com
5
Figures
Figure 3. Layout Recommendations
6
References
1. AN-2020 Thermal Design By Insight, Not Hindsight (SNVA419)
2. LM43603 SIMPLE SWITCHER® 3.5 V to 36 V 3-A Synchronous Step-Down Voltage Converter
(SNVSA09)
SNVA719 – September 2014
Submit Documentation Feedback
Thermal Design made SIMPLE with LM43603 and LM46002
Copyright © 2014, Texas Instruments Incorporated
7
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Texas Instruments Incorporated and its subsidiaries (TI) reserve the right to make corrections, enhancements, improvements and other
changes to its semiconductor products and services per JESD46, latest issue, and to discontinue any product or service per JESD48, latest
issue. Buyers should obtain the latest relevant information before placing orders and should verify that such information is current and
complete. All semiconductor products (also referred to herein as “components”) are sold subject to TI’s terms and conditions of sale
supplied at the time of order acknowledgment.
TI warrants performance of its components to the specifications applicable at the time of sale, in accordance with the warranty in TI’s terms
and conditions of sale of semiconductor products. Testing and other quality control techniques are used to the extent TI deems necessary
to support this warranty. Except where mandated by applicable law, testing of all parameters of each component is not necessarily
performed.
TI assumes no liability for applications assistance or the design of Buyers’ products. Buyers are responsible for their products and
applications using TI components. To minimize the risks associated with Buyers’ products and applications, Buyers should provide
adequate design and operating safeguards.
TI does not warrant or represent that any license, either express or implied, is granted under any patent right, copyright, mask work right, or
other intellectual property right relating to any combination, machine, or process in which TI components or services are used. Information
published by TI regarding third-party products or services does not constitute a license to use such products or services or a warranty or
endorsement thereof. Use of such information may require a license from a third party under the patents or other intellectual property of the
third party, or a license from TI under the patents or other intellectual property of TI.
Reproduction of significant portions of TI information in TI data books or data sheets is permissible only if reproduction is without alteration
and is accompanied by all associated warranties, conditions, limitations, and notices. TI is not responsible or liable for such altered
documentation. Information of third parties may be subject to additional restrictions.
Resale of TI components or services with statements different from or beyond the parameters stated by TI for that component or service
voids all express and any implied warranties for the associated TI component or service and is an unfair and deceptive business practice.
TI is not responsible or liable for any such statements.
Buyer acknowledges and agrees that it is solely responsible for compliance with all legal, regulatory and safety-related requirements
concerning its products, and any use of TI components in its applications, notwithstanding any applications-related information or support
that may be provided by TI. Buyer represents and agrees that it has all the necessary expertise to create and implement safeguards which
anticipate dangerous consequences of failures, monitor failures and their consequences, lessen the likelihood of failures that might cause
harm and take appropriate remedial actions. Buyer will fully indemnify TI and its representatives against any damages arising out of the use
of any TI components in safety-critical applications.
In some cases, TI components may be promoted specifically to facilitate safety-related applications. With such components, TI’s goal is to
help enable customers to design and create their own end-product solutions that meet applicable functional safety standards and
requirements. Nonetheless, such components are subject to these terms.
No TI components are authorized for use in FDA Class III (or similar life-critical medical equipment) unless authorized officers of the parties
have executed a special agreement specifically governing such use.
Only those TI components which TI has specifically designated as military grade or “enhanced plastic” are designed and intended for use in
military/aerospace applications or environments. Buyer acknowledges and agrees that any military or aerospace use of TI components
which have not been so designated is solely at the Buyer's risk, and that Buyer is solely responsible for compliance with all legal and
regulatory requirements in connection with such use.
TI has specifically designated certain components as meeting ISO/TS16949 requirements, mainly for automotive use. In any case of use of
non-designated products, TI will not be responsible for any failure to meet ISO/TS16949.
Products
Applications
Audio
www.ti.com/audio
Automotive and Transportation
www.ti.com/automotive
Amplifiers
amplifier.ti.com
Communications and Telecom
www.ti.com/communications
Data Converters
dataconverter.ti.com
Computers and Peripherals
www.ti.com/computers
DLP® Products
www.dlp.com
Consumer Electronics
www.ti.com/consumer-apps
DSP
dsp.ti.com
Energy and Lighting
www.ti.com/energy
Clocks and Timers
www.ti.com/clocks
Industrial
www.ti.com/industrial
Interface
interface.ti.com
Medical
www.ti.com/medical
Logic
logic.ti.com
Security
www.ti.com/security
Power Mgmt
power.ti.com
Space, Avionics and Defense
www.ti.com/space-avionics-defense
Microcontrollers
microcontroller.ti.com
Video and Imaging
www.ti.com/video
RFID
www.ti-rfid.com
OMAP Applications Processors
www.ti.com/omap
TI E2E Community
e2e.ti.com
Wireless Connectivity
www.ti.com/wirelessconnectivity
Mailing Address: Texas Instruments, Post Office Box 655303, Dallas, Texas 75265
Copyright © 2014, Texas Instruments Incorporated