cd00049152

AN2115
Application note
Designing an application with the L6928, high efficiency
monolithic synchronous step-down regulator
Introduction
This application note details the main features and application advantages of the L6928.
After describing how the device works and its main features, a step-by-step design section
is provided to aid in the selection of the external components and evaluation of the losses.
The performance of the L6928 is expressed in terms of efficiency and thermal results. At the
conclusion of this document a few application ideas are provided.
Figure 1.
March 2011
Minimum application board size
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Contents
AN2115
Contents
1
Device description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2
Pin function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3
Block diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4
Operation description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4.1
Light load modes of operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4.2
Low consumption mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4.2.1
4.3
4.4
5
6
System stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.3.1
Current loop compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.3.2
Voltage loop compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Short circuit protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.1
Dropout operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.2
PGOOD (Power good output) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.3
Adjustable output voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.4
OVP (overvoltage protection) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.5
Thermal shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Application information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
6.1
6.2
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Low noise mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
External component selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
6.1.1
Input capacitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
6.1.2
Output capacitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
6.1.3
Inductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
6.1.4
Compensation network (R1 C3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Application losses and efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6.2.1
Conduction losses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6.2.2
Switching losses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6.2.3
Gate charge losses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.2.4
Thermal consideration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
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Contents
Application board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
7.0.1
Demonstration board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
8
Demonstration board schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
9
Efficiency results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
10
Application ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
11
10.1
Buck boost topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
10.2
White LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
10.2.1
Driving white LEDs: buck topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
10.2.2
Driving white LEDs: boost topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
10.2.3
Driving white LEDs: buck boost topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Revision history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
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List of tables
AN2115
List of tables
Table 1.
Table 2.
Table 3.
Table 4.
Table 5.
Table 6.
Table 7.
4/33
Pin description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Minimum inductor value to ensure loop stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Recommended input capacitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Recommended output capacitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Recommended inductors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Demonstration board parts list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Document revision history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
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AN2115
List of figures
List of figures
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
Figure 5.
Figure 6.
Figure 7.
Figure 8.
Figure 9.
Figure 10.
Figure 11.
Figure 12.
Figure 13.
Figure 14.
Figure 15.
Figure 16.
Figure 17.
Figure 18.
Figure 19.
Figure 20.
Figure 21.
Figure 22.
Figure 23.
Figure 24.
Figure 25.
Figure 26.
Figure 27.
Figure 28.
Minimum application board size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Minimum size application circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Pin connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Block diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Low consumption mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Low noise mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Slope compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Equivalent circuit for voltage loop analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Equivalent buck converter circuit (during ON time). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Equivalent buck converter circuit (during OFF time). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Valley current limit intervention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Thermal performance results: VIN = 3.7 V, VOUT = 1.8 V, IOUT = 800 mA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
RDS(on) vs. temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Component placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Top side view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Bottom side view. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Schematic of the demonstration board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Low noise vs. low consumption efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Efficiency vs. output current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Efficiency vs. output current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Efficiency vs. output current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Positive buck boost application. 1 Li-Ion cell to 3.3 [email protected] A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Buck LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Boost LED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Buck boost LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
LED dimming control using PWM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Analog LED dimming control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
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Device description
1
AN2115
Device description
The L6928 is a high efficiency monolithic synchronous step-down regulator capable of
delivering up to 800 mA at output voltages from 0.6 V to Vin (100% duty cycle). It has been
designed using BCDV technology and employs a constant frequency peak current mode as
the control loop architecture. The input voltage ranges from 2 V to 5.5 V. Thanks to very low
quiescent current (25 µA) and shutdown current (0.2 µA), the device is highly suitable for
supplying battery-powered equipment (particularly for those using single lithium-ion cells)
such as PDAs and hand-held terminals, DSCs (digital still cameras) and cellular phones.
While the switching frequency is internally set at 1.4 MHz, the device can be externally
synchronized from 1 MHz to 2 MHz. If this feature is not required, it can operate in low
consumption mode (LCM) or low noise mode (LNM), depending on the SYNC pin value. A
very low internal reference voltage (0.6 V typ.) allows the device to regulate very low output
voltages, in accordance with new microprocessor supply voltage requirements. The very low
RDS(on) of the Power MOSFETs ensures high efficiency at high output current. Other
beneficial features are UVLO (undervoltage lockout), OVP (overvoltage protection), constant
current short circuit protection, Power Good (power good output) and thermal shutdown.
The space saving MSOP8 package, combined with a minimum need for external
components, allows for very compact applications.
Figure 2.
Minimum size application circuit
Figure 3.
Pin connection
RUN
1
8
PGOOD
COMP
2
7
SYNC
VFB
3
6
VCC
4
5
GND
D01IN1239AMOD
Figure 4.
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Package
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AN2115
Pin function
2
Pin function
Table 1.
Pin description
Pin n°
Name
1
RUN
2
COMP
3
VFB
Error amplifier inverting input. The output voltage can be adjusted by connecting this pin to an
external resistor divider from 0.6 V up to the input voltage.
4
GND
Ground.
5
LX
6
VCC
Input voltage. The start-up input voltage is 2.2 V (typ.) while the operating input voltage ranges
from 2 V to 5.5 V. An internal UVLO circuit generates a 200 mV (typ.) hysteresis.
SYNC
Operating mode selector input. When high (above 1.3 V) Low Consumption Mode is selected.
When low (less than 0.5 V), Low Noise Mode is selected. If connected to an appropriate external
synchronization signal (from 1 MHz up to 2 MHz) the internal synchronization circuit is activated
and the device works at the same switching frequency. This pin must not be left floating.
7
8
Description
Shutdown input. When connected to a low level voltage (less than 0.5 V) the device stops
working. When high (above 1.3 V) the device is enabled. This pin must not be left floating.
Error amplifier output. A compensation network must be connected to this pin. Usually a 220 pF
capacitor is sufficient to guarantee loop stability (see related section).
Switch output node. This pin is internally connected to the drain of the internal switches.
Power good comparator output. It is an open drain output. A pull-up resistor should be
connected between PGOOD and Vo (or VCC depending on the requirements). The pin is forced
PGOOD low when the output voltage is lower than 90% of the regulated output voltage, and goes high
when the output voltage is greater than 90% of the regulated output voltage. The pin can be left
floating if not needed.
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Block diagram
3
Block diagram
Figure 5.
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AN2115
Block diagram
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AN2115
4
Operation description
Operation description
The main loop uses a constant frequency peak current mode architecture. Each cycle, the
high side MOSFET is turned on, triggered by the oscillator, so that the current flowing
through it (which is the same as the inductor current) increases.
When this current reaches the threshold (set by the output of the error amplifier E/A, the
peak current limit comparator, PEAK_CL, turns off the high side MOSFET and turns on the
low side MOSFET until the next clock cycle begins, or if the current flowing through it
decreases to zero (ZERO CROSSING comparator).
In particular, the error amplifier output is dependent on the FB pin voltage. When the output
current increases, the output capacitor is discharged and so the FB pin voltage decreases.
This produces an increase in the error amplifier output, allowing a higher value for the peak
inductor current. For the same reason, when the output current decreases due to a load
transient, the error amplifier output goes low, thus reducing the peak inductor current to
meet the new load requirements.
The system includes a slope compensation signal, added to the sensed high side ramp
current, which provides loop stability even in high duty cycle conditions (see related
section).
4.1
Light load modes of operation
Depending on the SYNC pin value, the device can operate in LCM (low consumption mode)
or LNM (low noise mode). If the SYNC pin is high (greater than 1.3 V) low consumption
mode is selected while low noise mode is selected if the SYNC pin is low (less than 0.5 V).
4.2
Low consumption mode
In this mode of operation, the device operates discontinuously based on the COMP pin
voltage in order to maintain very high efficiency even in light load conditions. When the
device is not switching, the load discharges the output capacitor and the output voltage
decreases. When the feedback voltage goes below the internal reference, the COMP pin
voltage increases, and when an internal threshold is reached the device begins to switch. In
this condition the peak current limit is set in the range of approximately 200 mA - 400 mA,
depending on the slope compensation (see related section).
Once the device starts to switch, the output capacitor is recharged. The feedback pin
voltage increases and, when it reaches a value slightly higher than the reference voltage,
the output of the error amplifier decreases until a clamp is activated.
At this point the device stops switching. In this phase, most of the internal circuitry is off,
reducing the device’s consumption down to a typical value of 25 µA.
4.2.1
Low noise mode
If for noise considerations, the very low frequencies of low consumption mode are
undesirable, low noise mode can be selected. In low noise mode, efficiency is slightly lower
compared to low consumption mode in very light load conditions, but for medium-high load
currents the efficiency values are very similar.
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Operation description
AN2115
Basically, the device switches with its internal free running frequency of 1.4 MHz. Obviously,
in very light load conditions, the device could skip some cycles in order to keep the output
voltage regulated. In Figure 6 and Figure 7 the LCM and LNM typical waveforms are shown.
Figure 6.
Low consumption mode
Red line: inductor current
Blue line: output voltage (AC coupled)
Green line: LX pin
Figure 7.
Low noise mode
Red line: inductor current
Blue line: output voltage (AC coupled)
Green line: LX pin
●
Measurement conditions:
–
Vin = 4.2 V
–
Vout = 1.5 V
–
Iout = 30 mA
–
L = 3.3 µH
–
CIN = 10 µF
–
COUT = 10 µF
–
RC = 20 kΩ
–
CC = 330 pF
A comparison between the efficiency in low noise mode and low consumption mode is
shown in Figure 19 of this document.
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4.3
Operation description
System stability
Since the device is designed with a current mode architecture, loop stability is rarely a
significant issue. For most applications a 220 pF capacitor connected between the COMP
pin and ground is sufficient to guarantee stability. If very low ESR capacitors are used for the
output filter, such as multilayer ceramic capacitors, the zero introduced by the capacitor itself
can shift at very high frequency and the transient loop response could be affected. Adding a
series resistor to the 220 pF capacitor may resolve this problem. The appropriate value for
the resistor (in the range of 50 kΩ) can be determined by checking the load transient
response of the device. Basically, the output voltage should be checked with an oscilloscope
after the load steps required by the application.
If there are stability problems, the output voltage could oscillate before reaching the
regulated value after a load step. The current mode stability can be observed in two
consecutive steps: first, the inner (current) loop is closed, then the second (voltage) loop
stability is considered.
4.3.1
Current loop compensation
The constant frequency, peak current mode control architecture offers numerous
advantages: easy compensation with ceramic output capacitors, fast transient response and
intrinsic peak current measurement which simplifies the current limit protection.
One drawback, however, is that the current loop becomes unstable when the duty cycle
exceeds 50%. This phenomenon is known as "sub-harmonic oscillation" and can be avoided
by adding an external ramp to the one coming from the sensed current (or, by subtracting it
from the control value, which is the E/A output voltage).
This additional ramp is called "slope compensation". In the L6928 the slope compensation is
implemented from a duty cycle of around 25% - 30%, as shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Slope compensation
The figure above shows that the current limit value will depend on the duty factor, so
changing the output voltage will also change the maximum output load.
The amount of slope compensation depends on the inductor current slope during the OFF
time. This slope, for a given duty cycle, is inversely proportional to the inductor value.
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Operation description
AN2115
Since the device can be synchronized at a higher frequency, the inductor value can be
adjusted based on this. In fact, for a given current ripple, the required inductor value is
inversely proportional to the frequency. Finally, the input voltage affects the OFF time slope
as well. This is obvious because, for a given duty cycle, the output voltage (and thus the
OFF time inductor current slope) is directly proportional to the input voltage.
In order to better manage these issues, the amount of slope compensation in the L6928
depends both on the switching frequency and input voltage.
Table 2.
Minimum inductor value to ensure loop stability
Vin [V]
Vout [V]
3.3
1.8
5
FSW [kHz]
Minimum inductor
value [µH]
1000
1.0
2000
1.0
1000
2.2
2000
2.2
3.3
In the table above the minimum inductance values to ensure current loop stability with input
voltage of 3.3 V and 5 V are shown. There is also a maximum inductor value, because if the
inductor is too high the inductor current ripple will be very low (theoretically down to zero)
and will be compared with the slope compensation (a triangular waveform) to generate the
duty cycle. This system is similar to the voltage mode control causing stability problems due
to the LC double pole (the pole splitting effect will not be present).
4.3.2
Voltage loop compensation
After closing the current loop, the pole splitting effect will separate the complex double pole,
due to the inductor and the output capacitor, into 2 separate poles. The pole due to the
inductor will shift outside of the system bandwidth (i.e. the inductor ideally acts like a current
source), while the pole due to the output capacitor will remain within the bandwidth.
Figure 9 shows the equivalent circuit used to study the voltage loop compensation:
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AN2115
Operation description
Figure 9.
Equivalent circuit for voltage loop analysis
To complete the power stage analysis, the zero due to the output capacitor ESR should be
considered.
Equation 1
Vo ( s )
( sC o ESR + 1 )R o
H ( s ) = --------------- = --------------------------------------------------I L ( s ) sC o ( ESR + R o ) + 1
In Equation 1 the power stage transfer function is shown, where RO is the output equivalent
resistor load (Vo/Io). It can be observed that the pole due to the output capacitor shifts in
frequency based on the load value.
In order to have zero DC error regulation, the feedback voltage loop is implemented with an
integrator stage, the transfer function of which is shown in Equation 2.
Equation 2
g m α sC C R C + 1
G ( s ) = ----------- • ⎛⎝ -----------------------------⎞⎠
AV
sC C
where gm is the integrator transconductance (250 µS). The total gain loop is:
Equation 3
R o g m α ( 1 + sESRC o ) ( sC C R C + 1 )
G LOOP ( s ) = ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A V sC C ( 1 + sC o ( ESR + R o ) )
where AV is the current loop factor (1 Ω typ.) and α is the resistor feedback network partition
(R2/(R2+R3). Equation 3 does not consider the poles due to the sampling effect which are
placed at half of the switching frequency.
Once the gain loop is known, the system will be stabilized with the compensation network as
shown in the Section 6.1.4.
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Operation description
4.4
AN2115
Short circuit protection
Due to the peak current mode architecture, the peak current flowing through the high side
switch is accurately sensed.
When this current reaches the peak current limit threshold, the P-channel MOSFET is
turned off. In this way, the ON time of the high side switch, TON, is reduced and the output
voltage decreases. The TON can decrease down to its minimum value of around 200 nsec
(TMIN). In this condition, however, a strong overload or short circuit could result in a further
increase in peak current.
Equation 4
( V in – V out )
ΔI ON = ------------------------------ • T ON
L
(Positive slope)
Equation 5
V out
ΔI OFF = ----------- • T OFF
L
(Negative slope)
It can be observed in the equations above that in short circuit condition the output voltage is
zero and thus the negative slope will be zero. Since the positive slope increases with every
cycle, the inductor current will likewise increase cycle by cycle.
In order to determine at what point this phenomenon will cease, some real parameters
should be considered.
Figure 10. Equivalent buck converter circuit (during ON time)
Figure 11. Equivalent buck converter circuit (during OFF time)
Considering the figures above, particularly during OFF time, even though the output voltage
is equal to zero, the output current generates the voltage drop necessary to produce a
negative slope on the parasitic resistances.
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AN2115
Operation description
So the higher the output current, the higher the negative slope during OFF time. In this way
the inductor current will find a stable find value, which can be derived using the equation
below:
Equation 6
V in • ( T MIN • F SW )
I LIM = ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[ ( R N + R L ) • ( 1 – T MIN • F SW ) + ( R P + R L ) • ( T MIN • F SW ) ]
where TMIN is the minimum ON time, FSW is the switching frequency, RN and RP are the ON
resistances of the N-channel and P-channel MOSFETs respectively, RL is the inductor
series resistance and RO is the equivalent output resistance. As can be observed, under
these extreme conditions the maximum current value depends on both the application
conditions (such as Vin and FSW) as well as the inductor parasitic resistor RL and the
MOSFETs’ RDS(on), RN and RP.
The maximum current value does not depend on the peak current limit at all. In order to limit
the output current to a safe value even in extreme short circuit conditions, a current limit has
also been introduced on the N-channel MOSFET, which operates as a valley current limit.
Figure 11 shows its operation. The P-channel MOSFET does not turn on until the inductor
current exceeds the valley current limit. This implies that the device skips some cycles
depending on the overcurrent conditions, reducing the equivalent switching frequency in
order to limit the output current. With this approach, the maximum peak current is definitively
limited to:
Equation 7
V in T MIN
I LIM = I VALLEY + -------------------L
Figure 12. Valley current limit intervention
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Synchronization
5
AN2115
Synchronization
The device can also be synchronized with an external signal from 1 MHz up to 2 MHz
through the internal PLL. When the device is locked, the external signal and the high side
turn on rising edges are aligned. In this case, low noise mode is automatically selected.
The device could skip some cycles in very light load conditions depending on the
input/output conditions. The internal synchronization circuit is inhibited in short circuit and
overvoltage conditions in order to keep the protections effective (see relative sections).
The synchronization signal amplitude can range typically from 1 V to VCC and the duty factor
can range typically from 20% to 80%. Occasionally, if the synchronization signal duty cycle
is very similar to the application duty factor, a jittering can be detected on the LX pin. In this
case some practical solutions are listed below:
1.
Change the synchronization signal duty factor.
2.
Decrease the synchronization signal amplitude.
3.
Add a 20 pF capacitor between the COMP pin and ground.
The device switches at 1.4 MHz (typ.) if no synchronization signal is applied.
5.1
Dropout operation
The Li-Ion battery voltage ranges from approximately 3 V to 4.2 V (depending on the anode
material). If the regulated output voltage is from 2.5 V and 3.3 V, it is possible for the battery
voltage to decrease to the regulated voltage near the end of battery life.
In this case, the device stops switching and works at 100% of duty cycle, minimizing the
dropout voltage and the device losses. The minimum input voltage necessary to ensure
output regulation can be calculated as:
Equation 8
V in – MIN = V o + I o • ( R DS ( on ) – HS – MAX + R L )
Where RDS(on)_HS_MAX is the maximum high side resistance and RL is the series inductor
resistance.
5.2
PGOOD (Power Good output)
The device also features a Power Good output signal. The VFB pin is internally connected to
a comparator with a threshold set at 90% of the reference voltage (0.6 V). Since the output
voltage is connected to the VFB pin by a resistor divider, when the output voltage goes lower
than the regulated value, the VFB pin voltage goes lower than 90% of the internal reference
value. The internal comparator is triggered and the Power Good pin is pulled down. The pin
is an open drain output, so it should be connected to a pull up resistor. If the feature is not
required, the pin can be left floating.
5.3
Adjustable output voltage
The output voltage can be adjusted by an external resistor divider from a minimum value of
0.6 V up to the input voltage. The output voltage value is given by:
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Synchronization
Equation 9
R
V out = 0.6 • ⎛ 1 + ------3-⎞
⎝
R 2⎠
Thanks to the very low FB leakage current (25 nA), high R3 and R2 values can be chosen
(hundreds of kΩ) which increase system efficiency at very low load.
5.4
OVP (overvoltage protection)
The device is equipped with an internal overvoltage protection circuit to protect the load. If
the voltage at the feedback pin goes higher than an internal threshold set at 10% (typ.)
higher than the reference voltage, the low side MOSFET is turned on until the feedback
voltage goes lower than the reference voltage. During overvoltage circuit intervention, the
zero crossing comparator is disabled so that the device is also able to sink current.
5.5
Thermal shutdown
The device also has thermal shutdown protection, which is activated when the junction
temperature reaches 155 °C. In this case both the high and low side MOSFETs are turned
off.
Once the junction temperature goes back below 95 °C, the device resumes normal
operation.
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Application information
AN2115
6
Application information
6.1
External component selection
6.1.1
Input capacitor
The input capacitor must be able to support the maximum input operating voltage and the
maximum RMS input current. Since step-down converters draw current from the input in
pulses, the input current is squared and the height of each pulse is equal to the output
current.
The RMS input current (flowing through the input capacitor) is:
Equation 10
2
2
• D- + D
I RMS = I o • D – 2
--------------------2
η
η
Where η is the expected system efficiency, D is the duty cycle and Io is the output DC
current. Assuming η = 1, this function reaches its maximum value at D = 0.5 and the
equivalent RMS current is equal to Io/2. The maximum and minimum duty cycles are:
Equation 11
Vo
D MAX = ----------------V inMIN
Equation 12
Vo
D MIN = -----------------V inMAX
Depending on the output voltage value, the worst case could occur when the input battery is
nearly discharged. Usually the best choice for the input capacitor is the MLCC (multi layer
ceramic capacitor) thanks to its very small size and very low ESR. Table 3 provides a list of
some MLCC manufacturers.
Table 3.
6.1.2
Recommended input capacitors
Manufacturer
Series
Cap value (µF)
Rated voltage (V)
[email protected] MHz
(mΩ)
Panasonic
ECJ
10 to 22
6.3
10
Taiyo Yuden
JMK
10 to 22
6.3
10
Murata
GRM
10 to 22
6.3
5 to 10
Output capacitor
The output capacitor is very important for satisfying the output voltage ripple requirement.
Very small inductor values reduce the size and cost of the application but increase the
current ripple.
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Application information
This ripple, multiplied by the ESR of the output capacitor, is the output voltage ripple.
Tantalum and ceramic capacitors are usually good for this purpose. Ceramic capacitors
have the minimum ESR for a given size, so for very compact applications they are the best
choice.
POSCAP capacitors from Sanyo are also a good choice for the output filter. The list below
provides some capacitor manufacturers.
Table 4.
6.1.3
Recommended output capacitors
Manufacturer
Series
Cap value (µF)
Rated voltage (V)
ESR (mΩ)
Panasonic
ECJ
10 to 47
6.3
10
Panasonic
EEF
22 to 47
6.3
60 to 90
Taiyo Yuden
JMK
10 to 47
6.3
10
Sanyo POSCAP
TPA
47 to 100
6.3
80 to 100
Murata
GRM
10 to 22
6.3
5 to 10
Inductor
The inductor value establishes the ripple current flowing through the output capacitor. The
ripple current is usually fixed at 20% - 40% of the output current, an approximation of which
is obtained with the following formula:
Equation 13
( V in – V out )
L = ------------------------------ • T ON
ΔI
For example, with Vout = 3.3 V, Vin = 4.2 V (Li-Ion battery fully charged), FSW = 1.4 MHz, IO
= 600 mA and ΔI = 200 mA, the inductor value is about 3.3 µH. The peak current through the
inductor is given by:
Equation 14
I PK = I o + ΔI
----2
Note that if the inductor value decreases, the peak current (which must be lower than the
current limit of the device) increases. This peak current must be lower than the saturation
current of the choke.
This is particularly important when using ferrite cores because they can saturate severely.
The inductance value decreases abruptly when the saturation threshold is exceeded, thus
causing an abrupt increase in the current flowing through it.
The inductor should be selected with system stability taken into consideration (see the
paragraph regarding slope compensation).
Parasitic resistance should also be considered when selecting the inductor, as too high a
value can decrease efficiency. In the following table some inductor manufacturers are listed.
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Application information
Table 5.
AN2115
Recommended inductors
Manufacturer
Coilcraft
Series
Inductor value (µH)
Saturation current (A)
DO1607C
6.8 to 15
0.72 to 0.96
DT1608C
6.8 to 15
0.6 to 1
LPO1704
6.8 to 10
0.8 to 0.9
CH4192-A
4.7
1.3
DO1606T
6.8 to 10
1 to 1.1
ELL6RH
6.2 to 22
0.7 to 1.4
ELL6GM
6.8 to 10
0.93 to 1.1
D62CB
10 to 22
0.71 to 1.07
D62C
10 to 22
0.63 to 0.99
SD10
3.3 to 6.2
0.92 to 1.31
SD12
3.3 to 6.2
1.08 to 1.42
Panasonic
Toko
Coiltronics
6.1.4
Compensation network (R1 C3)
As shown in Section 4.3 the system stability can be studied using the loop transfer function
given by Equation 3. If the output capacitor is of the ceramic type, the zero due to the ESR
will generally be outside of the system bandwidth. Thus, the stability of the system will be
ensured by the cancellation between the pole due to the output capacitor, the equivalent
load and the R1C3 zero. Equation 15 represents a simplified gain loop expression,
applicable around the transition frequency fT:
Equation 15
gm R1 α
G LOOP ( s ) = -----------------sC 2
Assuming that C2 = 10 µF, the transition frequency at 0 dB = 30 kHz (fT is equal to the
system bandwidth), and the output voltage = 1.8 V, the value of R1 can be calculated as:
Equation 16
2πf T C 2
R 1 = ------------------- = 24kΩ
gm α
The nearest standard E12 series value is R1 = 24 kΩ.
The higher the bandwidth, the faster the transient response will be, but the bandwidth (and
so the R1 value) must be lower than fSW/10 to avoid being influenced by the sampling effect
poles as mentioned in Section 4.3. The zero due to the compensation network must be at
the least 5 times before the frequency transition, so the value of C3 will be:
Equation 17
5
C 3 = ------------------- = 220pF
2πf T R 1
The nearest standard value is C3 = 220 pF
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Application information
If the output capacitors are of the tantalum type, the ESR zero is within the system
bandwidth and it can be used to stabilize the system so that the zero due to the
compensation network will be rendered unnecessary.
6.2
Application losses and efficiency
There are many losses affecting the efficiency of the application. Some of these losses are
related to the device and others are related to the external components. The most important
losses are described below.
6.2.1
Conduction losses
These losses are basically due to the significant resistances of the internal switches and the
external inductor. Usually the current ripple across the inductor is negligible and so to
estimate the conduction losses of the inductor, the average output current can be
considered.
The conduction losses of the switches depend also on the duty cycle of the application.
The RMS current flowing through the high side MOSFET is (Io)2D, while the RMS current
flowing through the low side MOSFET is (Io)2 (1-D). So, the total conduction losses of the
application are:
Equation 18
2
P MOS = I o • ( R ON – HS • ( D ) + R ON – LS • ( 1 – D ) + R L )
Where RON-HS and RON-LS are the series resistances of the high side and low side
MOSFETs respectively, and RL is the series resistance of the inductor. The conduction
losses due to the ESR of the input and output capacitors are usually negligible, particularly
when using ceramic caps (very low ESR). In any case, when the ESR values for these caps
are high, their conduction losses are:
Equation 19
2
2
ΔI
P CIN, COUT = I o • ( D • ( 1 – D ) ) • ESR CIN + -------- • ESR COUT
12
Where ΔI is the current ripple flowing through the choke and D the duty cycle of the
application. The conduction losses are particularly important at high current cause they
depend on its squared value.
6.2.2
Switching losses
The switching losses are due to the turning on and off of the internal high side MOSFET.
Equation 20
( T ON + T OFF )
P SWITCHING = V in • I o • F SW • -----------------------------------2
where TON and TOFF are the turn on and turn off times of the internal high side switch.
These are approximately in the range of 15 ns to 20 ns.This loss is important at high
frequency.
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Application information
6.2.3
AN2115
Gate charge losses
The gate charge losses derive from switching the gate capacitance of the internal
MOSFETs. The gate capacitances (CH for the high side MOSFETs and CL for the low side
MOSFETs) are charged and discharged with the input voltage at the switching frequency.
Equation 21
2
P GATE – CHANGE = V in • ( C H + C L ) • F SW
These losses are also directly proportional to the switching frequency and input voltage but
are usually negligible compared with the conduction and switching losses.
6.2.4
Thermal consideration
Depending on the application conditions (input voltage, switching frequency, output current)
and ambient temperature, the heat produced by device losses could increase the junction
temperature to over its absolute maximum rating. The following equation can estimate the
junction temperature of the device:
Equation 22
T j = T A + R TH – JA • P tot
where TA is the ambient temperature of the application, RTH_JA is the thermal resistance
junction to ambient of the package and Ptot is the overall power dissipated by the device.
RTH_JA depends to some degree on the application board but it can considered
approximately equal to 180 °C/W. Ptot given by:
Equation 23
P tot = P MOS + P SWITCHING + P GATE – CHARGE
Figure 13. Thermal performance results: Vin = 3.7 V, Vout = 1.8 V, Iout = 800 mA
The figure above shows the thermal performance of the device mounted on the application
board, which is described in the following paragraph.
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Application information
Figure 14. RDS(on) vs. temperature
To more accurately estimate the power dissipated, it may be useful to observe the variation
with the temperature of the MOSFET’s RDS(on), as shown in the Figure 14.
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Application board
AN2115
7
Application board
7.0.1
Demonstration board
The illustrations below show the layout of the demonstration board.
Figure 15. Component placement
Figure 16. Top side view
Figure 17. Bottom side view
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8
Demonstration board schematic
Demonstration board schematic
The very small package and high switching frequency allow for a very compact application.
The demonstration board circuit is shown in Figure 18:
Figure 18. Schematic of the demonstration board
The external component parts list is shown below:
Table 6.
Demonstration board parts list
Reference
Part number
Description
Manufacturer
C1
GRM21BR60J106KE19
10 µF 6.3 V
Murata
C2
GRM21BR60J106KE19
10 µF 6.3 V
Murata
C3
C0406C221J5GAC
220 pF, 5% 50 V
Kemet
R1
10 kΩ 1% 0402
Neohm
R2
100 kΩ 1% 0402
Neohm
R3
200 kΩ 1% 0402
Neohm
R4
100 kΩ 1% 0402
Neohm
CH4192-A
4.7 µH
LPS4012-472MLC
4.7 µH
L1
Coilcraft
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Efficiency results
9
AN2115
Efficiency results
Some efficiency results are shown in the figures below.
Figure 19. Low noise vs. low consumption efficiency
Figure 20. Efficiency vs. output current
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Efficiency results
Figure 21. Efficiency vs. output current
Figure 22. Efficiency vs. output current
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Application ideas
AN2115
10
Application ideas
10.1
Buck boost topology
In portable applications, the input voltage changes significantly due to the battery discharge
profile, which often depends on parameters like temperature, discharge rate, battery ageing,
etc. Moreover, in certain applications the output voltage requirements can also change.
This could imply that is not possible to provide the desired regulated output voltage using a
simple buck topology. This problem is often present, for example, in systems using a single
Li-Ion cell, whose voltage profile changes from 4.2 V down to 2.7 V or less. In fact, in these
systems, a 3.3 V output is normally required to power the processor I/O, memory and logic.
Adopting the buck topology, the 3.3 V output can be regulated until the battery voltage is
approximately 3.4 V, depending also on the minimum dropout of the regulator. Depending
on the battery type and conditions, this would leave unused some 20 - 40% of its capacity.
Another even more critical application is the power management of 3G phones, where 3.7 V
or more can be required to power the RF power amplifier (PA).
In order to use the full battery capacity in these applications, a positive buck boost topology
can be used. Figure 23 shows how to implement this topology using the L6928. This
topology may be more suitable than a standard buck, depending on the battery discharge
profile and the load conditions. In fact, the efficiency loss of the buck boost topology can be
translated into an equivalent loss in battery capacity. This can then be compared with the
gain in battery capacity due to the fact that it is used over the full voltage range.
Figure 23. Positive buck boost application. 1 Li-Ion cell to 3.3 [email protected] A
10.2
White LEDs
White LEDs are now widely used both for LCD backlighting and for illumination. Since their
brightness is proportional to the current flowing through them, a current control loop must be
implemented rather than a voltage control loop. The L6928 can be used in a current control
architecture by simply inserting a sense resistor between the FB and GND pins and
connecting the LED in series with it. The loop will set 0.6 V across the sense resistor and
thus a constant current flow through the LED. The current, and therefore the brightness, can
be adjusted by changing the resistor value or the voltage across it (by partitioning the FB pin
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Application ideas
voltage). The forward voltage across a white LED is approximately 3.6 V and so, depending
on the input source, appropriate topologies must be used.
10.2.1
Driving white LEDs: buck topology
The simple buck topology can be used when the input voltage source is higher than
approximately 4.5 V, which is the case, for example, with a USB bus.
Figure 24. Buck LED
In this case, the maximum device current (800 mA, continuous) can be delivered to the LED.
Moreover, in this topology the efficiency is maximized.
10.2.2
Driving white LEDs: boost topology
When the input voltage source is always lower than 3 V (which is the case, for example, of 2
NiMH battery cells) a boost topology must be implemented, as shown in Figure 25.
Figure 25. Boost LED
In this case, according to the boost topology, the maximum current that can be delivered
depends on the duty cycle. The relation between the output current and the internal switch
current (assuming a negligible current ripple and 100% efficiency) is given in Equation 24:
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Application ideas
AN2115
Equation 24
I OUT = I SWITCH ( 1 – D )
This topology is possible only because the input source is a battery, and so it must not be
referred to ground. A drawback of this approach, which is intrinsic in the boost topology, is
that a path between the input and output is always present.
This does not allow effective short circuit protection and can generate a battery discharge
even when the device is turned off.
10.2.3
Driving white LEDs: buck boost topology
When a single Li-Ion cell is used at the input, a buck boost topology can be employed, as
shown in Figure 26.
Figure 26. Buck boost LED
The relationship between the output current and the switch current is the same as in the
boost topology. An advantage of this topology compared with the boost topology, however, is
that when the device is turned off there is no current path between the input and the output.
This allows effective short circuit protection and minimizes the current drawn from the
battery when the device is turned off. A dimming control can be developed by turning the
device on and off with a frequency of around 100 - 200 Hz in order to avoid LED flickering
Figure 27. Another way to implement LED dimming is by changing the voltage of the
dimming resistor Figure 28.
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Application ideas
Figure 27. LED dimming control using PWM
Figure 28. Analog LED dimming control
Both solutions change the output current by changing the FB voltage. In Figure 28 a DC
voltage is used. In Figure 27 the average voltage coming from the PWM signal is utilized.
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Revision history
11
AN2115
Revision history
Table 7.
32/33
Document revision history
Date
Revision
Changes
Jan-2005
1
First issue
06-Aug-2007
2
Added List of figures, minor text changes
28-Nov-2007
3
Changed Figure 14
26-Feb-2009
4
Modified: Section 6.1.1 and Table 6 (reference 3)
23-Mar-2011
5
Added: L1 part number Table 6 on page 25
Doc ID 11165 Rev 5
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