MIC4680 Evaluation Board Micrel MIC4680 Evaluation Board SuperSwitcher™ SOP-8 Buck Switching Regulator 200kHz 4V to 34V/1A shows the 5V output efficiency versus input voltage and output current. Precautions MIC4680 has no protection from reversed polarity being applied to its input. Any momentary reversal of the dc power supply connections can cause permanent damage to the circuit. Use extreme care with these connections. The safest way to power up the MIC4680 evaluation board is to set the power supply to zero volts, and then gradually increase the supply voltage. Monitor the input supply current while increasing the input voltage. If the circuit draws excessive current with no load applied (greater than 100mA) then there is probably a problem with the set-up. Immediately shut off the main power supply and check for proper power supply connections. This simple procedure can avoid most catastrophic failures. Warning: Tantalum capacitors may explode if improperly connected. Always wear safety glasses when operating the evaluation board. General Description The MIC4680 SuperSwitcher is a series of easy-to-use fixed and adjustable BiCMOS step-down (buck) switching regulators. The 200kHz MIC4680 achieves 1A of continuous output current over the entire input voltage and temperature range, (–40°C to +125°C) and up to 60°C ambient respectively, in a tiny SOP-8 package. It has a logic compatible enable that provides 5µA of quiescent current (typical) in shutdown mode. Efficiencies up to 81% peak are also possible. The MIC4680 will also achieve up to 1.3A of continuous output current over a VIN range of 10V to 20V and a 5V output. The MIC4680 features a 200kHz switching frequency that reduces the inductor of the popular 52kHz, LM257x by a factor of 2, freeing up precious board space. The MIC4680 is a thirdgeneration simple step-down switching regulator, with its lineage traced back to the popular LM257x, but has been enhanced with 200kHz operation, tighter current limit and thermal shutdown. Other improvements includes 1.8V of head room (VSAT) and 10µA instead of 200µA (typical) quiescent current in shutdown mode. Requirements The MIC4680 evaluation board requires a power supply capable of at least 1.7A at up to 34V. The load should be capable delivering 1.3A under normal operation or 3A in current limit. 5V Output Efficiency 90 EFFICIENCY (%) 80 Operation Figure 1 shows the schematic of the evaluation board circuit. When the internal high-side switch turns on, one side of the inductor is fed from the input voltage, charging the inductor (+) and (–). During this period, current flows from the input, through the internal switch, output inductor and load. When the output switch turns off, the inductor polarity switches to (–) and (+), the SW pin voltage drops until the freewheeling diode is forward biased. During this portion of the cycle, current flows through the diode, inductor and load. Figure 2 J1 VIN 4V to +34V C1 15µF 35V J3 GND 2 OFF ON C2 0.1µF 50V 1 U1 MIC4680BM IN SW SHDN S1 NKK G12AP FB GND SOP-8 5–8 3 70 7V 60 12V 24V 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 OUTPUT CURRENT (A) Figure 2. J2 VOUT 1A L1 68µH R1 3.01k 4 D1 R6 B260A optional or 1 SS26 2 * C3 can be used to provide additional stability and improved transient response. R2 6.49k 3 JP1a 1.8V C3* optional R3 2.94k 5 JP1b 2.5V 4 6 R4 1.78k 7 JP1c 3.3V 8 C4 220µF 10V R5 976Ω JP1d 5.0V C5 0.1µF 50V J4 GND Figure 1. Evaluation Board Schematic SuperSwitcher is a trademark of Micrel, Inc. Micrel, Inc. • 1849 Fortune Drive • San Jose, CA 95131 • USA • tel + 1 (408) 944-0800 • fax + 1 (408) 944-0970 • http://www.micrel.com August 2000 1 MIC4680 Evaluation Board MIC4680 Evaluation Board Micrel waveform to produce a voltage controlled variable duty cycle output. A higher feedback voltage increases the error amplifier output voltage. A higher error amplifier voltage (comparator inverting input) causes the comparator to detect only the peaks of the sawtooth, reducing the duty cycle of the comparator output. A lower feedback voltage increases the duty cycle. The MIC4680 uses a voltage-mode control architecture. Output Switching When the internal switch is on, an increasing current flows from the supply VIN, through external storage inductor L1, to output capacitor COUT and the load. Energy is stored in the inductor as the current increases with time. When the internal switch is turned off, the collapse of the magnetic field in L1 forces current to flow through fast recovery diode D1, charging COUT. Output Capacitor External output capacitor COUT provides stabilization and reduces ripple. See “Bode Plots” for additional information. Return Paths During the on-portion of the cycle, the output capacitor and load currents return to the supply ground. During the off portion of the cycle, current is being supplied to the output capacitor and load by storage inductor L1, which means that D1 is part of the high-current return path. See Figure 4. Functional Description The MIC4680 is a variable duty cycle switch-mode regulator with an internal power switch. Supply Voltage The MIC4680 operates from a +4V to +34V unregulated input. Highest efficiency operation is from a supply voltage around +15V. See Figure 2. Enable/Shutdown The shutdown (SHDN) input is TTL compatible. Ground the input if unused. A logic-low enables the regulator. A logichigh shuts down the internal regulator which reduces the current to typically 1.5µA when VSHDN = VIN = 12V and 30µA when VSHDN = 5V. Feedback Fixed-voltage versions of the regulator have an internal resistive divider from the feedback (FB) pin. Connect FB directly to the output voltage. Adjustable versions require an external resistive voltage divider from the output voltage to ground, center tapped to the FB pin. See Table 1 for recommended resistor values. Duty Cycle Control A fixed-gain error amplifier compares the feedback signal with a 1.23V bandgap voltage reference. The resulting error amplifier output voltage is compared to a 200kHz sawtooth MIC4680BM IN SW 3 1N4148 82Ω SHDN D1 FB 2.2nF GND 5 6 7 8 Figure 3. Increasing Maximum Output Current at High Input Voltages 2 CIN Power SOP-8 MIC4680BM IN SW L1 3 VOUT 68µH COUT 1 SHDN FB R1 4 D1 GND R2 Load VIN +4V to +34V 5 6 7 8 GND Figure 4. Critical Traces for Layout MIC4680 Evaluation Board 2 August 2000 MIC4680 Evaluation Board Micrel Bode Plots The following bode plots show that the MIC4680 is stable over all conditions using a 68µF inductor (L) and a 220µF output capacitor (COUT). To assure stability, it is a good practice to maintain a phase margin of greater than 35°. No-Load Stability Phase Margin = 106° Full-Load Stability Phase Margin = 113° L = 68µF COUT = 220µF L = 68µF COUT = 220µF VIN = 7V VOUT = 5.0V IOUT = 0.0A VIN = 7V VOUT = 5.0V IOUT = 1.0A TIME (100ms/div.) TIME (100ms/div.) No-Load Stability Phase Margin = 117° Full-Load Stability Phase Margin = 69° L = 68µF COUT = 220µF L = 68µF COUT = 220µF VIN = 12V VOUT = 5.0V IOUT = 0.0A VIN = 12V VOUT = 5.0V IOUT = 1.0A TIME (100ms/div.) TIME (100ms/div.) Functional Characteristics Safe Operating Area 1.5 Minimum Current Limit 1.4 1.3 1.2 Normal Operation Note 1.1 OUTPUT CURRENT (A) VSW (SHORTED) 12V IN, 0V OUT VSW (NORMAL) 12V IN, 5V/1A OUT Switching Frequency Foldback 200kHz Short Circuit Operation 60kHz 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 VOUT = 5V TA = 60°C Demonstration board layout 0.3 TIME 0.2 Frequency Foldback 0.1 The MIC4680 folds the switching frequency back during a hard shortcircuit condition to reduce the energy per cycle and protect the device. August 2000 0 3 0 5 10 15 20 25 INPUT VOLTAGE (V) 30 35 MIC4680 Evaluation Board MIC4680 Evaluation Board Micrel Applications Information Adjustable Regulators Adjustable regulators require a 1.23V feedback signal. Recommended voltage-divider resistor values for common output voltages are included in Table 1. For other voltages, the resistor values can be determined using the following formulas: (1) R1 VOUT = VREF + 1 R2 (2) V R1 = R2 OUT − 1 VREF VIN MIC4680BM 2 IN SW 3 FB 4 R1 CIN SHUTDOWN ENABLE VOUT L1 1 SHDN GND COUT D1 R2 5–8 Figure 5. Adjustable Regulator Circuit VREF = 1.23V VOUT R1* R2* CIN D1 L1 COUT 1.8V 3.01k 6.49k 68µH 1.5A Coiltronics UP2-680 15µF 35V 2A 60V Schottky or 220µF 10V 3.3V 3.01k 1.78k AVX TPSE156035R0200 General Semiconductor SS26 Sumida CDRH125-680MC** AVX TPSE227010R0060 5.0V 3.01k 976Ω or Sumida CDRH124-680MC** 6.0V 3.01k 787Ω 2.5V 3.01k 2.94k * All resistors 1% ** shielded magnetics for low RFI applications Table 1. Recommended Components for Common Ouput Voltages Thermal Considerations The MIC4680 SuperSwitcher features the power-SOP-8. This package has a standard 8-lead small-outline package profile but with much higher power dissipation than a standard SOP-8. The MIC4680 SuperSwitcher is the first dc-to-dc converter to take full advantage of this package. The power SOP-8 has higher power dissipation (lower thermal resistance) because pins 5 though 8 and the die-attach paddle are a single piece of metal. The die is attached to the paddle with thermally conductive adhesive. This provides a low thermal resistance path from the junction of the die to the ground pins. This design significantly improves package power dissipation by allowing excellent heat transfer through the ground leads to the printed circuit board. One of the limitation to the maximum output current on any MIC4680 design is the junction-to-ambient thermal resistance (θJA) of the design (package and ground plane). Examining θJA in more detail: θJA = (θJC + θCA) where: θJC = junction-to-case thermal resistance θCA = case-to-ambient thermal resistance θJC is a relatively constant 20°C/W for a power SOP-8. θCA is dependent on layout and is primarily governed by the connection of pins 5 though 8 to the ground plane. The purpose of the ground plane is to function as a heat sink. θJA is ideally 63°C/W but will vary depending on the size of the ground plane to which the power SOP-8 is attached. SOP-8 θJA θJC θCA ground plane heat sink area AM BIE NT printed circuit board Figure 6. Power SOP-8 Cross Section MIC4680 Evaluation Board 4 August 2000 MIC4680 Evaluation Board Micrel Determining Ground-Plane Heat-Sink Area There are two methods of determining the minimum ground plane area required by the MIC4680. Quick Method Make sure that MIC4680 pins 5 though 8 are connected to a ground plane with a minimum area of 6cm2. This ground plane should be as close to the MIC4680 as possible. The area maybe distributed in any shape around the package or on any pcb layer as long as there is good thermal contact to pins 5 though 8. This ground plane area is more than sufficient for most designs. Minimum Copper/Maximum Current Method Using Figure 7, for a given input voltage range, determine the minimum ground-plane heat-sink area required for the application’s maximum output current. Figure 5 assumes a constant die temperature of 75°C above ambient. 1.5 OUTPUT CURRENT (I) 8V 1.0 PD(IC) = 0.8 PD PD(IC) = 0.8 × 1.05W PD(IC) = 0.84W Calculate the worst-case junction temperature: TJ = PD(IC) θJC + (TC – TA) + TA(max) where: TJ = MIC4680 junction temperature PD(IC) = MIC4680 power dissipation θJC = junction-to-case thermal resistance. The θJC for the MIC4680’s power-SOP-8 is approximately 20°C/W. (Also see Figure 1.) TC = “pin” temperature measurement taken at the entry point of pins 6 or 7 into the plastic package at the ambient temperature (TA) at which TC is measured. TA = ambient temperature at which TC is measured. TA(max) = maximum ambient operating temperature for the specific design. Calculating the maximum junction temperature given a maximum ambient temperature of 65°C: TJ = 0.84 × 20°C/W + (45°C – 25°C) + 65°C TJ = 101.8°C This value is less than the allowable maximum operating junction temperature of 125°C as listed in “Operating Ratings.” Typical thermal shutdown is 160°C. Increasing the Maximum Output Current The maximum output current at high input voltages can be increased for a given board layout. The additional three components shown in Figure 3 will reduce the overall loss in the MIC4680 by about 20% at high VIN and high IOUT. Even higher output current can be achieved by using the MIC4680 to switch an external FET. See data sheet. Layout Considerations Layout is very important when designing any switching regulator. Rapidly changing switching currents through the printed circuit board traces and stray inductance can generate voltage transients which can cause problems. To minimize stray inductance and ground loops, keep trace lengths, indicated by the heavy lines in Figure 7, as short as possible. For example, keep D1 close to pin 3 and pins 5 through 8, keep L1 away from sensitive node FB, and keep CIN close to pin 2 and pins 5 though 8. The feedback pin trace from the output back to the IC should be kept as far way from the switching elements (usually L1 and D1) as possible. A circuit with sample layouts are provided. See Figure 8b though 8e. 12V 24V 34V TA = 50°C 0.5 Minimum Current Limit = 1.3A 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 AREA (cm2) Figure 7. Output Current vs. Ground Plane Area When designing with the MIC4680, it is a good practice to connect pins 5 through 8 to the largest ground plane that is practical for the specific design. Checking the Maximum Junction Temperature: For this example, with an output power (POUT) of 5W, (5V output at 1A maximum with VIN = 12V) and 65°C maximum ambient temperature, determine the maximum junction temperature. Referring to the Figure 2, read the efficiency (η) for 1A output current at VIN = 12V or perform you own measurement. η = 79% The efficiency is used to determine how much of the output power (POUT) is dissipated in the regulator circuit (PD). PD = POUT (1 – η) PD = 5W (1 – 0.79) PD = 1.05W A worst-case rule of thumb is to assume that 80% of the total output power dissipation is in the MIC4680 (PD(IC)) and 20% is in the diode-inductor-capacitor circuit. August 2000 5 MIC4680 Evaluation Board MIC4680 Evaluation Board Micrel Printed Circuit Board Layouts Figure 8a. Top-Side Silk Screen Figure 8c. Bottom-Side Silkscreen Figure 8b. Top-Side Copper Figure 8d. Bottom-Side Copper MIC4680 Evaluation Board 6 August 2000 MIC4680 Evaluation Board Micrel Bill of Material Reference Part Number Manufacturer Description C1 TPSD156M035R0300 ECE-A1HFS470 AVX Panasonic 15µF 35V 47µF 50V, 8mm × 11.5mm 1 C2, C5 08055C104KAT1A AVX 0.1µF 50V 2 AVX or other optional 3300pF C3 Qty (1) C4 TPSD327M010R0150 AVX 220µF 10V 1 D1 SS26 General Semiconductor Schottky 1 J1–J4 2551-2-00-01-00-00-07-0 MillMax turret pins 4 JP1 929836-09036-ND straight dual-row male header 1 JP2(Note 1) 929950-00-ND female jumper header 1 R1 3.01k 1/10W 1%, size 0805 1 R2 6.49k 1/10W 1%, size 0805 1 R3 2.94k 1/10W 1%, size 0805 1 R4 1.78k 1/10W 1%, size 0805 1 R5 976Ω 1/10W 1%, size 0805 1 R6 optional, size 0805 S1 G12AP NKK Switches SPDT 1 L1 UP2-680 Coiltronics 68µH, 1.5A 1 U1 MIC4680BM Micrel Semiconductor 1A 200kHz power-SO-8 buck regulator 1 Note 1. Voltage selector. J1 VIN 4V to +34V C1 15µF 35V J3 GND 2 OFF ON C2 0.1µF 50V 1 U1 MIC4680BM IN SW SHDN S1 NKK G12AP FB GND SOP-8 5–8 J2 VOUT 1A L1 3 68µH R1 3.01k 4 D1 SS26 R6 optional 1 2 * C3 can be used to provide additional stability and improved transient response. R2 6.49k 3 JP1a 1.8V C3* optional R3 2.94k 5 JP1b 2.5V 4 6 R4 1.78k 7 JP1c 3.3V 8 C4 220µF 10V R5 976Ω JP1d 5.0V C5 0.1µF 50V J4 GND Figure 8e. Evalution Board Schematic August 2000 7 MIC4680 Evaluation Board MIC4680 Evaluation Board Micrel MICREL INC. 1849 FORTUNE DRIVE SAN JOSE, CA 95131 USA TEL + 1 (408) 944-0800 FAX + 1 (408) 944-0970 WEB http://www.micrel.com This information is believed to be accurate and reliable, however no responsibility is assumed by Micrel for its use nor for any infringement of patents or other rights of third parties resulting from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent or patent right of Micrel Inc. © 2000 Micrel Incorporated MIC4680 Evaluation Board 8 August 2000