LINER LTC3861 Dual, multiphase step-down voltage mode dc/dc controller with accurate current sharing Datasheet

LTC3861
Dual, Multiphase Step-Down
Voltage Mode DC/DC Controller
with Accurate Current Sharing
Description
Features
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Operates with Power Blocks, DrMOS or External
Gate Drivers and MOSFETs
Constant-Frequency Voltage Mode Control with
Accurate Current Sharing
±0.75% 0.6V Voltage Reference
Dual Differential Output Voltage Sense Amplifiers
Multiphase Capability—Up to 12-Phase Operation
Programmable Current Limit
Safely Powers a Prebiased Load
Programmable or PLL-Synchronizable Switching
Frequency Up to 2.25MHz
Lossless Current Sensing Using Inductor DCR or
Precision Current Sensing with Sense Resistor
VCC Range: 3V to 5.5V
VIN Range: 3V to 24V
Power Good Output Voltage Monitor
Output Voltage Tracking Capability
Programmable Soft-Start
Available in a 36-Pin 5mm × 6mm QFN Package
Applications
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High Current Distributed Power Systems
DSP, FPGA and ASIC Supplies
Datacom and Telecom Systems
Industrial Power Supplies
L, LT, LTC, LTM, PolyPhase, Linear Technology and the Linear logo are registered trademarks
of Linear Technology Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners. Protected by U.S. Patents, including 6144194, 5055767
Typical Application
28k
VOUT
10k
3.3nF
10k
10k
280Ω
4.7nF
VCC
FREQ
FB2
ILIM2
VINSNS
LTC3861
VSNSOUT1
VSNSP1
VSNSN1
VSNSOUT2
VSNSP2
VSNSN2
CONFIG
FB1
PWM1
RUN1,2
ILIM1
ISNS1P
ISNS1N
ISNS2N
ISNS2P
PWM2
IAVG
COMP1,2 SS1,2 SGND CLKIN
5.9k 100pF
0.1µF
The TRACK/SS pins provide programmable soft-start or
tracking functions. Inductor current reversal is disabled
during soft-start to safely power prebiased loads. The
constant operating frequency can be synchronized to an
external clock or linearly programmed from 250kHz to
2.25MHz. Up to six LTC3861 controllers can operate in
parallel for 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 6- or 12-phase operation.
The LTC3861 is available in a 36-pin 5mm × 6mm QFN package. LTC3861-1 is a 32-pin QFN version of the LTC3861,
which has a single differential remote output voltage sense
amplifier.
VIN , 7V TO 14V
VCC
1µF
The controller incorporates lossless inductor DCR current
sensing to maintain current balance between phases and to
provide overcurrent protection. The chip operates from a
VCC supply between 3V and 5.5V and is designed for stepdown conversion from VIN between 3V and 24V to output
voltages between 0.6V and VCC – 0.5V.
LTC4449
IN
GND
VLOGIC
TG
VCC
TS
BOOST
BG
VIN
VCC
The LTC®3861 is a dual PolyPhase® synchronous stepdown switching regulator controller for high current
distributed power systems, digital signal processors, and
other telecom and industrial DC/DC power supplies. It uses
a constant-frequency voltage mode architecture combined
with very low offset, high bandwidth error amplifiers and a
remote output sense differential amplifier per channel for
excellent transient response and output regulation.
59k
TG1
180µF
SW1
BG1
0.22µF
0.47µH
2.87k
0.22µF
0.22µF
VCC
100pF
330µF
×6
VIN
LTC4449
IN
GND
VLOGIC
TG
VCC
TS
BOOST
BG
100µF
×4
VOUT
1.2V
60A
2.87k
TG2
SW2
0.47µH
3861 TA01
BG2
0.22µF
3861fb
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1
LTC3861
PWM1
PWMEN1
PGOOD1
IAVG
CONFIG
TOP VIEW
VINSNS
VCC Voltage................................................... –0.3V to 6V
VINSNS Voltage.......................................... –0.3V to 30V
RUN1, RUN2 Voltage.........................–0.3V to VCC + 0.3V
ISNS1P , ISNS1N,
ISNS2P , ISNS2N............................ –0.3V to (VCC + 0.1V)
All Other Pins.................................–0.3V to (VCC + 0.3V)
Operating Junction Temperature Range
(Notes 2, 3)............................................. –40°C to 125°C
Storage Temperature Range................... –65°C to 150°C
Pin Configuration
TRACKK/SS1
(Note 1)
VCC
Absolute Maximum Ratings
36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29
FB1 1
28 RUN1
COMP1 2
27 ILIM1
VSNSP1 3
26 SGND
VSNSN1 4
25 ISNS1P
37
SGND
VSNSOUT1 5
24 ISNS1N
VSNSOUT2 6
23 ISNS2N
VSNSN2 7
22 ISNS2P
VSNSP2 8
21 SGND
COMP2 9
20 ILIM2
19 RUN2
FB2 10
PWM2
PWMEN2
PGOOD2
PHSMD
CLKIN
CLKOUT
FREQ
TRACK/SS2
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
UHE PACKAGE
36-LEAD (5mm × 6mm) PLASTIC QFN
TJMAX = 125°C, θJA = 43°C/W
EXPOSED PAD (PIN 37) IS SGND, MUST BE SOLDERED TO PCB
Order Information
LEAD FREE FINISH
TAPE AND REEL
PART MARKING*
PACKAGE DESCRIPTION
TEMPERATURE RANGE
LTC3861EUHE#PBF
LTC3861EUHE#TRPBF
3861
36-Lead (5mm × 6mm) Plastic QFN
–40°C to 125°C
LTC3861IUHE#PBF
LTC3861IUHE#TRPBF
3861
36-Lead (5mm × 6mm) Plastic QFN
–40°C to 125°C
Consult LTC Marketing for parts specified with wider operating temperature ranges. *The temperature grade is identified by a label on the shipping container.
Consult LTC Marketing for information on non-standard lead based finish parts.
For more information on lead free part marking, go to: http://www.linear.com/leadfree/
For more information on tape and reel specifications, go to: http://www.linear.com/tapeandreel/
2
3861fb
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LTC3861
Electrical Characteristics
The l denotes the specifications which apply over the specified operating
junction temperature range, otherwise specifications are at TJ = 25°C (Note 3). VCC = 5V, VRUN1,2 = 5V, VFREQ = VCLKIN = 0V,
VFB = 0.6V, fOSC = 0.6MHz, unless otherwise specified.
SYMBOL
PARAMETER
CONDITIONS
VCC = 5V
VIN
VIN Range
VCC
VCC Voltage Range
IQ
Input Voltage Supply Current
Normal Operation
Shutdown Mode
UVLO
RUN Input Threshold
VRUN Rising
VRUN Hysteresis
IRUN
RUN Input Pull-Up Current
VRUN1,2 = 2.4V
VUVLO
Undervoltage Lockout Threshold
VCC Rising
VCC Hysteresis
VSS = 0V
ISS
Soft-Start Pin Output Current
Internal Soft-Start Time
VFB
Regulated Feedback Voltage
–40°C to 85°C
–40°C to 125°C
TYP
MAX
UNITS
l
3
24
V
l
3
5.5
V
50
mA
µA
mA
VRUN1,2 = 5V
VRUN1,2 = 0V
VCC < VUVLO
VRUN
tSS(INTERNAL)
MIN
30
8
1.95
2.25
250
2.45
1.5
l
100
l
595.5
594
V
mV
µA
3.0
V
mV
2.5
µA
1.5
ms
600
600
604.5
606
mV
mV
0.05
0.2
%/V
∆VFB/∆VCC
Regulated Feedback Voltage Line Dependence 3.0V < VCC < 5.5V
ILIMIT
ILIM Pin Output Current
VILIM = 0.8V
19
20
22
µA
VFB(OV)
PGOOD/VFB Overvoltage Threshold
VFB Falling
VFB Rising
650
645
660
670
mV
mV
VFB(UV)
PGOOD/VFB Undervoltage Threshold
VFB Falling
VFB Rising
VPGOOD(ON)
PGOOD Pull-Down Resistance
IPGOOD(OFF)
PGOOD Leakage Current
VPGOOD = 5V
tPGOOD
PGOOD Delay
VPGOOD High to Low
IFB
FB Pin Input Current
VFB = 600mV
IOUT
COMP Pin Output Current
Sourcing
Sinking
AV(OL)
Open-Loop Voltage Gain
75
dB
SR
Slew Rate
45
V/µs
f0dB
COMP Unity-Gain Bandwidth
40
MHz
Power Good
530
540
555
550
mV
mV
15
60
Ω
2
µA
30
µs
Error Amplifier
–100
100
1
5
(Note 4)
nA
mA
mA
Differential Amplifier
VDA
VSNSP Accuracy
IDIFF +
Input Bias Current
Measured in a Servo Loop with EA in Loop
–40°C to 125°C
VSNSP = 600mV
l
592
600
–100
608
mV
100
nA
f0dB
DA Unity-Gain Crossover Frequency
(Note 4)
40
MHz
IOUT(SINK)
Maximum Sinking Current
DIFFOUT = 600mV
100
µA
IOUT(SOURCE)
Maximum Sourcing Current
DIFFOUT = 600mV
500
µA
VSNSOUT(MAX)
Maximum Output Voltage
3.3
V
50
mV
18.5
V/V
Current Sense Amplifier
VISENSE(MAX)
Maximum Differential Current Sense Voltage
(VISNSP-VISNSN)
AV(ISENSE)
Voltage Gain
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3
LTC3861
Electrical Characteristics
The l denotes the specifications which apply over the specified operating
junction temperature range, otherwise specifications are at TJ = 25°C (Note 3). VCC = 5V, VRUN1,2 = 5V, VFREQ = VCLKIN = 0V,
VFB = 0.6V, fOSC = 0.6MHz, unless otherwise specified.
SYMBOL
PARAMETER
CONDITIONS
MIN
VCM(ISENSE)
Input Common Mode Range
IISENSE
SENSE Pin Input Current
VCM = 1.5V
VOS
Current Sense Input Referred Offset
–40°C to 125°C
l
–1.25
VCLKIN = 0V
VFREQ = 0V
VFREQ = 5V
l
l
540
0.9
TYP
–0.3
MAX
UNITS
VCC – 0.5
V
100
nA
1.25
mV
660
1.15
kHz
MHz
Oscillator and Phase-Locked Loop
fOSC
Oscillator Frequency
VCLKIN = 5V
RFREQ < 24.9k
RFREQ = 36.5k
RFREQ = 48.7k
RFREQ = 64.9k
RFREQ = 88.7k
600
1
kHz
kHz
MHz
MHz
MHz
200
600
1
1.45
2.1
Maximum Frequency
Minimum Frequency
3
IFREQ
FREQ Pin Output Current
VFREQ = 0.8V
18.5
20
0.25
MHz
MHz
21.5
µA
tCLKIN(HI)
CLKIN Pulse Width High
VCLKIN = 0V to 5V
100
ns
tCLKIN(LO)
CLKIN Pulse Width Low
VCLKIN = 0V to 5V
100
ns
RCLKIN
CLKIN Pull-Up Resistance
13
kΩ
VCLKIN
CLKIN Input Threshold
VCLKIN Falling
VCLKIN Rising
1.2
2
V
V
VFREQ
FREQ Input Threshold
VCLKIN = 0V
VFREQ Falling
VFREQ Rising
1.5
2.5
V
V
VOL(CLKOUT)
CLKOUT Low Output Voltage
ILOAD = –500µA
0.2
V
VOH(CLKOUT)
CLKOUT High Output Voltage
ILOAD = 500µA
VCC – 0.2
θ2-θ1
Channel 1-to-Channel 2 Phase Relationship
VPHSMD = 0V
VPHSMD = Float
VPHSMD = VCC
180
180
120
Deg
Deg
Deg
θCLKOUT-θ1
CLKOUT-to-Channel 1 Phase Relationship
VPHSMD = 0V
VPHSMD = Float
VPHSMD = VCC
60
90
240
Deg
Deg
Deg
V
PWM/PWMEN Outputs
PWM
PWM Output High Voltage
ILOAD = 500µA
l
PWM Output Low Voltage
ILOAD = –500µA
l
4.5
V
PWM Output Current in Hi-Z State
PWM Maximum Duty Cycle
PWMEN
PWMEN Output High Voltage
V
±5
µA
91.5
ILOAD = 1mA
Note 1: Stresses beyond those listed under Absolute Maximum Ratings
may cause permanent damage to the device. Exposure to any Absolute
Maximum Rating condition for extended periods may affect device
reliability and lifetime.
Note 2: TJ is calculated from the ambient temperature TA and power
dissipation PD according to the following formula:
TJ = TA + (PD • 34°C/W)
Note 3: The LTC3861 is tested under pulsed load conditions such that
TJ ≈ TA. The LTC3861E is guaranteed to meet performance specifications
4
0.5
l
%
4.5
V
from 0°C to 85°C junction temperature. Specifications over the –40°C
to 125°C operating junction temperature range are assured by design,
characterization and correlation with statistical process controls. The
LTC3861I is guaranteed over the full –40°C to 125°C operating junction
temperature range. The maximum ambient temperature consistent with
these specifications is determined by specific operating conditions in
conjunction with board layout, the rated package thermal resistors and
other environmental factors.
Note 4: Guaranteed by design.
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LTC3861
Typical Performance Characteristics
Load Step Transient Response
(2-Phase Using D12S1R845A
Power Block)
Load Step Transient Response
(Single Phase Using LTC4449)
ILOAD
20A/DIV
Load Step Transient Response
(3-Phase Using FDMF6707B
DrMOS)
IL1
10A/DIV
ILOAD
20A/DIV
IL1
20A/DIV
IL
10A/DIV
IL2
10A/DIV
IL2
20A/DIV
VOUT
50mV/DIV
AC-COUPLED
IL3
10A/DIV
VOUT
50mV/DIV
AC-COUPLED
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1.2V
50µs/DIV
ILOAD STEP = 0A TO 18A
fSW = 300kHz
3861 G01
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1.2V
Load Step Transient Response
(4-Phase Using TDA21220
DrMOS)
100µs/DIV
ILOAD STEP = 0A TO 20A
fSW = 400kHz
3861 G02
VOUT
100mV/DIV
AC-COUPLED
3861 G03
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1V
Line Step Transient Response
(2-Phase Using LTC4449)
50µs/DIV
ILOAD STEP = 0A TO 30A
fSW = 500kHz EXTERNAL CLOCK
Efficiency vs Load Current
100
VOUT
100mV/DIV
AC-COUPLED
VIN
10V/DIV
95
IL1
10A/DIV
85
90
EFFICIENCY (%)
ILOAD
40A/DIV
IL2
10A/DIV
VOUT
50mV/DIV
AC-COUPLED
3861 G04
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1V
20µs/DIV
VIN = 7V TO 14V IN 20µs ILOAD = 20A
VOUT = 1.2V
fSW = 300kHz
0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
LOAD CURRENT (A)
3861 G07
50
0
10
40
30
20
50
LOAD CURRENT (A)
70
60
3861 G06
Regulated VFB vs Supply Voltage
600.75
600.50
600.25
600.00
599.75
599.50
–50 –25
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1.2V
2-PHASE, LTC4449
fSW = 300kHz
604
REGULATED VFB VOLTAGE (V)
REGULATED VFB VOLTAGE (V)
EFFICIENCY (%)
65
55
601.00
VIN = 12V, VOUT = 1V
4-PHASE TDA21220 DrMOS
fSW = 500kHz EXTERNAL CLOCK
70
Feedback Voltage VFB
vs Temperature
Efficiency vs Load Current
96
94
92
90
88
86
84
82
80
78
76
74
72
70
75
60
3861 G05
50µs/DIV
ILOAD STEP = 40A TO 80A
fSW = 500kHz EXTERNAL CLOCK
80
0
25
50
75
100 125 150
TEMPERATURE (°C)
3861 G08
602
600
598
596
3
4
5
SUPPLY VOLTAGE (V)
6
3861 G09
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5
LTC3861
Typical Performance Characteristics
Start-Up Transient Response
(4-Phase Using TDA21220
DrMOS)
Start-Up Response
(2-Phase Using LTC4449)
VRUN
5V/DIV
Soft-Start Start-Up Response
(2-Phase Using D12S1R845A
Power Block)
RUN
5V/DIV
IL1
10A/DIV
ILOAD
50A/DIV
IL2
10A/DIV
VOUT
1V/DIV
INTERNAL
SOFT-START
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1.2V
500µs/DIV
RLOAD = 70mΩ
fSW = 300kHz
VOUT
500mV/DIV
INTERNAL
SOFT-START
VOUT
200mV/DIV
3861 G12
3861 G11
3861 G10
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1V
Coincident Tracking (Single
Phase Using FDMF6707B DrMOS)
500µs/DIV
RLOAD = 0.016Ω
fSW = 500kHz EXTERNAL CLOCK
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1.2V
Start-Up Response Into a 300mV
Prebiased Output (Single Phase
Using FDMF6707B DrMOS)
Ratiometric Tracking (Single
Phase Using FDMF6707B DrMOS)
3.3V TRACKING
SIGNAL
3.3V TRACKING
SIGNAL
VOUT
500mV/DIV
5ms/DIV
0.1µF CAPACITOR ON TRACK/SS1
fSW = 400kHz
IL
10A/DIV
VOUT
500mV/DIV
PWM
2V/DIV
VOUT
500mV/DIV
3861 G13
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1.8V
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1.8V
Initial 7-Cycle Nonsynchronous
Start-Up (Single Phase Using
FDMF6707B DrMOS)
IL
10A/DIV
PWM
2V/DIV
2ms/DIV
fSW = 500kHz EXTERNAL CLOCK
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1.8V
200µs/DIV
fSW = 500kHz EXTERNAL CLOCK
128-Cycle Overcurrent Counter
(Single Phase Using FDMF6707B
DrMOS)
Start-Up Into a Short (Single
Phase Using FDMF6707B DrMOS)
PWM
2V/DIV
PWM
2V/DIV
TRACK/SS
200mV/DIV
VOUT
500mV/DIV
VOUT
500mV/DIV
TRACK/SS
500mV/DIV
VOUT
500mV/DIV
IL
20A/DIV
IL
20A/DIV
3861 G16
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1.8V
6
3861 G15
3861 G14
2ms/DIV
fSW = 500kHz EXTERNAL CLOCK
5µs/DIV
300mV PREBIASED OUTPUT
fSW = 500kHz EXTERNAL CLOCK
3861 G18
3861 G17
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1.8V
10ms/DIV
fSW = 500kHz EXTERNAL CLOCK
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1.8V
50µs/DIV
fSW = 500kHz EXTERNAL CLOCK
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LTC3861
Typical Performance Characteristics
Overcurrent Threshold
vs Temperature
Oscillator Frequency vs RFREQ
40
2.3
CURRENT SENSE VOLTAGE (mV)
1.9
1.7
1.5
1.3
1.1
0.9
0.7
0.5
0.3
0
40
20
80
60
RFREQ (kΩ)
100
30
25
20
595
OSCILLATOR FREQUENCY (kHz)
FREQ PIN CURRENT (µA)
20.4
19.8
19.6
19.4
100
TEMPERATURE (°C)
565
–50
20
50
100
TEMPERATURE (°C)
25 50 75 100 125 150
TEMPERATURE (°C)
3861 G25
3861 G21
980
970
960
950
940
–50
150
50
100
150
TEMPERATURE (°C)
3861 G24
Shutdown Quiescent Current
vs Supply Voltage
40
VIN = 6V
VCC = 5V
35
32
31
30
28
–50 –25
0
3861 G23
29
0
150
990
Shutdown Quiescent Current
vs Temperature
33
22
18
–50 –25
0
3861 G22
34
50
100
TEMPERATURE (°C)
1000
570
VIN = 6V
VCC = 5V
RUN1 = RUN2 = 5V
0
1MHz Preset Frequency
vs Temperature
575
150
24
19.6
3861 G20
580
SHUTDOWN CURRENT (µA)
QUIESCENT CURRENT (mA)
26
19.8
19.2
–50
150
585
Quiescent Current vs Temperature
28
100
590
19.2
50
20.0
600kHz Preset Frequency
vs Temperature
600
20.0
50
TEMPERATURE (°C)
20.6
0
0
3861 G19
20.2
20.2
19.4
10
FREQ Pin Current vs Temperature
19.0
–50
ILIM = 800mV
15
5
–50
120
ILIM Pin Current vs Temperature
20.4
35
OSCILLATOR FREQUENCY (kHz)
0.1
ILIM = 1.2V
SHUTDOWN CURRENT (µA)
OSCILLATOR FREQUENCY (MHz)
2.1
20.6
ILIM PIN CURRENT (µA)
2.5
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
25 50 75 100 125 150
TEMPERATURE (°C)
3861 G26
0
0
1
2
3
4
SUPPLY VOLTAGE (V)
5
6
3861 G27
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7
LTC3861
Typical Performance Characteristics
RUN Threshold vs Temperature
RUN Pull-Up Current vs Temperature
2.25
2.2
RISING
2.0
RUN PIN CURRENT (µA)
RUN PIN VOLTAGE (V)
2.20
2.15
2.10
2.05
2.00
FALLING
0
25
50
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.95
1.90
–50 –25
1.8
1.0
–50
75
100 125 150
TEMPERATURE (°C)
3861 G28
100
150
3861 G29
TRACK/SS Pull-Up Current
vs Temperature
0.5
3.0
0
2.9
TRACK/SS PIN CURRENT (µA)
TRACK/SS PIN CURRENT (µA)
50
TEMPERATURE (°C)
TRACK/SS Current
vs TRACK/SS Voltage
–0.5
–1.0
–1.5
–2.0
–2.5
–3.0
0
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.3
0
2
3
4
1
TRACK/SS PIN VOLTAGE (V)
5
2.2
–50
3861 G30
0
50
100
TEMPERATURE (°C)
150
3861 G31
Pin Functions
FB1 (Pin 1), FB2 (Pin 10): Error Amplifier Inverting Input.
Connect to VSNSOUT1, VNSOUT2 with a compensation
network for remote VOUT sensing. Connecting the FB to VCC
disables the differential and error amplifiers of the respective channel, and will three-state the amplifier outputs.
that amplifier. Multiphase operation can then be achieved
by connecting all of the COMP pins together and using
one channel as the master and all others as slaves. When
the RUN pin is low, the respective COMP pin is actively
pulled down to ground.
COMP1 (Pin 2), COMP2 (Pin 9): Error Amplifier Outputs.
PWM duty cycle increases with this control voltage. The
error amplifiers in the LTC3861 are true operational amplifiers with low output impedance. As a result, the outputs
of two active error amplifiers cannot be directly connected
together! For multiphase operation, connecting the FB pin
on an error amplifier to VCC will three-state the output of
VSNSP1 (Pin 3), VSNSP2 (Pin 8): Differential Sense
Amplifier Noninverting Input. Connect this pin to the midpoint of the feedback resistive divider between the positive
and negative output capacitor terminals.
8
VSNSN1 (Pin 4), VSNSN2 (Pin 7): Differential Sense Amplifier Inverting Input. Connect this pin to sense ground
at the output load.
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LTC3861
Pin Functions
VSNSOUT1 (Pin 5), VSNSOUT2 (Pin 6): Differential Amplifier Output. Connect to FB1, FB2 with a compensation
network for remote VOUT sensing.
FREQ (Pin 12): Frequency Set/Select Pin. This pin sources
20µA current. If CLKIN is high or floating, then a resistor
between this pin and SGND sets the switching frequency. If
CLKIN is low, the logic state of this pin selects an internal
600kHz or 1MHz preset frequency.
CLKIN (Pin 13): External Clock Synchronization Input.
Applying an external clock between 250kHz to 2.25MHz
will cause the switching frequency to synchronize to the
clock. CLKIN is pulled high to VCC by a 50k internal resistor. The rising edge of the CLKIN input waveform will align
with the rising edge of PWM1 in closed-loop operation. If
CLKIN is high or floating, a resistor from the FREQ pin to
SGND sets the switching frequency. If CLKIN is low, the
FREQ pin logic state selects an internal 600kHz or 1MHz
preset frequency.
CLKOUT (Pin 14): Digital Output Used for Daisychaining
Multiple LTC3861 ICs in Multiphase Systems. The PHSMD
pin voltage controls the relationship between CH1 and CH2
as well as between CH1 and CLKOUT. When both RUN pins
are driven low, the CLKOUT pin is actively pulled up to VCC.
PHSMD (Pin 15): Phase Mode Pin. The PHSMD pin voltage programs the phase relationship between CH1 and
CH2 rising PWM signals, as well as the phase relationship
between CH1 PWM signal and CLKOUT. Floating this pin
or connecting it to either VCC or SGND changes the phase
relationship between CH1, CH2 and CLKOUT.
SGND (Pins 21, 26, Exposed Pad Pin 37): Signal Ground.
Pins 21, 26, and 37 are electrically connected internally.
The exposed pad must be soldered to the PCB ground
for rated thermal performance. All soft-start, small-signal
and compensation components should return to SGND.
ISNS1N (Pin 24), ISNS2N (Pin 23): Current Sense Amplifier (–) Input. The (–) input to the current amplifier is
normally connected to the respective VOUT at the inductor.
ISNS1P (Pin 25), ISNS2P (Pin 22): Current Sense Amplifier (+) Input. The (+) input to the current sense amplifier
is normally connected to the midpoint of the inductor’s
parallel RC sense circuit or to the node between the inductor and sense resistor if using a discrete sense resistor.
ILIM1 (Pin 27), ILIM2 (Pin 20): Current Comparator Sense
Voltage Limit Selection Pin. Connect a resistor from this
pin to SGND. This pin sources 20µA. The resultant voltage
sets the threshold for overcurrent protection.
RUN1 (Pin 28), RUN2 (Pin 19): Run Control Inputs. A
voltage above 2.25V on either pin turns on the IC. However, forcing either of these pins below 2V causes the
IC to shut down that particular channel. There are 1.5µA
pull-up currents for these pins.
PWM1 (Pin 29), PWM2 (Pin 18): (Top) Gate Signal Output. This signal goes to the PWM or top gate input of the
external gate driver or integrated driver MOSFET. This is
a three-state compatible output.
PWMEN1 (Pin 30), PWMEN2 (Pin 17): Enable Pin for
Non-Three-State compatible drivers. This pin has an internal open-drain pull-up to VCC. An external resistor to
SGND is required. This pin is low when the corresponding
PWM pin is high impedance.
PGOOD1 (Pin 31), PGOOD2 (Pin 16): Power Good Indicator Output for Each Channel. Open-drain logic out that
is pulled to SGND when either channel output exceeds a
±10% regulation window, after the internal 30µs power
bad mask timer expires.
IAVG (Pin 32): Average Current Output Pin. A capacitor
tied to ground from this pin stores a voltage proportional
to the instantaneous average current of the master when
multiple outputs are paralleled together in a master-slave
configuration. Only the master phase contributes information to this average through an internal resistor when
in current sharing mode. The IAVG pin ignores channels
configured for independent operation, hence the pin
should be connected to SGND when the controller drives
independent outputs. For single output converters using
two or more ICs, tie all of the IAVG pins together. The total
capacitance on the IAVG bus should range from 47pF to
220pF, inclusive, with the typical value being 100pF.
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9
LTC3861
Pin Functions
VINSNS (Pin 34): VIN Sense Pin. Connects to the VIN
power supply to provide line feedforward compensation.
A change in VIN immediately modulates the input to the
PWM comparator and changes the pulse width in an inversely proportional manner, thus bypassing the feedback
loop and providing excellent transient line regulation. An
external lowpass filter can be added to this pin to prevent
noisy signals from affecting the loop gain.
CONFIG (Pin 33): Line Feedforward Configuration Pin.
This pin allows the user to configure the multiplier to
achieve accurate modulator gain over varying VIN and
switching frequencies. This pin can be connected to VCC
or SGND. An internal resistor will pull this pin to SGND
when it is floated.
TRACK/SS1 (Pin 35), TRACK/SS2 (Pin 11): Combined
Soft-Start and Tracking Inputs. For soft-start operation,
connecting a capacitor from this pin to ground will control
the voltage ramp at the output of the power supply. An
internal 2.5μA current source will charge the capacitor and
thereby control an extra input on the reference side of the
error amplifier. For tracking operation, this input allows the
start-up of a secondary output to track a primary output
according to a ratio established by a resistor divider from
the primary output to the secondary error amplifier track
pin. For coincident tracking of both outputs at start-up,
a resistor divider with values equal to those connected
to the secondary VSNSP pin from the secondary output
should be used to connect the secondary track input
from the primary output. This pin is internally clamped
to 1.2V, and is used to communicate over current events
in a master-slave configuration.
VCC (Pin 36): Chip Supply Voltage. Bypass this pin to GND
with a capacitor (0.1µF to 1µF ceramic) in close proximity
to the chip.
10
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LTC3861
Functional Diagram
5
3
4
6
8
7
2
35
1
VSNSOUT1
36
21
VCC
SGND
VCC
VSNSP1
26
19
RUN1
RUN2
31
1.5µA
100k
PGOOD2
PGOOD
1.5µA
VFB1
VCC
VSNSP2
VSNSN2
16
PGOOD1
VCC
VSNSOUT2
COMP1
28
100k
DA
VSNSN1
33
SGND CONFIG
VFB2
DA
BG/BIAS
REF
TRACK/SS1
+
FB1
–
+
SD/UVLO
OC1 OC2
+
EA1
OV1 OV2
PWMEN1
NOC1
11
10
9
REF
TRACK/SS2
+
FB2
–
+
LOGIC
VFB1
ILIM1
VFB2
ILIM2
COMP2
PWMEN2
MASTER/SLAVE/
INDEPENDENT
24
ISNS1P
ISNS1N
23
ISNS2P
ISNS2N
29
30
18
17
34
20µA
+
x18.5
–
OC1
VCC
NOC1
20µA
S
22
VINSNS
RAMP/SLOPE/
FEEDFORWARD
VCC
S
25
PWM2
NOC2
+
EA2
PWM1
+
VCC
x18.5
20µA
–
OC2
PLL/VCO
NOC2
IAVG
32
ILIM2
20
ILIM1
27
FREQ PHSMD CLKOUT CLKIN
12
15
14
13
3861 BD
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11
LTC3861
Operation (Refer to Functional Diagram)
Main Control Architecture
The LTC3861 is a dual-channel/dual-phase, constantfrequency, voltage mode controller for DC/DC step-down
applications. It is designed to be used in a synchronous
switching architecture with external integrated-driver MOSFETs or power blocks, or external drivers and N-channel
MOSFETs using single wire three-state PWM interfaces.
The controller allows the use of sense resistors or lossless
inductor DCR current sensing to maintain current balance
between phases and to provide overcurrent protection. The
operating frequency is selectable from 250kHz to 2.25MHz.
To multiply the effective switching frequency, multiphase
operation can be extended to 3, 4, 6, or 12 phases by paralleling up to six controllers. In single or 3-phase operation, the
2nd or 4th channel can be used as an independent output.
The output voltage is resistively divided externally to
create a feedback voltage for the controller. Connect
VSNSP of the unity-gain internal differential amplifier,
DA, to the center tap of the feedback divider across the
output load, and VSNSN to the load ground. The output
of the differential amplifier VSNSOUT produces a signal
equal to the differential voltage sensed across VSNSP
and VSNSN. This scheme overcomes any ground offsets
between local ground and remote output ground, resulting in a more accurate output voltage.
In the main voltage mode control loop, the error amplifier output (COMP) directly controls the converter duty
cycle in order to drive the FB pin to 0.6V in steady state.
Dynamic changes in output load current can perturb the
output voltage. When the output is below regulation,
COMP rises, increasing the duty cycle. If the output rises
above regulation, COMP will decrease, decreasing the
duty cycle. As the output approaches regulation, COMP
will settle to the steady-state value representing the stepdown conversion ratio.
In normal operation, the PWM latch is set high at the beginning of the clock cycle (assuming COMP > 0.5V). When
the (line feedforward compensated) PWM ramp exceeds
the COMP voltage, the comparator trips and resets the
PWM latch. If COMP is less than 0.5V at the beginning
of the clock cycle, as in the case of an overvoltage at the
outputs, the PWM pin remains low throughout the entire
cycle. When the PWM pin goes high it has a minimum
12
on-time of approximately 20ns and a minimum off-time
of approximately one-twelfth the switching period.
Current Sharing
In multiphase operation, the LTC3861 also incorporates an
auxiliary current sharing loop. Inductor current is sampled
each cycle. The master’s current sense amplifier output
is averaged at the IAVG pin. A small capacitor connected
from IAVG to GND (typically 100pF) stores a voltage corresponding to the instantaneous average current of the
master. Each phase integrates the difference between its
current and the master’s. Within each phase the integrator
output is proportionally summed with the system error
amplifier voltage (COMP), adjusting that phase’s duty
cycle to equalize the currents. When multiple ICs are
daisy chained the IAVG pins must be connected together.
When the phases are operated independently, the IAVG
pin should be tied to ground. Figure 1 shows a transient
load step with current sharing in a 3-phase system.
IL1 (L= 0.47µH)
10A/DIV
IL2 (L= 0.25µH)
10A/DIV
IL3 (L= 0.47µH)
10A/DIV
VOUT
100mV/DIV
AC-COUPLED
3861 F01
VIN = 12V
VOUT = 1V
50µs/DIV
ILOAD STEP = 0A TO 30A TO 0A
fSW = 500kHz EXTERNAL CLOCK
Figure 1. Mismatched Inductor Load Step Transient
Response (3-Phase Using FDMF6707B DrMOS)
Overcurrent Protection
The current sense amplifier outputs also connect to overcurrent (OC) comparators that provide fault protection in the
case of an output short. When an OC fault is detected for
128 consecutive clock cycles, the controller three-states
the PWM output, resets the soft-start capacitor, and waits
for 32768 clock cycles before attempting to start up again.
The 128 consecutive clock cycle counter has a 7-cycle
hysteresis window, after which it will reset. The LTC3861
also provides negative OC (NOC) protection by preventing
turn-on of the bottom MOSFET during a negative OC fault
condition. In this condition, the bottom MOSFET will be
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LTC3861
Operation (Refer to Functional Diagram)
turned on for 20ns every eight cycles to allow the driver IC
to recharge its topside gate drive capacitor. The negative
OC threshold is equal to –3/4 the positive OC threshold.
See the Applications Information section for guidelines
on setting these thresholds.
Excellent Transient Response
The LTC3861 error amplifiers are true operational amplifiers, meaning that they have high bandwidth, high DC gain,
low offset and low output impedance. Their bandwidth,
when combined with high switching frequencies and lowvalue inductors, allows the compensation network to be
optimized for very high control loop crossover frequencies
and excellent transient response. The 600mV internal reference allows regulated output voltages as low as 600mV
without external level-shifting amplifiers.
Line Feedforward Compensation
The LTC3861 achieves outstanding line transient response
using a feedforward correction scheme which instantaneously adjusts the duty cycle to compensate for changes
in input voltage, significantly reducing output overshoot
and undershoot. It has the added advantage of making
the DC loop gain independent of input voltage. Figure 2
shows how large transient steps at the input have little
effect on the output voltage.
VIN
10V/DIV
IL1
10A/DIV
IL2
10A/DIV
The noninverting input of the differential amplifier is connected to the midpoint of the feedback resistive divider
between the positive and negative output capacitor terminals. The VSNSOUT is connected to the FB pin and the
amplifier will attempt to regulate this voltage to 0.6V. The
amplifier is configured for unity gain, meaning that the
differential voltage between VSNSP and VSNSN is translated
to VSNSOUT, relative to SGND.
Shutdown Control Using the RUN Pins
The two channels of the LTC3861 can be independently
enabled using the RUN1 and RUN2 pins. When both pins
are driven low, all internal circuitry, including the internal
reference and oscillator, are completely shut down. When
the RUN pin is low, the respective COMP pin is actively
pulled down to ground. In a multiphase operation when
the COMP pins are tied together, the COMP pin is held
low until all the RUN pins are enabled. This ensures a
synchronized start-up of all the channels. A 1.5μA pull-up
current is provided for each RUN pin internally. The RUN
pins remain high impedance up to VCC.
Undervoltage Lockout
To prevent operation of the power supply below safe input voltage levels, both channels are disabled when VCC
is below the undervoltage lockout (UVLO) threshold
(2.9V falling, 3V rising). If a RUN pin is driven high,
the LTC3861 will start up the reference to detect when
VCC rises above the UVLO threshold, and enable the
appropriate channel.
Overvoltage Protection
VOUT
50mV/DIV
AC-COUPLED
38611 F02
20µs/DIV
VIN = 7V TO 14V IN 20µs ILOAD = 20A
VOUT = 1.2V
fSW = 300kHz
Figure 2
Remote Sense Differential Amplifier
The LTC3861 includes two low offset, unity gain, high
bandwidth differential amplifiers for differential output
sensing. Output voltage accuracy is significantly improved
by removing board interconnection losses from the total
error budget.
If the output voltage rises to more than 10% above the
set regulation value, which is reflected as a VFB voltage of
0.66V or above, the LTC3861 will force the PWM output
low to turn on the bottom MOSFET and discharge the
output. Normal operation resumes once the output is
back within the regulation window. However, if the reverse current flowing from VOUT back through the bottom
power MOSFET to PGND is greater than 3/4 the positive
OC threshold, the NOC comparator trips and shuts off the
bottom power MOSFET to protect it from being destroyed.
This scenario can happen when the LTC3861 tries to start
into a precharged load higher than the OV threshold. As
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3861fb
13
LTC3861
Operation (Refer to Functional Diagram)
a result, the bottom switch turns on until the amount of
reverse current trips the NOC comparator threshold.
Nonsynchronous Start-Up and Prebiased Output Load
The LTC3861 will start up with seven cycles of
nonsynchronous operation before switching over to a
forced continuous mode of operation. The PWM output will
be in a three-state condition until start-up. The controller
will start the seven nonsynchronous cycles if it is not in
an overcurrent or prebiased condition, and if the COMP
pin voltage is higher than 500mV, or if the TRACK/SS
pin voltage is higher than 580mV. During the seven
nonsynchronous cycles the PWM latch is set high at the
beginning of the clock cycle, if COMP > 0.5V, causing the
PWM output to transition from three-state to VCC. The
latch is reset when the PWM ramp exceeds the COMP
voltage, causing the PWM output to transition from VCC
to three-state followed immediately by a 20ns three-state
to ground pulse. The 7-cycle nonsynchronous mode of
operation is enabled at initial start-up and also during a
restart from a fault condition. In multiphase operation,
where all the TRACK/SS should be connected together,
an overcurrent event on one channel will discharge the
soft-start capacitor. After 32768 cycles, it will synchronize
the restart of all channels in to the nonsynchronous mode
of operation.
The LTC3861 can safely start-up into a prebiased output
without discharging the output capacitors. A prebias
is detected when the FB pin voltage is higher than the
TRACK/SS or the internal soft-start voltage. A prebiased
condition will force the COMP pin to be held low, and will
three-state the PWM output. The prebiased condition is
cleared when the TRACK/SS or the internal soft-start voltage
is higher than the FB pin voltage or 580mV, whichever is
lower. If the output prebias is higher than the OV threshold
then the PWM output will be low, which will pull the output
back in to the regulation window.
Internal Soft-Start
By default, the start-up of each channel’s output voltage
is normally controlled by an internal soft-start ramp. The
internal soft-start ramp represents a noninverting input
to the error amplifier. The FB pin is regulated to the lower
14
of the error amplifier’s three noninverting inputs (the
internal soft-start ramp for that channel, the TRACK/SS
pin or the internal 600mV reference). As the ramp voltage rises from 0V to 0.6V over approximately 2ms, the
output voltage rises smoothly from its prebiased value
to its final set value.
Soft-Start and Tracking Using TRACK/SS Pin
The user can connect an external capacitor greater than
10nF to the TRACK/SS pin for the relevant channel to
increase the soft-start ramp time beyond the internally
set default. The TRACK/SS pin represents a noninverting
input to the error amplifier and behaves identically to the
internal ramp described in the previous section. An internal
2.5µA current source charges the capacitor, creating a
voltage ramp on the TRACK/SS pin. The TRACK/SS pin is
internally clamped to 1.2V. As the TRACK/SS pin voltage
rises from 0V to 0.6V, the output voltage rises smoothly
from 0V to its final value in:
CSS µF • 0.6V
seconds
2.5µA
Alternatively, the TRACK/SS pin can be used to force the
start-up of VOUT to track the voltage of another supply.
Typically this requires connecting the TRACK/SS pin to
an external divider from the other supply to ground (see
the Applications Information section). It is only possible
to track another supply that is slower than the internal
soft-start ramp. The TRACK/SS pin also has an internal
open-drain NMOS pull-down transistor that turns on to
reset the TRACK/SS voltage when the channel is shut
down (RUN = 0V or VCC < UVLO threshold) or during an
OC fault condition.
In multiphase operation, one master error amplifier is used
to control all of the PWM comparators. The FB pins for
the unused error amplifiers are connected to VCC in order
to three-state these amplifier outputs and the COMP pins
are connected together. When the FB pin is tied to VCC,
the internal 2.5µA current source on the TRACK/SS pin
is disabled for that channel. The TRACK/SS pins should
also be connected together so that the slave phases can
detect when soft-start is complete and to synchronize the
nonsynchronous mode of operation.
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LTC3861
Operation (Refer to Functional Diagram)
Frequency Selection and the Phase-Locked Loop (PLL)
The selection of the switching frequency is a trade-off
between efficiency, transient response and component
size. High frequency operation reduces the size of the
inductor and output capacitor as well as increasing the
maximum practical control loop bandwidth. However,
efficiency is generally lower due to increased transition
and switching losses.
The LTC3861’s switching frequency can be set in three
ways: using an external resistor to linearly program the
frequency, synchronizing to an external clock, or simply
selecting one of two fixed frequencies (600kHz and 1MHz).
Table 1 highlights these modes.
Table 1. Frequency Selection
CLKIN PIN
FREQ PIN
FREQUENCY
Clocked
RFREQ to GND
250kHz to 2.25MHz
High or Float
RFREQ to GND
250kHz to 2.25MHz
Low
Low
600kHz
Low
High
1MHz
No external PLL filter is required to synchronize the
LTC3861 to an external clock. Applying an external clock
signal to the CLKIN pin will automatically enable the PLL
with internal filter.
Constant-frequency operation brings with it a number
of benefits: inductor and capacitor values can be chosen
for a precise operating frequency and the feedback loop
can be similarly tightly specified. Noise generated by the
circuit will always be at known frequencies.
Using the CLKOUT and PHSMD Pins in
Multiphase Applications
marized in Table 2. The phases are calculated relative to
zero degrees, defined as the rising edge of PWM1. Refer
to Applications Information for more details on how to
create multiphase applications.
Table 2. Phase Selection
PHSMD PIN
CH-1 to CH-2 PHASE
CH-1 to CLKOUT PHASE
Float
180°
90°
Low
180°
60°
High
120°
240°
Using the LTC3861 Error Amplifiers in
Multiphase Applications
Due to the low output impedance of the error amplifiers,
multiphase applications using the LTC3861 use one
error amplifier as the master with all of the slaves’
error amplifiers disabled. The channel 1 error amplifier
(phase = 0°) may be used as the master with phases 2
through n (up to 12) serving as slaves. To disable the
slave error amplifiers connect the FB pins of the slaves
to VCC. This three-states the output stages of the amplifiers. All COMP pins should then be connected together
to create PWM outputs for all phases. As noted in the
section on soft-start, all TRACK/SS pins should also be
shorted together. Refer to the Multiphase Operation section in Applications Information for schematics of various
multiphase configurations.
Theory and Benefits of Multiphase Operation
Multiphase operation provides several benefits over traditional single phase power supplies:
n
Greater output current capability
n
Improved transient response
n
Reduction in component size
n
Increased real world operating efficiency
The LTC3861 features CLKOUT and PHSMD pins that
allow multiple LTC3861 ICs to be daisy chained together
in multiphase applications. The clock output signal on the
CLKOUT pin can be used to synchronize additional ICs in
a 3-, 4-, 6- or 12-phase power supply solution feeding a
single high current output, or even several outputs from
the same input supply.
Because multiphase operation parallels power stages,
the amount of output current available is n times what it
would be with a single comparable output stage, where n
is equal to the number of phases.
The PHSMD pin is used to adjust the phase relationship
between channel 1 and channel 2, as well as the phase
relationship between channel 1 and CLKOUT, as sum-
The main advantages of PolyPhase operation are ripple
current cancellation in the input and output capacitors, a
faster load step response due to a smaller clock delay and
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15
LTC3861
Operation
(Refer to Functional Diagram)
reduced thermal stress on the inductors and MOSFETs
due to current sharing between phases. These advantages
allow for the use of a smaller size or a smaller number
of components.
Power Good Indicator Pins (PGOOD1, PGOOD2)
Each PGOOD pin is connected to the open drain of an internal
pull-down device which pulls the PGOOD pin low when
the corresponding FB pin voltage is outside the PGOOD
regulation window (±7.5% entering regulation, ±10%
leaving regulation). The PGOOD pins are also pulled low
when the corresponding RUN pin is low, or during UVLO.
When the FB pin voltage is within the ±10% regulation
window, the internal PGOOD MOSFET is turned off and the
pin is normally pulled up by an external resistor. When the
FB pin is exiting a fault condition (such as during normal
output voltage start-up, prior to regulation), the PGOOD
pin will remain low for an additional 30μs. This allows
the output voltage to reach steady-state regulation and
prevents the enabling of a heavy load from retriggering
a UVLO condition.
In multiphase applications, one FB pin and error amplifier
are used to control all of the phases. Since the FB pins
for the unused error amplifiers are connected to VCC (in
order to three-state these amplifiers), the PGOOD outputs
for these amplifiers will be asserted. In order to prevent
falsely reporting a fault condition, the PGOOD outputs
for the unused error amplifiers should be left open. Only
the PGOOD output for the master control error amplifier
should be connected to the fault monitor.
PWM and PWMEN Pins
The PWM pins are three-state compatible outputs, designed to drive MOSFET drivers, DrMOSs, power blocks,
etc., which do not represent a heavy capacitive load. An
external resistor divider may be used to set the voltage to
mid-rail while in the high impedance state.
16
The PWMEN outputs have an open-drain pull-up to VCC and
require an appropriate external pull-down resistor. This pin
is intended to drive the enable pins of the MOSFET drivers that do not have three-state compatible PWM inputs.
PWMEN is low only when PWM is high impedance, and
high at any other PWM state.
Line Feedforward Gain
In a typical LTC3861 circuit, the feedback loop consists
of the line feedforward circuit, the modulator, the external
inductor, the output capacitor and the feedback amplifier
with its compensation network. All these components
affect loop behavior and need to be accounted for in the
loop compensation. The modulator consists of the PWM
generator, the external output MOSFET drivers and the
external MOSFETs themselves. The modulator gain varies
linearly with the input voltage. The line feedforward circuit
compensates for this change in gain, and provides a constant gain from the error amplifier output to the inductor
input regardless of input voltage. From a feedback loop
point of view, the combination of the line feedforward
circuit and the modulator looks like a linear voltage transfer
function from COMP to the inductor input and has a gain
roughly equal to 12V/V.
The LTC3861 has a wide VIN and switching frequency range.
The CONFIG pin is used to select the optimum range of
operation for the internal multiplier, in order to maintain
a constant line feedforward gain across a wide VIN and
switching frequency range. The CONFIG is a three-state pin
and can be connected to SGND, VCC, or floated. Floating
the pin externally is a valid selection as there are internal
steering resistors. The selection range based on VIN and
switching frequency is summarized in Table 3.
Table 3. Line Feedforward Range Selection
CONFIG PIN
VIN
GND (or) FLOAT
< 14V
VCC
> 14V
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LTC3861
Applications Information
Output Voltage Programming and Differential Output
Sensing
and thus, is a differential quantity. The minimum differential
output voltage is limited to the internal reference, 0.6V,
and the maximum differential output voltage is VCC – 0.5V.
The LTC3861 integrates differential output sensing with
output voltage programming, allowing for a simple and
seamless design. As shown in Figure 3, the output voltage
is programmed by an external resistor divider from the
regulated output point to its ground reference. The resistive divider is tapped by the VSNSP pin, and the ground
reference is sensed by VSNSN. An optional feedforward
capacitor, CFF, can be used to improve the transient
performance. The resulting output voltage is given according to the following equation:
The VSNSP pin is high impedance with no input bias
current. The VSNSN pin has about 7.5μA of current flowing
out of the pin. Differential output sensing allows for more
accurate output regulation in high power distributed
systems having large line losses. Figure 4 illustrates the
potential variations in the power and ground lines due
to parasitic elements. These variations are exacerbated
in multiapplication systems with shared ground planes.
Without differential output sensing, these variations
directly reflect as an error in the regulated output voltage.
⎛ R ⎞
VOUT = 0.6 V • ⎜ 1 + FB2 ⎟
⎝
RFB1 ⎠
The LTC3861’s differential output sensing scheme is
distinct from conventional schemes. In conventional
schemes, the regulated output and its ground reference are
directly sensed with a difference amplifier whose output
is then divided down with an external resistive divider
and fed into the error amplifier input. This conventional
scheme is limited by the common mode input range of
the difference amplifier and typically limits differential
sensing to the lower range of output voltages.
More precisely, the VOUT value programmed in the previous
equation is with respect to the output’s ground reference,
VOUT
LTC3861
CFF
(OPT)
RFB2
The LTC3861 allows for seamless differential output
sensing by sensing the resistively divided feedback voltage
differentially. This allows for differential sensing in the
full output range from 0.6V to VCC – 0.5V. The difference
amplifier of the LTC3861 has a gain bandwidth of 40MHz,
COUT
VSNSP
RFB1
VSNSN
3861 F03
Figure 3. Setting Output Voltage
CIN
MT
LTC3861
VSNSP
RFB2
VSNSN
RFB1
+
–
VIN
POWER TRACE
PARASITICS
L
±VDROP(PWR)
MB
COUT1
ILOAD
COUT2 I
LOAD
GROUND TRACE
PARASITICS
±VDROP(GND)
OTHER CURRENTS FLOWING IN
SHARED GROUNDPLANE
3861 F04
Figure 4: Differential Output Sensing Used to Correct Line Loss Variations
in a High Power Distributed System with a Shared Ground Plane
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17
LTC3861
Applications Information
high enough not to affect main loop compensation and
transient behavior. To avoid noise coupling into VSNSP,
the resistor divider should be placed near the VSNSP
and VSNSN pins and physically close to the LTC3861.
The remote output and ground traces should be routed
parallel to each other as a differential pair to the remote
output. These traces should be terminated as close as
physically possible to the remote output point that is to be
accurately regulated through remote differential sensing.
In addition, avoid routing these sensitive traces near any
high speed switching nodes in the circuit. Ideally, they
should be shielded by a low impedance ground plane to
maintain signal integrity.
Programming the Operating Frequency
The LTC3861 can be hard wired to one of two fixed frequencies, linearly programmed to any frequency between
250kHz and 2.25MHz or synchronized to an external clock.
Table 1 in the Operation section shows how to connect the
CLKIN and FREQ pins to choose the mode of frequency
programming. The frequency of operation is given by the
following equation:
Frequency = (RFREQ – 17kΩ) • 29Hz/Ω
Figure 5 shows operating frequency vs RFREQ.
2.5
OSCILLATOR FREQUENCY (MHz)
2.3
2.1
The LTC3861 incorporates an internal phase-locked loop
(PLL) which enables synchronization of the internal oscillator (rising edge of PWM1) to an external clock from
250kHz to 2.25MHz.
Since the entire PLL is internal to the LTC3861, simply
applying a CMOS level clock signal to the CLKIN pin will
enable frequency synchronization. A resistor from FREQ
to GND is still required to set the free running frequency
close to the sync input frequency.
For cases where the LTC3861s are daisy chained, make
sure the clock is applied a minimum of 1ms after the RUN
pin is enabled.
Choosing the Inductor and Setting the Current Limit
The inductor value is related to the switching frequency,
which is chosen based on the trade-offs discussed in the
Operation section. The inductor can be sized using the
following equation:
⎛V
⎞
L = ⎜ OUT ⎟
⎝ f • ΔIL ⎠
⎛ V ⎞
• ⎜1− OUT ⎟
VIN ⎠
⎝
Choosing a larger value of ΔIL leads to smaller L, but results in greater core loss (and higher output voltage ripple
for a given output capacitance and/or ESR). A reasonable
starting point for setting the ripple current is 30% of the
maximum output current, or:
ΔIL = 0.3 • IOUT
1.9
1.7
The inductor saturation current rating needs to be higher
than the peak inductor current during transient conditions. If IOUT is the maximum rated load current, then
the maximum transient current, IMAX, would normally be
chosen to be some factor (e.g., 60%) greater than IOUT:
1.5
1.3
1.1
0.9
0.7
0.5
0.3
0.1
Frequency Synchronization
IMAX = 1.6 • IOUT
0
20
40
80
60
RFREQ (kΩ)
100
120
3861 F05
Figure 5. Oscillator Frequency vs RFREQ
The minimum saturation current rating should be set to
allow margin due to manufacturing and temperature variation in the sense resistor or inductor DCR. A reasonable
value would be:
ISAT = 2.2 • IOUT
18
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LTC3861
Applications Information
The programmed current limit must be low enough to
ensure that the inductor never saturates and high enough
to allow increased current during transient conditions, to
account for inductor ripple current and to allow margin
for DCR variation.
For example:
ILIMIT = 1.6 •IOUT +
where
∆IL =
∆IL
2
Once the value of L is known, the type of inductor must be
selected. High efficiency converters generally cannot afford
the core losses found in low cost powdered iron cores,
forcing the use of more expensive ferrite or molypermalloy
cores. Also, core losses decrease as inductance increases.
Unfortunately, increased inductance requires more turns
of wire, larger inductance and larger copper losses.
Ferrite designs have very low core loss and are preferred at
high switching frequencies. However, these core materials
exhibit “hard” saturation, causing an abrupt reduction in the
inductance when the peak current capability is exceeded.
Do not allow the core to saturate!
VOUT
 V 
L • fSW •  1– OUT 
VIN 

provided that ILIMIT < ISAT.
If the sensed inductor current exceeds current limit for
128 consecutive clock cycles, the IC will three-state the
PWM outputs, reset the soft-start timer and wait 32768
switching cycles before attempting to return the output
to regulation.
The current limit is programmed using a resistor from the
ILIM pin to SGND. The ILIM pin sources 20µA to generate
a voltage corresponding to the current limit. The current
sense circuit has a voltage gain of 18.5 and a zero current
level of 500mV. Therefore, the current limit resistor should
be set using the following equation:
RILIM =
Inductor Core Selection
18.5 •ILIMIT–PHASE • RSENSE + 0.5V
20µA
In multiphase applications only one current limit resistor
should be used per LTC3861. The ILIM2 pin should be tied
to VCC. Internal logic will then cause channel 2 to use the
same current limit levels as channel 1. If an LTC3861 has
a slave and an independent, then both ILIM pins must be
independently set to the right voltage.
CIN Selection
The input bypass capacitor in an LTC3861 circuit is common to both channels. The input bypass capacitor needs
to meet these conditions: its ESR must be low enough to
keep the supply drop low as the top MOSFETs turn on, its
RMS current capability must be adequate to withstand the
ripple current at the input, and the capacitance must be
large enough to maintain the input voltage until the input
supply can make up the difference. Generally, a capacitor
(particularly a non-ceramic type) that meets the first two
parameters will have far more capacitance than is required
to keep capacitance-based droop under control.
The input capacitor’s voltage rating should be at least 1.4
times the maximum input voltage. Power loss due to ESR
occurs not only as I2R dissipation in the capacitor itself,
but also in overall battery efficiency. For mobile applications, the input capacitors should store adequate charge
to keep the peak battery current within the manufacturer’s
specifications.
The input capacitor RMS current requirement is simplified by the multiphase architecture and its impact on the
worst-case RMS current drawn through the input network
(battery/fuse/capacitor). It can be shown that the worstcase RMS current occurs when only one controller is
operating. The controller with the highest (VOUT)(IOUT)
product needs to be used to determine the maximum
RMS current requirement. Increasing the output current
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19
LTC3861
Applications Information
drawn from the other out-of-phase controller will actually
decrease the input RMS ripple current from this maximum
value. The out-of-phase technique typically reduces the
input capacitor’s RMS ripple current by a factor of 30%
to 70% when compared to a single phase power supply
solution.
In continuous mode, the source current of the top N‑channel
MOSFET is approximately a square wave of duty cycle VOUT/
VIN. The maximum RMS capacitor current is given by:
IRMS ≈ IOUT(MAX )
VOUT ( VIN – VOUT )
The selection of COUT is primarily determined by the ESR
required to minimize voltage ripple and load step transients.
The output ripple ∆VOUT is approximately bounded by:
⎛
⎞
1
ΔVOUT ≤ ΔIL ⎜ ESR +
8 • fSW • COUT ⎟⎠
⎝
where ∆IL is the inductor ripple current.
∆IL may be calculated using the equation:
VIN
This formula has a maximum at VIN = 2VOUT, where
IRMS = IOUT/2. This simple worst-case condition is commonly used for design because even significant deviations
do not offer much relief. The total RMS current is lower
when both controllers are operating due to the interleaving of current pulses through the input capacitors. This
is why the input capacitance requirement calculated
above for the worst-case controller is adequate for the
dual controller design.
Note that capacitor manufacturer’s ripple current ratings
are often based on only 2000 hours of life. This makes
it advisable to further derate the capacitor or to choose
a capacitor rated at a higher temperature than required.
Several capacitors may also be paralleled to meet size or
height requirements in the design. Always consult the
manufacturer if there is any question.
Ceramic, tantalum, OS-CON and switcher-rated electrolytic
capacitors can be used as input capacitors, but each has
drawbacks: ceramics have high voltage coefficients of
capacitance and may have audible piezoelectric effects;
tantalums need to be surge-rated; OS-CONs suffer from
higher inductance, larger case size and limited surface
mount applicability; and electrolytics’ higher ESR and
dryout possibility require several to be used. Sanyo
OS‑CON SVP, SVPD series; Sanyo POSCAP TQC series
or aluminum electrolytic capacitors from Panasonic WA
series or Cornell Dubilier SPV series, in parallel with a
couple of high performance ceramic capacitors, can be
used as an effective means of achieving low ESR and high
bulk capacitance.
20
COUT Selection
ΔIL =
VOUT ⎛ VOUT ⎞
1–
L • fSW ⎜⎝
VIN ⎟⎠
Since ∆IL increases with input voltage, the output ripple
voltage is highest at maximum input voltage. Typically,
once the ESR requirement is satisfied, the capacitance is
adequate for filtering and has the necessary RMS current
rating.
Manufacturers such as Sanyo, Panasonic and Cornell Dubilier should be considered for high performance throughhole capacitors. The OS-CON semiconductor electrolyte
capacitor available from Sanyo has a good (ESR)(size)
product. An additional ceramic capacitor in parallel with
OS-CON capacitors is recommended to offset the effect
of lead inductance.
In surface mount applications, multiple capacitors may
have to be paralleled to meet the ESR or transient current
handling requirements of the application. Aluminum electrolytic and dry tantalum capacitors are both available in
surface mount configurations. New special polymer surface
mount capacitors offer very low ESR also but have much
lower capacitive density per unit volume. In the case of
tantalum, it is critical that the capacitors are surge tested
for use in switching power supplies. Several excellent
output capacitor choices include the Sanyo POSCAP TPD,
TPE, TPF series, the Kemet T520, T530 and A700 series,
NEC/Tokin NeoCapacitors and Panasonic SP series. Other
capacitor types include Nichicon PL series and Sprague
595D series. Consult the manufacturer for other specific
recommendations.
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LTC3861
Applications Information
Current Sensing
To maximize efficiency the LTC3861 is designed to sense
current through the inductor’s DCR, as shown in Figure 6.
The DCR of the inductor represents the small amount of
DC winding resistance of the copper, which for most inductors applicable to this application, is between 0.3mΩ
and 1mΩ. If the filter RC time constant is chosen to be
exactly equal to the L/DCR time constant of the inductor,
the voltage drop across the external capacitor is equal
to the voltage drop across the inductor DCR. Check the
manufacturer’s data sheet for specifications regarding the
inductor DCR in order to properly dimension the external
filter components. The DCR of the inductor can also be
measured using a good RLC meter.
VIN
12V
VINSNS
5V
LTC3861
VCC
VLOGIC BOOST
TG
VCC
LTC4449
IN
TS
PWM
GND ISNSN ISNSP
GND
CF
SENSE RESISTOR
PLUS PARASITIC
INDUCTANCE
L
RS
BG
ESL
VOUT
CF • 2RF ≤ ESL/RS
POLE-ZERO
CANCELLATION
RF
RF
3861 F06a
FILTER COMPONENTS PLACED NEAR SENSE PINS
(6a) Using a Resistor to Sense Current
VIN
12V
VINSNS
5V
LTC3861
VCC
PWM
GND ISNSN ISNSP
VLOGIC BOOST
TG
VCC
LTC4449
TS
IN
GND
INDUCTOR
L
DCR
VOUT
BG
R1*
C1*
3861 F06b
R1 • C1 = L
*PLACE R1 NEAR INDUCTOR
DCR PLACE C1 NEAR ISNSP, ISNSN PINS
(6b) Using the Inductor to Sense Current
Figure 6. Two Different Methods of Sensing Current
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21
LTC3861
Applications Information
Since the temperature coefficient of the inductor’s DCR is
3900ppm/°C, first order compensation of the filter time
constant is possible by using filter resistors with an equal
but opposite (negative) TC, assuming a low TC capacitor is
used. That is, as the inductor’s DCR rises with increasing
temperature, the L/DCR time constant drops. Since we
want the filter RC time constant to match the L/DCR time
constant, we also want the filter RC time constant to drop
with increasing temperature. Typically, the inductance will
also have a small negative TC.
The ISNSP and ISNSN pins are the inputs to the current
comparators. The common mode range of the current
comparators is –0.3V to VCC – 0.5V. Continuous linear
operation is provided throughout this range, allowing
output voltages between 0.6V (the reference input to the
error amplifiers) and VCC – 0.5V. The maximum output
voltage is lower than VCC to account for output ripple and
output overshoot. The maximum differential current sense
input (VISNSP – VISNSN) is 50mV.
(Figure 6b), sense resistor R1 should be placed close to
the switching node, to prevent noise from coupling into
sensitive small-signal nodes. The capacitor C1 should be
placed close to the IC pins.
Multiphase Operation
When the LTC3861 is used in a single output, multiphase
application, the slave error amplifiers must be disabled
by connecting their FB pins to VCC. All current limits
should be set to the same value using only one resistor
to SGND per IC. ILIM2 should then be connected to VCC.
These connections are shown in Table 4. In a multiphase
application all COMP, RUN and TRACK/SS pins must be
connected together. For single output converters using
two or more ICs, tie all of the IAVG pins together. The
total capacitance on the IAVG bus should range from 47pF
to 220pF, inclusive, with the typical value being 100pF.
Table 4. Multiphase Configurations
The high impedance inputs to the current comparators
allow accurate DCR sensing. However, care must be taken
not to float these pins during normal operation.
CH1
CH2
FB1
FB2
ILIM1
ILIM2
Master
Slave
On
Off
(FB = VCC)
Resistor
to GND
VCC
Slave
Slave
Resistor
to GND
VCC
Filter components mutual to the sense lines should be
placed close to the LTC3861, and the sense lines should
run close together to a Kelvin connection underneath the
current sense element (shown in Figure 7). Sensing current elsewhere can effectively add parasitic inductance
and capacitance to the current sense element, degrading
the information at the sense terminals and making the
programmed current limit unpredictable. If low value
(<5mΩ) sense resistors are used, verify that the signal
across CF resembles the current through the inductor,
and reduce RF to eliminate any large step associated with
the turn-on of the primary switch. If DCR sensing is used
Off
Off
(FB = VCC) (FB = VCC)
Slave
Resistor
to GND
Resistor
to GND
TO SENSE FILTER,
NEXT TO THE CONTROLLER
COUT
INDUCTOR OR RSENSE
3861 F07
Additional
Off
Output (FB = VCC)
On
For output loads that demand high current, multiple
LTC3861s can be daisy chained to run out of phase to
provide more output current without increasing input and
output voltage ripple. The CLKIN pin allows the LTC3861
to synchronize to the CLKOUT signal of another LTC3861.
The CLKOUT signal can be connected to the CLKIN pin of
the following LTC3861 stage to line up both the frequency
and the phase of the entire system. Tying the PHSMD pin to
VCC, SGND or floating it generates a phase difference
(between CLKIN and CLKOUT) of 240°, 60° or 90° respectively, and a phase difference (between CH1 and CH2) of
120°, 180° or 180°. Figure 8 shows the PHSMD connections
necessary for 3-, 4-, 6- or 12-phase operation. A total of
twelve phases can be daisy chained to run simultaneously
out of phase with respect to each other.
Figure 7. Sense Lines Placement with Inductor or Sense Resistor
22
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LTC3861
Applications Information
VCC
FB1
0, 120
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
+240
VCC
VCC
240, 60
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD TRACK/SS2
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1
0, 180
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
FB1
FB2
+90
VCC
90, 270
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
3961 F08b
3961 F08a
Figure 8a. 3-Phase Operation
VCC
FB1
Figure 8b. 4-Phase Operation
0, 180
+60
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
VCC
60, 240
+60
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
VCC
120, 300
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
3961 F08c
Figure 8c. 6-Phase Operation
FB1
VCC
0, 180
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
VCC
210, 30
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
+60
+60
VCC
60, 240
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
VCC
270, 90
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
+60
+60
VCC
120, 300
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
VCC
+90
330, 150
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
FB1
FB2 LTC3861
ILIM2
COMP1
ILIM1
COMP2
IAVG TRACK/SS1,2
3861 F08d
Figure 8d. 12-Phase Operation
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3861fb
23
LTC3861
Applications Information
A multiphase power supply significantly reduces the
amount of ripple current in both the input and output capacitors. The RMS input ripple current is divided by, and
the effective ripple frequency is multiplied by, the number
of phases used (assuming that the input voltage is greater
than the number of phases used times the output voltage). The output ripple amplitude is also reduced by the
number of phases used. Figure 9 graphically illustrates
the principle.
The worst-case RMS ripple current for a single stage design peaks at an input voltage of twice the output voltage.
The worst case RMS ripple current for a two stage design
results in peak outputs of 1/4 and 3/4 of input voltage.
When the RMS current is calculated, higher effective duty
factor results and the peak current levels are divided as
long as the current in each stage is balanced. Refer to
Application Note 19 for a detailed description of how
to calculate RMS current for the single stage switching
regulator. Figures 10 and 11 illustrate how the input and
output currents are reduced by using an additional phase.
For a 2-phase converter, the input current peaks drop in
half and the frequency is doubled. The input capacitor
requirement is thus reduced theoretically by a factor of
four! Just imagine the possibility of capacitor savings with
even higher number of phases!
SINGLE PHASE
SW1 V
DUAL PHASE
SW1 V
SW2 V
ICIN
IL1
ICOUT
IL2
ICIN
ICOUT
3861 F09
RIPPLE
Figure 9. Single and 2-Phase Current Waveforms
1.0
0.6
0.8
1 PHASE
0.7
DIC(P-P)
VO/L
RMS INPUT RIPPLE CURRENT
DC LOAD CURRENT
0.9
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
2 PHASE
0.1
0
0.1 0.2
0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
DUTY FACTOR (VOUT/VIN)
0.8
0.9
1 PHASE
0.4
0.3
0.2
2 PHASE
0.1
0
0.1 0.2
3861 F10
Figure 10. Normalized Output Ripple Current
vs Duty Factor [IRMS″ 0.3 (DIC(PP))]
24
0.5
0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
DUTY FACTOR (VOUT/VIN)
0.8
0.9
3861 F11
Figure 11. Normalized RMS Input Ripple Current
vs Duty Factor for 1 and 2 Output Stages
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LTC3861
Applications Information
Output Current Sharing
When multiple LTC3861s are daisy chained to drive a common load, accurate output current sharing is essential to
achieve optimal performance and efficiency. Otherwise,
if one stage is delivering more current than another, then
the temperature between the two stages will be different,
and that could translate into higher switch RDS(ON), lower
efficiency, and higher RMS ripple. When the COMP and
IAVG pins of multiple LTC3861s are tied together, the
amount of output current delivered from each LTC3861
is actively balanced by the IAVG loop. The SGND pins of
the multiple LTC3861s must be kelvined to the same point
for optimal current sharing.
Dual-Channel Operation
The LTC3861 can control two independent power supply
outputs with no channel-to-channel interaction or jitter.
The following recommendations will ensure maximum
performance in this mode of operation:
n
n
The output of each channel should be sensed using
the differential sense amplifier. The SGND pins and
exposed pad and all local small-signal GND should
then be a Kelvin connection to the negative terminal of
each channel output. This will provide the best possible
regulation of each channel without adversely affecting
the other channel.
Table 5 shows the ILIM and EA configuration for dualchannel operation.
Table 5. Dual-Channel Configuration
CH1
CH2
Independent Independent
EA1
EA2
ILIM1
ILIM2
On
On
Resistor
to GND
Resistor
to GND
Tracking and Soft-Start (TRACK/SS Pins)
The start-up of the supply output is controlled by the voltage on the TRACK/SS pin for that channel. The LTC3861
regulates the FB pin voltage to the lower of the voltage
on the TRACK/SS pin and the internal 600mV reference.
The TRACK/SS pin can therefore be used to program an
external soft-start function or allow the output supply to
track another supply during start-up.
External soft-start is enabled by connecting a capacitor
from the TRACK/SS pin to SGND. An internal 2.5µA current source charges the capacitor, creating a linear voltage
ramp at the TRACK/SS pin, and causing the output supply to rise smoothly from its prebiased value to its final
regulated value. The total soft-start time is approximately:
600mV
t SS(milliseconds) = CSS µF •
2.5µA
Alternatively, the TRACK/SS pin can be used to track
another supply during start-up.
Due to internal logic used to determine the mode of
operation, separate current limit resistors should be
used for each channel in dual-channel operation, even
when the values are the same.
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25
LTC3861
Applications Information
For example, Figure 12a shows the start-up of VOUT2
controlled by the voltage on the TRACK/SS2 pin. Normally
this pin is used to allow the start-up of VOUT2 to track
that of VOUT1 as shown qualitatively in Figures 12a and
12b. When the voltage on the TRACK/SS2 pin is less
than the internal 0.6V reference, the LTC3861 regulates
the FB2 voltage to the TRACK/SS2 pin voltage instead
of 0.6V. The start-up of VOUT2 may ratiometrically track
that of VOUT1, according to a ratio set by a resistor
divider (Figure 12c):
VOUT2
VOUT1
R1B
LTC3861
R2B
VSNSP1 VSNSP2
RTRACKB
R2A
R1A
TRACK/SS2
3861 F12a
RTRACKA
Figure 12a. Using the TRACK/SS Pin
R
VOUT1
+ R TRACKB
R2A
=
• TRACKA
VOUT 2 R TRACKA
R2B + R2A
For coincident tracking (VOUT1 = VOUT2 during start-up),
VOUT1
R2B = RTRACKB
The ramp time for VOUT2 to rise from 0V to its final
value is:
0.6 R TRACKA + R TRACKB
t SS2 = t SS1 •
•
VOUT1F
R TRACKA
OUTPUT VOLTAGE
R2A = RTRACKA
TIME
For coincident tracking,
(12b) Coincident Tracking
VOUT 2F
VOUT1F
VOUT1
where VOUT1F and VOUT2F are the final, regulated values
of VOUT1 and VOUT2. VOUT1 should always be greater than
VOUT2 when using the TRACK/SS2 pin for tracking. If no
tracking function is desired, then the TRACK/SS2 pin may
be tied to a capacitor to ground, which sets the ramp time
to final regulated output voltage. It is only possible to track
another supply that is slower than the internal soft-start
ramp. At the completion of tracking, the TRACK/SS pin
must be >620mV, so as not to affect regulation accuracy
and to ensure the part is in CCM mode.
26
OUTPUT VOLTAGE
t SS2 = t SS1 •
VOUT2
VOUT2
TIME
3861 F12b_c
(12c) Ratiometric Tracking
Figures 12b and 12c. Two Different Modes of
Output Voltage Tracking
3861fb
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LTC3861
Applications Information
Feedback Loop Compensation
The LTC3861 is a voltage mode controller with a second
dedicated current sharing loop to provide excellent phaseto-phase current sharing in multiphase applications. The
current sharing loop is internally compensated.
While Type 2 compensation for the voltage control loop
may be adequate in some applications (such as with the
use of high ESR bulk capacitors), Type 3 compensation,
along with ceramic capacitors, is recommended for optimum transient response. Referring to Figure 13, the error
amplifiers sense the output voltage at VOUT.
The positive input of the error amplifier is connected to
an internal 600mV reference, while the negative input is
connected to the FB pin. The output is connected to COMP,
which is in turn connected to the line feedforward circuit
and from there to the PWM generator. To speed up the
overshoot recovery time, the maximum potential at the
COMP pin is internally clamped.
Unlike many regulators that use a transconductance (gm)
amplifier, the LTC3861 is designed to use an inverting
summing amplifier topology with the FB pin configured
as a virtual ground. This allows the feedback gain to be
tightly controlled by external components, which is not
possible with a simple gm amplifier. In addition, the voltage
feedback amplifier allows flexibility in choosing pole and
zero locations. In particular, it allows the use of Type 3
compensation, which provides a phase boost at the LC
pole frequency and significantly improves the control loop
phase margin.
The external inductor/output capacitor combination
makes a more significant contribution to loop behavior.
These components cause a second order LC roll-off at the
output with 180° phase shift. This roll-off is what filters
the PWM waveform, resulting in the desired DC output
voltage, but this phase shift causes stability issues in the
feedback loop and must be frequency compensated. At
higher frequencies, the reactance of the output capacitor
will approach its ESR, and the roll-off due to the capacitor
will stop, leaving –20dB/decade and 90° of phase shift.
Figure 13 shows a Type 3 amplifier. The transfer function
of this amplifier is given by the following equation:
– (1+ sC1R2)[1+ s(R1+ R3)C3]
VCOMP
=
VOUT sR1(C1+ C2) ⎡⎣1+ s(C1//C2)R2⎤⎦ (1+ sC3R3)
R3
–
FB
VREF
C1
+
0
COMP
–1
GAIN
+1
–1
PHASE (DEG)
R2
C3
GAIN (dB)
C2
VOUT
R1
In a typical LTC3861 circuit, the feedback loop consists
of the line feedforward circuit, the modulator, the external
inductor, the output capacitor and the feedback amplifier
with its compensation network. All these components
affect loop behavior and need to be accounted for in the
loop compensation. The modulator consists of the PWM
generator, the output MOSFET drivers and the external
MOSFETs themselves. The modulator gain varies linearly
with the input voltage. The line feedforward circuit compensates for this change in gain, and provides a constant
gain from the error amplifier output to the inductor input
regardless of input voltage. From a feedback loop point of
view, the combination of the line feedforward circuit and
the modulator looks like a linear voltage transfer function
from COMP to the inductor input. It has fairly benign AC
behavior at typical loop compensation frequencies with
significant phase shift appearing at half the switching
frequency.
FREQ
–90
PHASE
–180
BOOST
–270
–380
3861 F13
Figure 13. Type 3 Amplifier Compensation
3861fb
For more information www.linear.com/LTC3861
27
LTC3861
Applications Information
The RC network across the error amplifier and the feedforward components R3 and C3 introduce two pole-zero
pairs to obtain a phase boost at the system unity-gain
frequency, fC. In theory, the zeros and poles are placed
symmetrically around fC, and the spread between the zeros
and the poles is adjusted to give the desired phase boost
at fC. However, in practice, if the crossover frequency
is much higher than the LC double-pole frequency, this
method of frequency compensation normally generates
a phase dip within the unity bandwidth and creates some
concern regarding conditional stability.
If conditional stability is a concern, move the error amplifier’s zero to a lower frequency to avoid excessive phase
dip. The following equations can be used to compute the
feedback compensation components value:
fSW = Switching frequency
2π RESR COUT
choose:
fSW
10
1
2πR2C1
f
1
fZ2(RES) = C =
5 2π (R1+ R3) C3
fZ1(ERR) = fLC =
1
2πR2(C1// C2)
1
fP2(RES ) = 5fC =
2πR3C3
fP1(ERR) = fESR =
28
2
⎛ fLC ⎞ ⎛ fP2(RES) fP2(RES) – fZ2(RES) ⎞
+
⎟
⎜ 1+ f ⎟⎠ ⎜ 1+ f
fZ2(RES)
⎠
R2 ⎝
C ⎝
C
≈ 20log •
⎛
R1
fLC ⎞ ⎛ fP2(RES) ⎞
fC
⎜⎝ 1+ f + f – f ⎟⎠ ⎜⎝ 1+ f
⎟
ESR
ESR LC
C ⎠
where AMOD is the modulator and line feedforward gain
and is equal to:
A MOD ≈
VIN(MAX) • DCMAX
VRAMP
≈ 12V/ V
Once the value of resistor R1, poles and zeros location
have been decided, the value of R2, C1, C2, R3 and C3
can be obtained from the previous equations.
1
fC = Crossover frequency =
2
⎛ f ⎞
⎛ f ⎞
A ≈ 40log 1+ ⎜ C ⎟ – 20log 1+ ⎜ C ⎟ – 20log ( AMOD )
⎝ fLC ⎠
⎝ fESR ⎠
where DCMAX is the maximum duty cycle and VRAMP is
the line feedforward compensated PWM ramp voltage.
1
fLC =
2π LCOUT
fESR =
Required error amplifier gain at frequency fC:
Compensating a switching power supply feedback loop is
a complex task. The applications shown in this data sheet
show typical values, optimized for the power components shown. Though similar power components should
suffice, substantially changing even one major power
component may degrade performance significantly.
Stability also may depend on circuit board layout. To
verify the calculated component values, all new circuit
designs should be prototyped and tested for stability.
3861fb
For more information www.linear.com/LTC3861
LTC3861
Applications Information
Inductor
The inductor in a typical LTC3861 circuit is chosen for a
specific ripple current and saturation current. Given an
input voltage range and an output voltage, the inductor
value and operating frequency directly determine the
ripple current. The inductor ripple current in the buck
mode is:
ΔIL =
VOUT ⎛ VOUT ⎞
1–
( f)(L) ⎜⎝
VIN ⎟⎠
Lower ripple current reduces core losses in the inductor,
ESR losses in the output capacitors and output voltage
ripple. Thus highest efficiency operation is obtained at
low frequency with small ripple current. To achieve this
however, requires a large inductor.
A reasonable starting point is to choose a ripple current between 20% and 40% of IO(MAX). Note that the
largest ripple current occurs at the highest VIN. To guarantee that ripple current does not exceed a specified
maximum, the inductor in buck mode should be chosen
according to:
VOUT ⎛
VOUT ⎞
L≥
⎜ 1–
⎟
f ΔIL(MAX ) ⎝ VIN(MAX ) ⎠
Power MOSFET Selection
The LTC3861 requires at least two external N-channel power
MOSFETs per channel, one for the top (main) switch and
one or more for the bottom (synchronous) switch. The
number, type and on-resistance of all MOSFETs selected
take into account the voltage step-down ratio as well as
the actual position (main or synchronous) in which the
MOSFET will be used. A much smaller and much lower
input capacitance MOSFET should be used for the top
MOSFET in applications that have an output voltage that
is less than one-third of the input voltage. In applications
where VIN >> VOUT, the top MOSFETs’ on-resistance is
normally less important for overall efficiency than its
input capacitance at operating frequencies above 300kHz.
MOSFET manufacturers have designed special purpose
devices that provide reasonably low on-resistance with
significantly reduced input capacitance for the main switch
application in switching regulators.
Selection criteria for the power MOSFETs include the onresistance RDS(ON), input capacitance, breakdown voltage
and maximum output current.
For maximum efficiency, on-resistance RDS(ON) and input
capacitance should be minimized. Low RDS(ON) minimizes
conduction losses and low input capacitance minimizes
switching and transition losses. MOSFET input capacitance
is a combination of several components but can be taken
from the typical gate charge curve included on most data
sheets (Figure 14).
VIN
VGS
MILLER EFFECT
a
V
b
QIN
CMILLER = (QB – QA)/VDS
+
VGS
–
+V
DS
–
3861 F14
Figure 14. Gate Charge Characteristic
The curve is generated by forcing a constant-input current into the gate of a common source, current source
loaded stage and then plotting the gate voltage versus
time. The initial slope is the effect of the gate-to-source
and the gate-to-drain capacitance. The flat portion of the
curve is the result of the Miller multiplication effect of the
drain-to-gate capacitance as the drain drops the voltage
across the current source load. The upper sloping line is
due to the drain-to-gate accumulation capacitance and
the gate-to-source capacitance. The Miller charge (the
increase in coulombs on the horizontal axis from a to b
while the curve is flat) is specified for a given VDS drain
voltage, but can be adjusted for different VDS voltages by
multiplying by the ratio of the application VDS to the curve
specified VDS values. A way to estimate the CMILLER term
is to take the change in gate charge from points a and b
on a manufacturers data sheet and divide by the stated
VDS voltage specified. CMILLER is the most important selection criteria for determining the transition loss term in
the top MOSFET but is not directly specified on MOSFET
data sheets. CRSS and COS are specified sometimes but
definitions of these parameters are not included.
3861fb
For more information www.linear.com/LTC3861
29
LTC3861
Applications Information
When the controller is operating in continuous mode
the duty cycles for the top and bottom MOSFETs are
given by:
Main Switch Duty Cycle =
VOUT
VIN
V –V
Synchronous Switch Duty Cycle = IN OUT
VIN
The power dissipation for the main and synchronous
MOSFETs at maximum output current are given by:
VOUT
2
IMAX ) (1+ δ)RDS(ON) +
(
VIN
I
VIN2 MAX (RDR )(CMILLER ) •
2
⎡
1
1 ⎤
+
⎢
⎥ ( f)
⎢⎣ VCC – VTH(IL) VTH(IL) ⎥⎦
V −V
PSYNC = IN OUT (IMAX )2(1+ δ)RDS(0N)
VIN
PMAIN =
where δ is the temperature dependency of RDS(ON), RDR
is the effective top driver resistance, VIN is the drain potential and the change in drain potential in the particular
application. VTH(IL) is the data sheet specified typical gate
threshold voltage specified in the power MOSFET data sheet
at the specified drain current. CMILLER is the calculated
capacitance using the gate charge curve from the MOSFET
data sheet and the technique previously described.
The term (1 + δ) is generally given for a MOSFET in the
form of a normalized RDS(ON) vs temperature curve. Typical
values for δ range from 0.005/°C to 0.01/°C depending
on the particular MOSFET used.
Multiple MOSFETs can be used in parallel to lower RDS(ON)
and meet the current and thermal requirements if desired.
Suitable drivers such as the LTC4449 are capable of driving large gate capacitances without significantly slowing
transition times. In fact, when driving MOSFETs with very
low gate charge, it is sometimes helpful to slow down
the drivers by adding small gate resistors (5Ω or less)
to reduce noise and EMI caused by the fast transitions
30
MOSFET Driver Selection
Gate driver ICs, DrMOSs and power blocks with an interface
compatible with the LTC3861’s three-state PWM outputs
or the LTC3861’s PWM/PWMEN outputs can be used.
Efficiency Considerations
The efficiency of a switching regulator is equal to the
output power divided by the input power. It is often useful
to analyze individual losses to determine what is limiting
the efficiency and which change would produce the most
improvement. Percent efficiency can be expressed as:
%Efficiency = 100% - (L1 + L2 + L3 + …)
where L1, L2, etc. are the individual losses as a percentage of input power.
Although all dissipative elements in the system produce
losses, three main sources usually account for most of the
losses in LTC3861 applications: 1) I2R losses, 2) topside
MOSFET transition losses, 3) gate drive current.
1. I2R losses occur mainly in the DC resistances of the
MOSFET, inductor, PCB routing, and input and output
capacitor ESR. Since each MOSFET is only on for part
of the cycle, its on-resistance is effectively multiplied
by the percentage of the cycle it is on. Therefore in high
step-down ratio applications the bottom MOSFET should
have a much lower RDS(ON) than the top MOSFET. It
is crucial that careful attention is paid to the layout of
the power path on the PCB to minimize its resistance.
In a 2-phase, 1.2V output, 60A system, 1mΩ of PCB
resistance at the output costs 5% in efficiency.
2. Transition losses apply only to the topside MOSFET but
in 12V input applications are a very significant source
of loss. They can be minimized by choosing a driver
with very low drive resistance and choosing a MOSFET
with low QG, RG and CRSS.
3. Gate drive current is equal to the sum of the top and
bottom MOSFET gate charges multiplied by the frequency of operation. However, many drivers employ a
linear regulator to reduce the input voltage to a lower
gate drive voltage. This multiplies the gate loss by that
step down ratio. In high frequency applications it may
be worth using a secondary user supplied rail for gate
drive to avoid the linear regulator.
3861fb
For more information www.linear.com/LTC3861
LTC3861
Applications Information
Other sources of loss include body or Schottky diode
conduction during the driver dependent non-overlap time
and inductor core losses.
Design Example
As a design example, consider a 2-phase application
where VIN = 12V, VOUT = 1.2V, ILOAD = 60A and fSWITCH =
300kHz. Assume that a secondary 5V supply is available
for the LTC3861 VCC supply.
The inductance value is chosen based on a 25% ripple
assumption. Each channel supplies an average 30A to the
load resulting in 7.7A peak-peak ripple:
⎛ V ⎞
VOUT • ⎜1 – OUT ⎟
VIN ⎠
⎝
ΔIL =
f •L
R1 = 10k
R2 = 5.9k
R3 = 280Ω
C1 = 4.7nF
C2 = 100pF
C3 = 3.3nF
To set the output voltage equal to 1.2V:
RFB1 = 10k, RFB2 = 10k
The LTC4449 gate driver and external MOSFETs are chosen
for the power stage. DrMOSs from Fairchild, Infineon,
Vishay and others can also be used.
Printed Circuit Board Layout Checklist
A 470nH inductor per phase will create 7.7A peak-topeak ripple. A 0.47µH inductor with a DCR of 0.67mΩ
typical is selected from the Würth 744355147 series.
Float CLKIN and connect 28kΩ from FREQ to SGND for
300kHz operation. Setting ILIMIT = 54A per phase leaves
plenty of headroom for transient conditions while still
adequately protecting against inductor saturation. This
corresponds to:
RILIM =
The following compensation values (Figure 13) were
determined empirically:
18.5 • 54A • 0.67mΩ + 0.53V
= 58.5kΩ
20µA
Choose 59kΩ.
For the DCR sense filter network, we can choose R = 2.87k
and C = 220nF to match the L/DCR time constant of the
inductor.
A loop crossover frequency of 45kHz provides good transient performance while still being well below the switching
frequency of the converter. Six 330µF 9mΩ POSCAPs and
four 100µF ceramic capacitors are chosen for the output
capacitors to maintain supply regulation during severe
transient conditions and to minimize output voltage ripple.
When laying out the printed circuit board, the following
checklist should be used to ensure proper operation of
the converter.
1. The connection between the SGND pin on the LTC3861
and all of the small-signal components surrounding the
IC should be isolated from the system power ground.
Place all decoupling capacitors, such as the ones on
VCC, between ISNSP and ISNSN etc., close to the IC. In
multiphase operation SGND should be Kelvin-connected
to the main ground node near the bottom terminal of
the input capacitor. In dual-channel operation, SGND
should be Kelvin-connected to the bottom terminal of
the output capacitor for channel 2, and channel 1 should
be remotely sensed using the remote sense differential
amplifier.
2. Place the small-signal components away from high
frequency switching nodes on the board. The LTC3861
contains remote sensing of output voltage and inductor
current and logic-level PWM outputs enabling the IC to
be isolated from the power stage.
3. The PCB traces for remote voltage and current sense
should avoid any high frequency switching nodes in
the circuit and should ideally be shielded by ground
planes. Each pair (VSNSP and VSNSN, ISNSP and
ISNSN) should be routed parallel to one another with
3861fb
For more information www.linear.com/LTC3861
31
LTC3861
Applications Information
minimum spacing between them. If DCR sensing is
used, place the top resistor (Figure 6b, R1) close to
the switching node.
4. The input capacitor should be kept as close as possible
to the power MOSFETs. The loop from the input capacitor’s positive terminal, through the MOSFETs and back
to the input capacitor’s negative terminal should also
be as small as possible.
5. If using discrete drivers and MOSFETs, check the stress
on the MOSFETs by independently measuring the drain-
to-source voltages directly across the device terminals.
Beware of inductive ringing that could exceed the
maximum voltage rating of the MOSFET. If this ringing
cannot be avoided and exceeds the maximum rating of
the device, choose a higher voltage rated MOSFET.
6. When cascading multiple LTC3861 ICs, minimize
the capacitive load on the CLKOUT pin to minimize
phase error. Kelvin all the LTC3861 IC grounds to the
same point, typically SGND of the IC containing the
master.
Typical Applications
Dual Phase 1.2V/45A Converter with Delta 45A Power Block, fSW = 400kHz
100pF
VIN
7V TO 14V
CIN
180µF
VCC
5V
10k
110Ω
10k
3.4k
1.5nF
270pF
10k
VCC
COUT2 : SANYO 2R5TPE330M9
COUT1 : MURATA GRM32ER60J107ME20
RUN1
0.22µF
VCC
SS1
VINSNS
CONFIG
IAVG
PGOOD1
PWMEN1
PWM1
6.8nF
100k
1µF SS1
FB1
COMP1
VSNSP1
VSNSN1
VSNSOUT1
VSNSOUT2
VSNSN2
VSNSP2
COMP2
FB2
LTC3861
RUN1
ILIM1
SGND
ISNS1P
ISNS1N
ISNS2N
ISNS2P
SGND
ILIM2
RUN2
SS2
FREQ
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
PGOOD2
PWMEN2
PWM2
VOUT
VCC
49.9k
22µF
16V
22µF
16V
22µF
16V
22µF
16V
VCC
RUN1
SS1
+CS1
VIN
0.22µF
VIN1
TEMP1
–CS1
D12S1R845A GND
VOUT1
PWM1
GND
+7V
PWM2
VOUT2
VIN2
GND
+CS2
–CS2
TEMP2
4.7µF
VOUT
1.2V/ 45A
COUT1
COUT2
100µF × 4 330µF× 6
6.3V
2.5V
30.9k
3861 TA02
32
3861fb
For more information www.linear.com/LTC3861
LTC3861
Typical Applications
1.5V/30A and 1.2V/30A Converter with Discrete Gate Drivers
and MOSFETs, fSW = 300kHz
VIN
VCC
VCC
5V
178Ω
10k
15k
4.75k
1µF
10k
VOUT2
10k
10k
6.8nF
10k
100pF
348Ω
4.64k
4.7nF
100k
D1
RUN1
3.3nF
100pF
4.7µF
VCC
SS1
VINSNS
CONFIG
IAVG
PGOOD1
PWMEN1
PWM1
VOUT1
3.9nF
VCC
0.1µF
CIN1
180µF
FB1
COMP1
VSNSP1
VSNSN1
VSNSOUT1
VSNSOUT2
VSNSN2
VSNSP2
COMP2
FB2
LTC3861
0.047µF
M1
BSC050NE2LS
×2
M2
BSC010NE2LS
×2
L1
0.47µH
2.87k
VOUT1
1.5V/ 30A
COUT1
COUT2
100µF × 2 330µF × 3
6.3V
2.5V
0.22µF
0.22µF
59.0k
VIN
VCC
VCC
CIN2
22µF × 2
0.22µF
RUN2
28k 100k
IN
LTC4449
GND
VLOGIC TG
VCC
TS
BOOST BG
59.0k
RUN1
ILIM1
SGND
ISNS1P
ISNS1N
ISNS2N
ISNS2P
SGND
ILIM2
RUN2
SS2
FREQ
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
PGOOD2
PWMEN2
PWM2
VIN
7V TO 14V
4.7µF
COUT2, COUT4 : SANYO 2R5TPE330M9
COUT1, COUT3 : MURATA GRM32ER60J107ME20
L1, L2 : WÜRTH ELEKTRONIK 744355147
INPUT RIPPLE CURRENT AT THE INPUT CAPACITOR = 1.2A RMS
OUTPUT RIPPLE CURRENT AT THE OUTPUT CAPACITOR = 1.8A RMS
D2
IN
LTC4449
GND
VLOGIC TG
VCC
TS
BOOST BG
0.22µF
CIN3
22µF × 2
2.87k
M3
BSC050NE2LS
×2
M4
BSC010NE2LS
×2
L2
0.47µH
VOUT2
1.2V/ 30A
COUT4
COUT3
100µF × 2 330µF × 3
6.3V
2.5V
3861 TA03
3861fb
For more information www.linear.com/LTC3861
33
LTC3861
Typical Applications
4-Phase 1V/100A Converter with DrMOS, fSW = 500kHz
SS1
VIN
7V TO 14V
280Ω
10k
10k
10.7k
100k
LTC3861
RUN1
ILIM1
SGND
ISNS1P
ISNS1N
ISNS2N
ISNS2P
SGND
ILIM2
RUN2
SS2
FREQ
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
PGOOD2
PWMEN2
PWM2
15k
VCC
SS1
CLKIN
500kHz EXTERNAL
SYNC INPUT
VCC
RUN1
FB1
COMP1
VSNSP1
VSNSN1
VSNSOUT1
VSNSOUT2
VSNSN2
VSNSP2
COMP2
FB2
470pF
CIN2
22µF × 2
10k
16V
VCC
1µF
2.2nF
0.22µF
VIN
VCC
SS1
VINSNS
CONFIG
IAVG
PGOOD1
PWMEN1
PWM1
3.3nF
100pF
0.1µF
CIN1
180µF
VCC
5V
VOUT
IAVG1
1Ω
53.6k
2.2µF
16V
VCC
CIN3
22µF × 2
10k
16V
VCC
VCC
SS1
VINSNS
CONFIG
IAVG
PGOOD1
PWMEN1
PWM1
LTC3861
CIN4
22µF × 2
10k
16V
34k
COUT2 : SANYO 2R5TPE330M9
COUT1 : MURATA GRM32ER60J107ME20
L1, L2, L3, L4 : WÜRTH ELEKTRONIK 744355147
1Ω
53.6k
VCC
2.2µF
16V
VIN
RUN1
SS1
34
RUN1
ILIM1
SGND
ISNS1P
ISNS1N
ISNS2N
ISNS2P
SGND
ILIM2
RUN2
0.22µF
BOOT
PHASE
V TDA21220
COUT1
100µF × 8
6.3V
COUT2
330µF
×8
2.5V
2.87k
IN
DISB
VSWH
PWM
VDRV
PGND
VCIN SMOD CGND
L2
0.47µH
10k
2.2µF
16V
VCC
RUN1
SS2
FREQ
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
PGOOD2
PWMEN2
PWM2
VCC
FB1
COMP1
VSNSP1
VSNSN1
VSNSOUT1
VSNSOUT2
VSNSN2
VSNSP2
COMP2
FB2
0.22µF
0.22µF
VIN
VIN
SS1
10k
0.22µF
VIN
RUN1
34k
VCC
2.87k
VOUT
1V/ 100A
100pF
1µF
L1
0.47µH
IN
VSWH
DISB
PWM
PGND
VDRV
VCIN SMOD CGND
2.2µF
16V
1Ω
2.2µF
16V
VCC
5V
BOOT
PHASE
V TDA21220
BOOT
PHASE
TDA21220
VIN
VSWH
DISB
PWM
PGND
VDRV
VCIN SMOD CGND
L3
0.47µH
2.87k
10k
2.2µF
16V
0.22µF
0.22µF
0.22µF
CIN5
22µF × 2
10k
16V
VCC
1Ω
2.2µF
16V
BOOT
PHASE
VIN TDA21220
VSWH
DISB
PWM
PGND
VDRV
VCIN SMOD CGND
2.2µF
16V
2.87k
L4
0.47µH
10k
3861 TA04
3861fb
For more information www.linear.com/LTC3861
LTC3861
Typical Applications
Dual-Output Converter: Triple Phase + Single Phase with DrMOS,
Synchronized to an External 500kHz Clock
SS1
VIN
7V TO 14V
CIN1
180µF
VCC
5V
3.3nF
280Ω
10k
10k
5.62k
100pF
0.1µF
3.3nF
100k
LTC3861
RUN1
ILIM1
SGND
ISNS1P
ISNS1N
ISNS2N
ISNS2P
SGND
ILIM2
RUN2
SS2
FREQ
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
PGOOD2
PWMEN2
PWM2
VCC
SS1
CLKIN
500kHz EXTERNAL
SYNC INPUT
VCC
RUN1
FB1
COMP1
VSNSP1
VSNSN1
VSNSOUT1
VSNSOUT2
VSNSN2
VSNSP2
COMP2
FB2
15k
CIN2
22µF × 2
10k
16V
VCC
1µF
150pF
0.22µF
VIN
VCC
SS1
VINSNS
CONFIG
IAVG
PGOOD1
PWMEN1
PWM1
VOUT1
IAVG1
1Ω
53.6k
2.2µF
16V
VCC
CIN3
22µF × 2
10k
16V
VCC
VCC
SS1
VINSNS
CONFIG
IAVG
PGOOD1
PWMEN1
PWM1
RUN1
20k
10k
10k
3.3nF
280Ω
100pF
2.2nF
LTC3861
RUN1
ILIM1
SGND
ISNS1P
ISNS1N
ISNS2N
ISNS2P
SGND
ILIM2
RUN2
SS2
FREQ
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
PGOOD2
PWMEN2
PWM2
VOUT2
FB1
COMP1
VSNSP1
VSNSN1
VSNSOUT1
VSNSOUT2
VSNSN2
VSNSP2
COMP2
FB2
1.5k
VIN
53.6k
RUN2
0.1µF
34k 100k
VCC
IN
VSWH
DISB
PWM
PGND
VDRV
VCIN SMOD CGND
COUT2
330µF
×6
2.5V
2.87k
L2
0.47µH
10k
2.2µF
16V
CIN4
22µF × 2
10k
16V
VCC
53.6k
0.22µF
BOOT
PHASE
V FDMF6707B
COUT1
100µF × 6
6.3V
0.22µF
VIN
VIN
SS1
0.22µF
0.22µF
VIN
RUN1
34k
VCC
2.87k
VOUT1
1V/ 75A
100pF
1µF
L1
0.47µH
10k
2.2µF
16V
1Ω
2.2µF
16V
VCC
5V
BOOT
PHASE
FDMF6707B
VIN
VSWH
DISB
PWM
PGND
VDRV
VCIN SMOD CGND
1Ω
2.2µF
16V
BOOT
PHASE
FDMF6707B
VIN
VSWH
DISB
PWM
PGND
VDRV
VCIN SMOD CGND
0.22µF
0.22µF
0.22µF
VCC
1Ω
2.2µF
16V
2.87k
10k
2.2µF
16V
CIN5
22µF × 2
10k
16V
L3
0.47µH
BOOT
PHASE
FDMF6707B
VIN
VSWH
DISB
PWM
PGND
VDRV
VCIN SMOD CGND
2.2µF
16V
COUT2, COUT4 : SANYO 2R5TPE330M9
COUT1, COUT3 : MURATA GRM32ER60J107ME20
L1, L2, L3, L4 : WÜRTH ELEKTRONIK 744355147
10k
2.87k
L4
0.47µH
VOUT2
1.8V/ 25A
COUT3
100µF × 2
6.3V
COUT4
330µF
×3
2.5V
3861 TA05
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For more information www.linear.com/LTC3861
35
LTC3861
Package Description
Please refer to http://www.linear.com/designtools/packaging/ for the most recent package drawings.
UHE Package
UHE Package
36-Lead Plastic
QFN (5mm × 6mm)
36-Lead LTC
Plastic
QFN
(5mm × 6mm)
(Reference
DWG
# 05-08-1876
Rev Ø)
(Reference LTC DWG # 05-08-1876 Rev Ø)
0.70 ± 0.05
5.50 ± 0.05
4.10 ± 0.05
3.50 REF
PACKAGE
OUTLINE
3.60 ± 0.05
4.60 ± 0.05
0.25 ± 0.05
0.50 BSC
4.50 REF
5.10 ± 0.05
6.50 ± 0.05
PIN 1 NOTCH
R = 0.30 TYP
OR 0.35 × 45°
CHAMFER
RECOMMENDED SOLDER PAD LAYOUT
APPLY SOLDER MASK TO AREAS THAT ARE NOT SOLDERED
5.00 ± 0.10
0.00 – 0.05
0.200 REF
3.50 REF
R = 0.10
TYP
29
36
0.40 ±0.10
PIN 1
TOP MARK
(SEE NOTE 6)
28
6.00 ± 0.10
1
4.50 REF
4.60 ± 0.10
3.60
± 0.10
20
10
(UHE36) QFN 0410 REV Ø
0.75 ± 0.05
19
0.25 ± 0.05
11
R = 0.125
TYP
0.50 BSC
BOTTOM VIEW—EXPOSED PAD
NOTE:
1. DRAWING IS NOT A JEDEC PACKAGE OUTLINE
2. DRAWING NOT TO SCALE
3. ALL DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERS
36
4. DIMENSIONS OF EXPOSED PAD ON BOTTOM OF PACKAGE DO NOT INCLUDE
MOLD FLASH. MOLD FLASH, IF PRESENT, SHALL NOT EXCEED 0.20mm ON ANY SIDE
5. EXPOSED PAD SHALL BE SOLDER PLATED
6. SHADED AREA IS ONLY A REFERENCE FOR PIN 1 LOCATION
ON THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF PACKAGE
3861fb
For more information www.linear.com/LTC3861
LTC3861
Revision History
REV
DATE
DESCRIPTION
A
06/13
Fixed schematics, graphs, tables, and clarified text
PAGE NUMBER
B
04/15
Modified IAVG paragraph
9
Clarified frequency synchronization paragraph
18
Changed ISAT equation
19
Clarified multiphase operation paragraph
22
1, 9, 11, 31,
32, 33, 34
3861fb
Information furnished by Linear Technology Corporation is believed to be accurate and reliable.
However, no responsibility is assumed for its use. Linear Technology Corporation makes no representation that the interconnection
of its circuits
as described
herein will not infringe on existing patent rights.
For more
information
www.linear.com/LTC3861
37
LTC3861
TYPICAL APPLICATION
Dual Phase 1.2V/60A Converter with Discrete Gate Drivers and MOSFETs, fSW = 300kHz
10k
5.9k
1µF SS1
4.7nF
100pF
10k
VCC
4.7µF
100k
D1
RUN1
FB1
COMP1
VSNSP1
VSNSN1
VSNSOUT1
VSNSOUT2
VSNSN2
VSNSP2
COMP2
FB2
LTC3861
CIN2
22µF × 2
M1
BSC050NE2LS
×2
M2
BSC010NE2LS
×2
L1
0.47µH
VOUT
1.2V/ 60A
COUT1
COUT2
100µF × 4 330µF × 6
6.3V
2.5V
2.87k
59k
RUN1
ILIM1
SGND
ISNS1P
ISNS1N
ISNS2N
ISNS2P
SGND
ILIM2
RUN2
0.22µF
0.22µF
VCC
VIN
RUN1
SS1
IN
LTC4449
GND
VLOGIC TG
VCC
TS
BOOST BG
0.22µF
VCC
SS1
VINSNS
CONFIG
IAVG
PGOOD1
PWMEN1
PWM1
10k
280Ω
VCC
SS2
FREQ
CLKIN
CLKOUT
PHSMD
PGOOD2
PWMEN2
PWM2
3.3nF
VCC
CIN1
180µF
VCC
5V
VOUT
VIN
100pF
VIN
7V TO 14V
VCC
28k
4.7µF
D2
COUT2 : SANYO 2R5TPE330M9
COUT1 : MURATA GRM32ER60J107ME20
L1, L2 : WÜRTH ELEKTRONIK 744355147
IN
LTC4449
GND
VLOGIC TG
VCC
TS
BOOST BG
CIN3
22µF × 2
0.22µF
2.87k
M3
BSC050NE2LS
×2
M4
BSC010NE2LS
×2
L2
0.47µH
3861 TA06
Related Parts
PART NUMBER
DESCRIPTION
COMMENTS
LTC3880/
LTC3880-1
Dual Output PolyPhase Step-Down DC/DC Controller with
Digital Power System Management
VIN Up to 24V, 0.5V ≤ VOUT ≤ 5.5V, Analog Control Loop,
I2C/PMBus Interface with EEPROM and 16-Bit ADC
LTC3855
Dual Output, 2-Phase, Synchronous Step-Down DC/DC Controller
with Diffamp and DCR Temperature Compensation
4.5V≤ VIN ≤ 38V, 0.8V ≤ VOUT ≤ 12V, PLL Fixed Frequency
250kHz to 770kHz
LTC3856
Single Output 2-Phase Synchronous Step-Down DC/DC Controller
with Diffamp and DCR Temperature Compensation
4.5V ≤ VIN ≤ 38V, 0.8V ≤ VOUT ≤ 5V, PLL Fixed 250kHz to
770kHz Frequency
LTC3838
Dual Output, 2-Phase, Synchronous Step-Down DC/DC Controller
with Diffamp and Controlled On-Time
4.5V ≤ VIN ≤ 38V, 0.8V ≤ VOUT ≤ 5.5V, PLL, Up to 2MHz
Switching Frequency
LTC3839
Single Output, 2-Phase, Synchronous Step-Down DC/DC Controller
with Diffamp and Controlled On-Time
4.5V ≤ VIN ≤ 38V, 0.8V ≤ VOUT ≤ 5.5V, PLL, Up to 2MHz
Switching Frequency
LTC3860
Dual, Multiphase, Synchronous Step-Down DC/DC Controller
with Diffamp and Three-State Output Drive
Operates with Power Blocks, DrMOS Devices or External
MOSFETs, 3V ≤ VIN ≤ 24V, tON(MIN) = 20ns
LTC3869/
LTC3869-2
Dual Output, 2-Phase Synchronous Step-Down DC/DC Controller,
with Accurate Current Share
4V≤ VIN ≤ 38V, VOUT3 Up to 12.5V, PLL Fixed 250kHz to
750kHz Frequency
LTC3866
Single Output, High Power, Current Mode Controller with Submilliohm DCR Sensing
4.75V≤ VIN ≤ 38V, 0.6V≤ VOUT ≤ 3.5V, Fixed 250kHz to
770kHz Frequency
LTC4449
High Speed Synchronous N-Channel MOSFET Driver
VIN Up to 38V, 4V ≤ VCC ≤ 6.5V, Adaptive Shoot-Through
Protection, 2mm × 3mm DFN-8 Package
LTC4442/
LTC4442-1
High Speed Synchronous N-Channel MOSFET Driver
VIN Up to 38V, 6V ≤ VCC ≤ 9V Adaptive Shoot-Through
Protection, MSOP-8 Package
38 Linear Technology Corporation
1630 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035-7417
For more information www.linear.com/LTC3861
(408) 432-1900 ● FAX: (408) 434-0507
●
www.linear.com/LTC3861
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LT 0415 REV B PRINTED IN USA
 LINEAR TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION 2012
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