SEMTECH SC1480ITSTRT

SC1480
DDR Memory
Power Supply Controller
POWER MANAGEMENT
Description
Features
The SC1480 is a single output, constant on-time
synchronous-buck, pseudo-fixed frequency, PWM
controller intended for use in notebook computers and
other battery operated portable devices. Features
include high efficiency and fast dynamic response with
no minimum on time, a reference input and a buffered
REFOUT pin capable of sourcing 3mA. The excellent
transient response means that SC1480 based solutions
will require less output capacitance than competing fixed
frequency converters.
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The frequency is constant until a step in load or line voltage
occurs, at which time the pulse density and frequency
will increase or decrease to counter the change in output
or input voltage. After the transient event, the controller
frequency will return to steady state operation.
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The SC1480 incorporates two power-reducing states,
standby and shutdown. In standby mode, the switcher
output is shutdown but the buffered reference output
stays up, reducing quiescent current to a low 125µA. This
is particularly useful for reducing battery draw in systems
which implement a suspend-to-RAM (S3) state. The
SC1480 can be completely shut down, drawing less than
10µA.
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Constant on-time for fast dynamic response
Programmable VOUT based on external reference
VIN range = 1.8V – 25V
DC current sense using low-side RDS(ON) sensing
or sense resistor
3mA reference output buffer
Low power S3 state
Resistor programmable frequency
Cycle-by-cycle current limit
Digital soft start
Output current source-sink capability
Overvoltage/under-voltage fault protection and
PGOOD output
Under 10uA typical shutdown current
Low quiescent power dissipation
14-Pin TSSOP package. Also available in Lead-free
package which is fully WEEE and RoHS compliant
Industrial temperature range
Integrated gate drivers with soft switching
Efficiency >90%
Applications
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The integrated gate drivers feature adaptive shootthrough protection and soft switching. Additional features ‹
Notebook computers
CPU I/O supplies
Handheld terminals and PDAs
LCD monitors
Network power supplies
include cycle-by-cycle current limit, digital soft-start,
overvoltage and under-voltage protection, and a PGOOD
output.
Typical Application Circuit
4.5V - 25V
VDD = 2.5V
+5VRUN
R1
C1
C2
REFOUT
D1
C3
+5VSB
R2
R3
C4
+5V
C5
R4
Q1
U1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R5
PGOOD
BST
REFIN
DH
TON
REFOUT
LX
VCCA
ILIM
FBK
VDDP
PGOOD
DL
GND
PGND
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
SC1480
R7
Revision: August 30, 2006
C8
L1
1.25VOUT
R6
Q2
D2
+ C6
C7
C10
C9
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Absolute Maximum Ratings
Exceeding the specifications below may result in permanent damage to the device, or device malfunction. Operation outside of the parameters
specified in the Electrical Characteristics section is not implied.
Pin Combination
Symbol
Maximum
Units
TON to AGND
-0.3 to +25.0
V
DH, BST to AGND
-0.3 to +30.0
V
LX to AGND
-2.0 to +25.0
V
AGND to PGND
-0.3 to +0.3
V
BST to LX
-0.3 to +6.0
V
VCCA, VDDP to AGND
-0.3 to +6.0
V
FB, PGOOD, REFIN, ILIM, REFOUT, DL to PGND
-0.3 to +6.0
V
Thermal Resistance, Junction to Ambient(4)
θJA
100
°C/W
Operating Junction Temperature Range
TJ
-40 to +125
°C
Storage Temperature Range
TSTG
-65 to +150
°C
Lead Temperature (Soldering) 10 Sec.
TLEAD
300
°C
Electrical Characteristics
Test Conditions: VIN = 2.5V, REFIN = 1.25, VCCA = VDDP = 5.0V, VOUT = 1.25V, RTON = 1M (300kHz), 0.1% Resistor Dividers
Parameter
Conditions
25°C
Min
Typ
-40°C to 125°C
Max
Min
Max
Units
Input Supplies
VCCA Input Voltage
5.0
4.5
5.5
V
VDDP Input Voltage
5.0
4.5
5.5
V
VIN Input Voltage
2.0
25
V
VDDP Operating Current
FB > regulation point, ILOAD = 0A
5
10
µA
VCCA Operating Current
FB > regulation point, ILOAD = 0A
700
1100
µA
VCCA Standby Current
VDDP < VDDP UV Threshold
No Load On REFOUT
125
µA
TON Operating Current
RTON = 1M
15
µA
(300kHz)
Shutdown Current
(REFIN = 0V)
VC C A
5
10
µA
VDDP + VIN
5
10
µA
Controller
Error Comparator Threshold
(FBK Turn-on Threshold) (1)
 2006 Semtech Corp.
With Respect to REFOUT
VCCA = 4.5V to 5.5V
REFOUT
2
REFOUT REFOUT
-10
+10
mV
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Electrical Characteristics Cont.
Test Conditions: VIN = 2.5V, REFIN = 1.25, VCCA = VDDP = 5.0V, VOUT = 1.25V, RTON = 1M (300kHz), 0.1% Resistor Dividers
Parameter
Conditions
25°C
Min
On-Time
Typ
-40°C to 125°C
Max
Min
Max
Units
RTON = 1M (300kHz)
VIN = 2.5V
1660
1411
1909
ns
RTON = 500K (600kHz)
VIN = 2.5V
913
776
1050
ns
550
ns
Minimum Off Time
400
Line Regulation Error
VCCA, VDDP = 4.5V to 5.5V
Vin = 4.5V to 25V
0.04
%/V
Load Regulation Error
ILIM - PGND = 0V to 0°C Limit
0.3
%
500
kΩ
FBK Input Resistance
Over-Current Sensing
ILIM Sink Current
Current Comparator Offset
10
PGND - ILIM
9
11
µA
-5
5
mV
Reference Buffer
REFOUT Source Current
3
REFIN Enable Threshold
0.8
REFIN Hysteresis
40
Offset Voltage
0.55
mA
1.0
V
mV
REFOUT current = 0mA
-10
10
mV
REFOUT current = 3mA
-12.5
12.5
mV
Fault Protection
PGND-LX, RILIM = 5k
50
40
60
mV
PGND-LX, RILIM = 10k
100
90
110
mV
PGND-LX, RILIM = 20k
200
180
220
mV
Current Limit (Negative)
PGND-LX
-140
-200
-100
mV
Output Under-Voltage Fault
With respect to REFOUT
-20
-28
-15
%
Output Over-Voltage Fault
With respect to REFOUT
+10
+8
+12
%
Over-Voltage Fault Delay
FBK forced above OV Vth
2.0
PGOOD Low Output Voltage
Sink 1mA
PGOOD Leakage Current
FBK in regulation, PGOOD = 5V
PGOOD UV Threshold
With respect to REFOUT
Current Limit (Positive) (2)
 2006 Semtech Corp.
-10
3
µs
-12
0.4
V
1
µA
-8
%
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Electrical Characteristics Cont.
Test Conditions: VIN = 2.5V, REFIN = 1.25, VCCA = VDDP = 5.0V, VOUT = 1.25V, RTON = 1M (300kHz), 0.1% Resistor Dividers
Parameter
Conditions
25°C
Min
Typ
-40°C to 125°C
Max
Min
Units
Max
PGOOD Fault Delay
FB forced outside PGOOD
window.
2.0
VCCA Under Voltage Threshold
Rising Edge Hysteresis 100mv
4.0
3.7
4.3
V
VDDP Under Voltage Threshold
3.3
3.0
3.75
V
VDDP Under Voltage Hysteresis
250
mV
10°C Hysteresis
165
C
Soft-Start Ramp Time
REFIN high to full current limit.
1.6
ms
Under-Voltage Blank Time
SMPS Turn-On
2
ms
Dead Time
DH or DL rising
30
ns
DL Pull-Down Resistance
DL low
0.8
1.6
Ω
DL Pull-Up Resistance
DL high
2
4
Ω
DH Pull-Down Resistance
DH low, BST - LX = 5V
2
4
Ω
DH Pull-Up Resistance
DH high, BST - LX = 5V
2
4
Ω
DL Sink Current
DL - PGND = 2.5V
2
A
DL Source Current
VDDP - DL = 2.5V
1
A
DH Sink Current
DH - LX = 2.5V, BST - LX = 5V
1
A
DH Source Current
BST - DH = 2.5V,
B S T - LX = 5V
1
A
Over Temperature Lockout
µs
Soft Start
Gate Drivers
Notes:
(1) When the inductor is in continuous conduction mode, the output voltage will have a DC regulation level higher
than the error-comparator threshold by 50% of the ripple voltage.
(2) Using a current sense resistor, this measurement relates to PGND minus the voltage of the source on the
low-side MOSFET.
(3) This device is ESD sensitive. Use of ESD handling precautions is required.
(4) Measured in accordance with JESD51-1, JESD51-2 and JESD51-7.
 2006 Semtech Corp.
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Pin Configuration
Ordering Information
Device
TOP VIEW
REFIN
1
14
BST
TON
2
13
DH
REFOUT
3
12
LX
VCCA
4
11
ILIM
FBK
5
10
VDDP
PGOOD
6
9
DL
AGND
7
8
PGND
P ackag e
(1)
SC1480ITSTR
TSSOP-14
SC1480ITSTRT(2)
TSSOP-14
S C 1480E V B
Evaluation Board
Notes:
(1) Only available in tape and reel packaging. A reel
contains 2500 devices.
(2) Lead free product. This product is fully WEEE and
RoHS compliant.
(14 Pin TSSOP)
Pin Descriptions
Pin #
Pin Name
Pin Function
1
REFIN
2
TON
3
REFOUT
4
VC C A
5
FB K
6
PGOOD
7
AGND
Analog ground.
8
PGND
Power ground.
9
DL
10
VD D P
11
ILIM
Current limit input. Connect to drain of low-side MOSFET for RDS(on) sensing or the source for
resistor sensing through a threshold sensing resistor. See applications section for more
information.
12
LX
Switching node inductor connection.
13
DH
Gate drive output for the high side MOSFET switch.
14
BST
Boost capacitor connection for the high side gate drive.
 2006 Semtech Corp.
External Reference input. Tie to ground to disable SMPS and reference buffer.
On-time set input. Sets on-time of upper MOSFET via series resistor to the input supply.
Reference output pin. Can source 3mA.
Supply voltage input for the analog supply. Connect through a RC filter to +5V.
Feedback input. Connect from resistor divider at output of SMPS to select output voltage.
Power Good open drain NMOS output. Goes high after a fixed clock cycle delay following power
up.
Gate drive output for the low side MOSFET switch.
+5V supply voltage input for the gate drivers. Tie to ground to disable SMPS.
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Block Diagram
VDDQ = 2.5V
VCCA
VDDQ
VDDP
VDDP
POR/SS
1
OT
REFIN
14
BST
HI
2
VIN
+5V
REFOUT
VDDQ
ON
TON
CONTROL
LOGIC
OFF
3
13
DH
VOUT
12
LX
PWM
REFOUT
4
VCCA
TOFF
REF
BUFFER
OC
ISENSE
ZEROI
VOUT
5
FBK
+
-
11
ILIM
+
-
+5V
PWM
10
VDDP
6
PGOOD
7
AGND
FAULT
MONITOR
OV
LO
UV
9
DL
REF+10%
REF-10%
REF-20%
8
PGND
FIGURE 1
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Applications Information
RTON is a resistor connected from the input supply to the
TON pin. The graph on page 19 shows the relationship
between RTON and switching frequency.
+5V Bias Supply
The SC1480 requires an external +5V bias supply in addition to the battery. If stand-alone capability is required,
the +5V supply can be generated with an external linear
regulator. There are two inputs for the external +5V bias
supply, VCCA & VDDP. The VCCA input powers the analog
section of the SC1480 while the VDDP input provides
power to the upper and lower gate drivers. VCCA will need
to be decoupled from the +5V supply through a 10 Ohm
resistor and the addition of a filter capacitor from VCCA
to ground. VCCA and VDDP must be separate in order to
utilize the low power S3 state of the SC1480. The battery input VIN and the +5V input VCCA can be tied together if the input voltage is fixed from +4.5V to +5.5V;
however, as before, VCCA will need to be decoupled from
the +5V supply through a 10 Ohm resistor and the addition of a filter capacitor from VCCA to ground.
Reference I/O
The reference input can be generated off of a 2.5V or
VDDQ supply by a simple resistive divider. Resistors less
than 100k Ohms should be used and a small filter capacitor from the reference input to ground of 0.1uF will
remove any ripple voltage present on the input. The input has a common mode range of the REFIN threshold
to 2.5V.
The voltage on the reference input passes through a unity
gain buffer prior to being sent to REFOUT. This reference
output has a class A output stage with 3mA of sourcing
capacity. It has a pull-down impedance of 50k. The output will require a small RC filter of 10 Ohms and 1µF to
maintain stability.
Pseudo-Fixed Frequency Constant On-Time PWM
Controller
The PWM control architecture consists of a constant-ontime, pseudo fixed frequency PWM controller, (Figure 1).
The output ripple voltage developed across the output
filter capacitors ESR provides the PWM ramp signal eliminating the need for a current sense resistor. The highside switch on-time is determined by a one-shot whose
period is directly proportional to output voltage and inversely proportional to input voltage. A second one-shot
sets the minimum off-time to 400ns typically.
Shutdown, Suspend to RAM and Run Mode
The SC1480 has three modes of operation: shutdown,
suspend to RAM, and run mode. All three modes must
have VCCA connected at all times. Shutdown mode is
controlled by REFIN. When REFIN is below 0.8V, the reference buffer will be off and the SMPS is disabled. In
this mode the bias current of the device will be less than
10µA.
Suspend to RAM, or S3 State, is controlled by REFIN and
VDDP. With REFIN is above 0.8V and VDDP is low (below
3V), the device will output the reference voltage onto
REFOUT, but the SMPS is disabled. In this mode the bias
current is approximately 125µA.
Run mode is activated by maintaining REFIN above 0.8V
and VDDP above 3V. In this mode the reference and SMPS
are active.
On-Time One-Shot (TON)
The on-time one-shot comparator has two inputs. One
input looks at the output voltage, while the other input
samples the input voltage and converts it to a current.
This input proportional current is used to charge an internal on-time capacitor. The TON time is the time required for the voltage on the capacitor to charge from
zero volts to VOUT, thereby making the on-time of the
high-side switch directly proportional to output voltage
and inversely proportional to input voltage. This implementation results in a nearly constant switching frequency
without the need of a clock generator.
V
TON = 3.3x10 −12 •(RTON + 37x10 3 ) • OUT
 VIN
 2006 Semtech Corp.
Current Limit Circuit
Current limiting of the SC1480 can be accomplished in
two ways. First, the device can implement on-state resistance of the low-side MOSFET as the current sensing
element (RDSON sensing). Second, the device can accept
a resistive element in the low-side source (RSENSE, resistor
sensing). The second method offers greater accuracy of
the current limit threshold over RDSON sensing, at the
added expense of a sense resistor and associated efficiency loss.
Whether RDSON sensing or RSENSE resistor sensing is used,

 + 50ηS

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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Applications Information (Cont.)
a scaling resistor between LX and ILIM is required. This
resistor, RILIM, is connected to a 10µA current source
within the SC1480 through the ILIM pin. This sets a voltage drop equal to 10µA times RILIM. As the current increases through the lower MOSFET, the phase pin voltage will decrease until the offset voltage caused by RILIM
is reached and ILIM < PGND. At this point an overcurrent
trip signal is issued. Current limiting will prevent the firing
of a DH on-pulse, thereby reducing the switching frequency. As the frequency decreases, the output voltage
will drop until an under-voltage shutdown is reached.
+5V
+VIN
+
D1
BST
DH
LX
ILIM
VDDP
DL
PGND
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
C1
Q1
C2
L1
VOUT
R1
D2
SC1480
+
Q2
C3
FBK
The current sensing circuit actually limits the inductor
valley current (see Figure 2). This means that if the current limit is set to 10A, the peak current through the
inductor would be 10A plus the peak ripple current, and
the average current through the inductor would be 10A
plus 1/2 the peak-to-peak ripple current. The equations
for setting the valley current and calculating the average
current through the inductor are shown below:
IL OC (Valley ) = 10µA •
FIGURE 3
Schematic of RDSON sensing circuit is shown in Figure 3
with RDSON of Q2.
Similarly, for resistor sensing, the current through the
lower MOSFET and the source sense resistor develops a
voltage that opposes the voltage developed across RILIM.
When the voltage developed across the RSENSE resistor
reaches voltage drop across RILIM, an overcurrent will be
issued. The overcurrent equation when using an external sense resistor is:
RILIM
RDS ON
IL OC (Average) = IL OC (Valley ) +
∆IL
2
IL OC (Valley ) = 10µA •
Schematic of resistor sensing circuit is shown in Figure 4
with RILIM = R1 and RSENSE = R2.
IPEAK
INDUCTOR CURRENT
RILIM
R SENSE
ILOAD
+5V
+VIN
ILIMIT
+
D1
BST
DH
LX
ILIM
VDDP
DL
PGND
TIME
Valley Current-Limit Threshold Point
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
C2
Q1
L1
VOUT
Q2
+
SC1480
D2
R1
FIGURE 2
C1
C3
R2
FBK
FIGURE 4
 2006 Semtech Corp.
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Applications Information (Cont.)
Power Good Output
Power good is an open-drain output and requires a pullup resistor. When the output voltage is 10% above or
below its set voltage, PGOOD gets pulled low. It is held
low until the output voltage returns to within 10% of the
output set voltage. PGOOD is also held low during startup and will not be allowed to transition high until the output reaches 90% of its set voltage. There is a slight delay
built into the PGOOD circuit to prevent false transitions.
The high-side gate driver is equipped with turn-on soft
switching to reduce gate drive power dissipation. When
a DH turn-on is initiated the pull-up resistance is 10 Ohms.
This limits the peak high-side gate current before the
MOSFET is conducting current. The peak gate current
plays a large role in gate driver switching losses. When
the high-side MOSFET begins conducting, and LX starts
to rise, the pull-up resistance on DH changes to 2 Ohms.
Output Overvoltage Protection
When the output exceeds 10% of the its set voltage the
low-side MOSFET is latched on. It stays latched and the
SMPS is off until the enable input or POR is toggled. There
is a slight delay built into the OV protection circuit to prevent false transitions.
Design Procedure
Prior to any design of a switch mode power supply (SMPS)
for notebook computers, determination of input voltage,
load current, switching frequency and inductor ripple current must be specified.
Output Undervoltage Protection
When the output is 20% below its set voltage the output
is latched in a tristated condition, and the SMPS is off
until the enable input or POR is toggled. There is a slight
delay built into the UV protection circuit to prevent false
transitions.
Input Voltage Range
The maximum input voltage (VINMAX) is determined by the
highest AC adaptor voltage. The minimum input voltage
(VINMIN) is determined by the lowest battery voltage after
accounting for voltage drops due to connectors, fuses
and battery selector switches.
POR, UVLO and Softstart
An internal power-on reset (POR) occurs when VCCA exceeds 3V, resetting the fault latch and soft-start counter,
and preparing the PWM for switching. VCCA undervoltage
lockout (UVLO) circuitry inhibits switching and forces the
DL gate driver high until VCCA rises above 4.1V. At this
time the circuit will come out of UVLO and begin switching, and the softstart circuit being enabled, will progressively limit the output current over a predetermined time
period. The ramp occurs in four steps: 25%, 50%, 75%
and 100%, thereby limiting the slew rate of the output
voltage. There is 100mV of hysteresis built into the UVLO
circuit and when the VCCA falls to 4.0V the output drivers are shutdown and tristated.
Maximum Load Current
There are two values of load current to consider. Continuous load current and peak load current. Continuous
load current has more to do with thermal stresses and
therefore drives the selection of input capacitors,
MOSFETs and commutation diodes. Whereas, peak load
current determines instantaneous component stresses
and filtering requirements such as, inductor saturation,
output capacitors and design of the current limit circuit.
Switching Frequency
Switching frequency determines the trade-off between
size and efficiency. Increased frequency increases the
switching losses in the MOSFETs, since losses are a function of VIN2. Knowing the maximum input voltage
and budget for MOSFET switches usually dictates where
the design ends up.
MOSFET Gate Drivers
The DH and DL drivers are optimized for driving moderate-sized high-side, and larger low-side power MOSFETs.
An adaptive dead-time circuit monitors the DL output and
prevents the high-side MOSFET from turning on, until DL
is fully off, and conversely, monitors the DH output and
prevents the low-side MOSFET from turning on until DH
is fully off. Be sure there is low resistance and low inductance between the DH and DL outputs to the gate of
each MOSFET.
 2006 Semtech Corp.
Inductor Ripple Current
Low inductor values create higher ripple current, resulting in smaller size, but are less efficient because of the
high AC currents flowing through the inductor. Higher inductor values do reduce the ripple current and are more
efficient, but are larger and more costly.
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Applications Information (Cont.)
RDSON of the MOSFET is a nominal 0.013 Ohms, accounting for increased temperature effects use 0.015
Ohm.
The selection of the ripple current is based on the maximum output current and tends to be between 20% to
50% of the maximum load current. Again, cost, size and
efficiency all play a part in the selection process.
RILIM =
Design Example
The following design example is for the evaluation board
schematic shown on page 16. While most DDR supplies
have a maximum load of 3A, the following design was
meant for applications beyond DDR memory. Therefore,
this design will have an input voltage from 5V to 19V,
with an output voltage of 1.25V at 5A of load current.
The inductor chosen was a Panasonic 4µH, 11A inductor.
Similarly, using a Sense resistor to obtain a more accurate current limit would make use of the valley current
equation. Thus, for a 0.015 Ohm resistor the RILIM would
calculate to the same 10k Ohm ILIM resistor will be
6 • 6 • 0.015 = 0.54 W effecting the efficiency budget.
Inductor Selection
The switching frequency is set to 300kHz which yields a
good trade-off of size and efficiency. RTON is chosen to
be 1M Ohm for a switching frequency of 300kHz. Because ripple voltage is used as the feedback mechanism
of this device, this leads to the choice of the ripple current being 10% of load current. This will give a nice ripple
voltage waveform for ensuring proper PWM triggering for
this type of controller.
Output Capacitor Selection
The output filter capacitor must have low effective series resistance (ESR) to meet the output ripple and load
transient requirements, at the same time have high
enough ESR to satisfy stability requirements. In addition,
the value of output capacitance must be high enough to
absorb the inductor energy going from full-load to noload without tripping the overvoltage protection circuit.
For CPU load transients, how much ESR is needed depends upon output voltage variation limits under a CPU
load transient. The ESR for this condition is given:
∆IL = 0.1•5 = 0.5A
L=
VOUT • (VIN − VOUT ) • T
VIN • ∆IL
ESR =
L = 4µH
Setting the Current Limit
The minimum current-limit threshold must be high enough
to support the maximum load current. The valley of the
inductor current occurs at:
ILoad(Max) −
∆IL
2
ESR =
∆IL
2
Setting the over current to 6.5A is calculated as follows:
CMIN =
RDSON•ILOC
10µA
 2006 Semtech Corp.
ILOAD(MAX)
∆VOUT(p - p)
ILOAD(MAX)
However, for most CPU applications the minimum capacitance required is limited by the energy absorption of the
output capacitor. The equation for determining the minimum capacitance can be found by the following equation:
The inductor must not saturate under all conditions of
operation. If the current limit is set to 6.5A the maximum
current through the inductor will be: 6.5 + ∆IL = 7A
RILIM =
∆VOUT
In non CPU applications, the output capacitor size depends on how much ESR is needed to maintain an acceptable level of output voltage ripple. Under these conditions the ESR value is given:
, (see Figure 2) therefore:
ILIM(Low) > ILoad(Max) -
0.015 • 6.5
= 10k
10µA
10
LOUT •IOUT 2
VF 2 − VI2
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Applications Information (Cont.)
empirically. If the ESR is low enough the ripple voltage is
dominated by the charging of the output capacitor. This
ripple voltage lags the on-time due to the LC poles and
can cause double pulsing if the phase delay exceeds the
off-time of the converter. Referring to Figure 3, the
equation for the minimum ESR as a function of output
capacitance and switching frequency and duty cycle is;
Where VF is the final output voltage after release of the
load and VI is the initial voltage prior to the release of
load. If no more than 100mV of output voltage variation
is required between VF and VI , plugging in the numbers
for the application circuit yields minimum output capacitance of 1000µF. As shown, a large amount of capacitance is required to absorb the energy of the inductor
during a load release of 5A. In typical DDR memory applications a load release of this magnitude is not an issue
and therefore the application circuit can get by with 300µF
of output capacitance.

 Fs - 200000  
 1+3 • 
 
Fs

 
ESR > 
 2• π•Cout •Fs • 1 −D 2 
(
) 



Stability Considerations:
Unstable operation shows up in two related but distinctly
different ways: double pulsing and fast-feedback loop
instability.
Double-pulsing occurs due to noise on the output or because the ESR is too low, causing not enough voltage
ramp in the output signal. This causes the error amplifier
to trigger prematurely after the 400ns minimum off-time
has expired. Double-pulsing will result in higher ripple
voltage at the output, but in most cases is harmless.
However, in some cases double-pulsing can indicate the
presence of loop instability, which is caused by insufficient ESR. One simple way to solve this problem is to add
some trace resistance in the high current output path. A
side effect of doing this is output voltage droop with load.
Where D = Vout/Vin. Plugging in the numbers for this
design ESR > 0.004 Ohms.
Input Capacitor Selection
Input capacitors are selected based upon the input ripple
current demand of the converter. First determine the
input ripple current expected and then choose a capacitor
to meet that demand.
The input RMS ripple current can be calculated as follows:
IRMS =
IOUT
VIN
Therefore, for a maximum load current of 6.0A , the input
capacitors should be able to safely handle 3A of ripple
current. For the EVAL board, we chose two 10µF, 25V
ceramic capacitors. Each capacitor has a ripple current
capability of 2A.
SC1480 ESR Requirements
The constant on-time control used in the SC1480
regulates the ripple voltage at the output capacitor. This
signal consists of a term generated by the output ESR of
the capacitor and a term based on the increase in voltage
across the capacitor due to charging and discharging
during the switching cycle. The minimum ESR is set to
generate the required ripple voltage for regulation. For
most applications the minimum ESR ripple voltage is
dominated by PCB layout and the properties of SP or
POSCAP type output capacitors. For applications using
ceramic output capacitors the absolute minimum ESR
must be considered. Existing literature describing the ESR
requirements to prevent double pulsing does not
accurately predict the performance of constant on-time
controllers. A time domain model of the converter was
developed to generate equations for the minimum ESR
 2006 Semtech Corp.
VOUT • (VIN − VOUT ) •
MOSFET Switch Selection
The current selection of MOSFETs are determined by the
setting of the overcurrent limit circuit and the maximum
input voltage. The next step is to determine their power
handling capability. For the EVAL board the ISi4484 meet
the voltage and current requirements. This is a 30V,
10A FET. Based on 85°C ambient temperature, 150°C
junction temperature and thermal resistance, their power
handling is calculated as follows:
Power Limit for Upper & Lower FET:
TJ = 150°C; TA = 85°C; θ = 50°C/W
JA
11
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Applications Information (Cont.)
PT =
TJ − TA 150 − 85
=
= 1.3W
θ JA
50
performance, use the slowest on-time setting of 200kHz.
When working with low input voltages, the duty-factor
limit must be calculated using worst-case values for on
and off times. The IC duty-factor limitation is given by:
Each FET must not exceed 1.3W of power dissipation.
MOSFET Power Dissipation
Worst-case conduction losses occur at the duty factor
extremes. For the high-side MOSFET, the worst-case
conduction power dissipation occurs at minimum battery
voltage:
PDUC =
DUTY =
Be sure to include inductor resistance and MOSFET onstate voltage drops when performing worst-case dropout
duty-factor calculations.
VOUT
•ILOAD2 •RDS(ON)
VIN(MIN)
Layout Guidelines
As with any high frequency switching regulator, it is
advisable to practice a careful layout strategy. This
includes keeping loop area as small as possible. And
properly decoupling lines that pull large currents in short
periods of time. To keep loop area small always use a
ground plane and if possible split the plane in two areas,
signal GND and power GND, then tie the two together at
one point. Be sure that high current paths have low
inductance by making trace widths wide where possible.
The SC1480 pin-outs contain digital signals on the right
and analog signals on the left side of the device. This
facilitates the isolation of digital and analog signals
enabling effective layout of the device. In summary follow
these guidelines for good PC board layout::
Typically, a small high-side MOSFET is selected to reduce
switching losses at high input voltages. However, the
RDS(ON) limits how small the MOSFET can be.
Another element of loss in the upper MOSFET is the
switching loss, especially at high input voltages, those
seen when the AC adaptor is applied. The upper MOSFET
switching losses can be estimated as follows:
PDUS =
CRSS• VIN(MAX )2 • f •ILOAD
IGATE
Where CRSS is the reverse transfer capacitance of the
upper MOSFET and IGATE is the peak gate-drive source/
sink current which is approximately 1A for the SC1480.
• Keep high-current paths short, especially at the ground
terminals.
• Tie AGND and PGND together close to the IC.
• Keep the power traces and load connections short.
This practice is essential for high efficiency. Using thick
copper PC boards (2oz vs 1oz) can enhance full-load
efficiency by 1% or more.
• Connect the ILIMIT resistor as close to the lower
MOSFET drain as possible, and keep the resistance
distance from the ILIM pin to the drain short. This will
improve current limit accuracy.
For the low-side MOSFET the there are only conduction
loses to be concerned about since the commutation diode
is active while the lower MOSFET switches. The worstcase power dissipation occurs at maximum battery
voltage:
VOUT 

PDLC =  1  •ILOAD2 •RDS( ON)
V
(
)
IN
MAX


Adding up the power dissipation for each MOSFET can
now proceed and the total for each MOSFET should not
exceed 1.3W which was calculated earlier to be the
maximum power dissipation under worst-case conditions.
1480 System DC Accuracy
Two IC parameters effect system DC accuracy, the error
comparator offset voltage, and the switching frequency
variation with line and load. The 1480 regulates to the
REFOUT voltage not the REFIN voltage. Since DDR
specifications are written with respect to REFOUT, the
offset of the reference buffer does not create a regulation
error.
Dropout Performance
The output voltage adjust range for continuousconduction operation is limited by the fixed 500nS
(maximum) minimum off-time one-shot. For best dropout
 2006 Semtech Corp.
TON(MIN)
TON(MIN) + TOFF(MAX)
12
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Applications Information (Cont.)
The error comparator offset is trimmed so that it trips
when VOUT is 1.25 volts +/-1% at room temperature.
This offset does not drift significantly with supply and
temperature. Thus, the error comparator contributes 1%
or less to DC system inaccuracy.
Thermal Considerations
The on pulse in the SC1480 is calculated to give a pseudo
fixed frequency. Nevertheless, some frequency variation
with line and load can be expected. This variation changes
the output ripple voltage. Because constant on regulators
regulate to the valley of the output ripple, ½ of the output
ripple appears as a DC regulation error. For example, if
REFOUT=1.25 volts, then the valley of the output ripple
will be 1.25 volts. If the ripple is 20mv with VIN=6, then
the DC output voltage will be 1.26 volts. If the ripple is
40mv with VIN=25 volts, then the DC output voltage will
be 1.27 volts. The best way to minimize this effect is to
minimize the output ripple.
Where:
TA = ambient temperature (°C)
PD = power dissipation in (W)
θJA = thermal impedance junction to ambient from
absolute maximum ratings (°C/W)
The junction temperature of the device may be calculated
as follows:
TJ = TA + PD • θ JA
°C
The power dissipation may be calculated as follows:
PD = VCCA • IVCCA + Vg • Q g • f
W
Where:
VCCA = chip supply voltage (V)
IVCCA = operating current (A)
Vg = gate drive voltage, typically 5V (V)
Qg = FET gate charge, from the FET datasheet (C)
f = switching frequency (kHz)
To compensate for valley regulation it is usually desirable
to use passive droop. Take the feedback directly from
the output side of the inductor incorporating a small
amount of trace resistance between the inductor and
output capacitor. This trace resistance should be
optimized so that at full load the output droops to near
the lower regulation limit. Passive droop minimizes the
required output capacitance because the voltage
excursions due to load steps are reduced. Passive droop
also improves stability so it should be used when possible.
Inserting the following values as an example:
TA = 85°C
θJA = 100°C/W
VCCA = 5V
IVCCA = 1100µA (data sheet maximum)
Vg = 5V
Qg = 60nC
f = 300kHz
gives us:
(
)
TJ = 85 + 5 • 1100 • 10 −6 + 5 • 60 • 10 −9 • 300 • 10 3 • 100 = 95
°C
As can be seen, the heating effects due to internal power
dissipation are practically negligible, thus requiring no
special consideration thermally during layout.
 2006 Semtech Corp.
13
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Reference Design
+5V_RUN
C1
10uF/10V
4.5V - 25V
2.50V_SUS
C2
10uF/25V
R1
20K
REFOUT
D1
+5V
R2
1M
ZHCS400
R3
20K
8
+5V_SUS
C4
1uF
R4
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R5
1M
PGOOD
R7
NO_POP
C6
1uF
C7
1000pF
U1
REFIN
BST
TON
DH
REFOUT
LX
VCCA
ILIM
FBK
VDDP
PGOOD
DL
GND
PGND
C5
0.1uF
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
R6
10K
SC1480
C8
0.01uF
Q1
2
1
5
6
7
4
Si4818DY
3
C3
1uF
L1
1.25VOUT
4.1uH
+
C9
150uF
C10
10uF
VIN = 4.5V - 25V
VOUT = 1.25V; IOUT = 3A
 2006 Semtech Corp.
14
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Reference Design - Bill of Material
Item
Quantity
1
1
C1
10uF/10V
2
1
C2
10uF/25V
3
3
C3,C4,C6
1uF
4
1
C5
0.1uF
5
1
C7
1000pF
6
1
C8
0.01uF
7
1
C9
150uF
8
1
C 10
10uF
9
1
D1
ZHCS400
10
1
L1
4.1uH
11
1
Q1
S i 4818D Y
12
2
R1, R3
20k
13
2
R2, R5
1m
14
1
R4
10
15
1
R6
10k
16
1
R7
No Pop
17
1
U1
S C 1480
 2006 Semtech Corp.
Reference
Part
15
Vendor
www.semtech.com
SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Evaluation Board Schematic
+5V
1.25V
R1
TP1
750
+5V
2
C1
10uF/6.3V
TP2
R2
100
J1
5VRUN
U1
1
GND
TP3
SC431L
R3
12.4K
5VRUN
C2
10uF/6.3V
TP4
R4
10
C3
1uF
GND
J2
1
2
TP6
REFI
RGND
PGD
U2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
RGND
R8
NO_POP
C8
0.1uF
REFIN
BST
TON
DH
REFOUT
LX
VCCA
ILIM
FBK
VDDP
PGOOD
DL
GND
PGND
4
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
1
2
3
C9
1uF
PHASE_TP
10K
Q2
Si4884
4
C14
1000pF
1
2
4uH
D2
MBRS140T3
SC1480
C13
1uF
J3
L1
R7
+ C10
150uF
R9
C15
1uF
C12
10uF/6.3V
C16
NO_POP
VOUT
SP2
R10
NO_POP
0
 2006 Semtech Corp.
+ C11
150uF
1
2
3
TP8
R6
1M
SP1
Q1
Si4884
C7
1uF
REFO
C6
0.1uF
ZHCS400
TP5
TP7
+5V
C5
10uF/25V
5
6
7
8
1.25V
5
6
7
8
R5
1M
TP9
C4
10uF/25V
D1
VIN
16
R11
0
VOUT_TP
www.semtech.com
SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Evaluation Board - Bill of Materials
Item
Quantity
1
3
C1,C2,C12
10uF/6.3V
2
5
C3,C7,C9,C13,C15
1uF
3
2
C4,C5
10uF/25V
4
2
C6,C8
0.1uF
5
2
C10,C11
150uF
6
1
C 14
1000pF
7
3
R8,R10,C16
NO_POP
8
1
D1
ZHCS400
9
1
D2
MBRS140T3
10
1
J1
Header Post
11
2
J2,J3
Banana Jack
12
1
L1
4uH
13
2
Q1,Q2
S i 4884
14
1
R1
750
15
1
R2
100
16
1
R3
12.4K
17
1
R4
10
18
2
R5,R6
1M
19
1
R7
10K
20
2
R9,R11
0
21
2
SP1,SP2
Probe test point
22
9
TP1 thru TP9
23
1
U1
S C 431L
24
1
U2
S C 1480
 2006 Semtech Corp.
Reference
Part
17
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Gerber Plots
Silk Screen Layer
Bottom Layer
Power Ground Layer
Analog Ground Layer
Top Layer
 2006 Semtech Corp.
18
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Typical Characteristic (Cont.)
SC1480EVB Efficiency at VOUT = 1.25V
SC1480EVB Line Regulation at VOUT = 1.25V
100
0.6
95
0.5
Line Regulation (%)
Efficiency (%)
90
85
80
75
VIN=25V
VIN=14V
VIN=4.5V
70
60
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
0.3
IOUT=0A
IOUT=1A
IOUT=2A
IOUT=3A
IOUT=4A
IOUT=5A
0.2
0.1
65
0.1
0.4
4.5
0
5
4.5
10
19
25
Frequency vs. Input Voltage
(IOUT = 1A, VOUT = 1.25V, Rton = 1M)
SC1480EVB Load Regulation at VOUT = 1.25V
280
0.6
270
0.5
260
Frequency (kHz)
Load Regulation (%)
14
Input Voltage (Volts)
Output Current (Amps)
0.4
0.3
0.2
VIN=4.5V
VIN=10V
VIN=14V
VIN=19V
VIN=25V
0.1
250
240
230
220
210
0
200
0
1
2
3
4
5
5
10
15
20
25
Load Current (Amps)
Input Voltage (Volts)
Frequency vs. Load Current
(VIN = 15V, VOUT = 1.25V, Rton = 1M)
Rton vs. Frequency
(VIN = 15V, VOUT = 1.25V, IOUT = 1A)
290
600
280
500
Frequency (kHz)
Frequency (kHz)
270
260
250
240
230
220
400
300
200
100
210
0
400
200
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Load Current (Amps)
 2006 Semtech Corp.
500
600
700
800
1000
1500
Rton (kohms)
19
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Typical Characteristic (Cont.)
Upper Trace: 0A to +2A Transient
Lower Trace: Output Ripple Voltage
Upper Trace: Phase
Lower Trace: Output Ripple Voltage
Upper Trace: 0A to -2A Load Transient
Lower Trace: Output Ripple Voltage
 2006 Semtech Corp.
Upper Trace: 0A to +2A and 0A to -2A Transient
Lower Trace: Output Ripple Voltage
20
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Marking Diagram
Top Mark
Bottom Mark
yy = two-digit year of manufacture
ww = two-digit week of manufacture
xxxxxx = Wafer Lot Number
xx = Assembly Lot Number
 2006 Semtech Corp.
21
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SC1480
POWER MANAGEMENT
Outline Drawing - TSSOP-14
A
D
DIM
A
A1
A2
b
c
D
E1
E
e
L
L1
N
01
aaa
bbb
ccc
2X E/2
E1
E
PIN 1
INDICATOR
ccc C
2X N/2 TIPS
1 2 3
e
B
aaa C
SEATING
PLANE
DIMENSIONS
INCHES
MILLIMETERS
MIN NOM MAX MIN NOM MAX
.047
.006
.002
.042
.031
.012
.007
.003
.007
.193 .197 .201
.169 .173 .177
.252 BSC
.026 BSC
.018 .024 .030
(.039)
14
0°
8°
.004
.004
.008
1.20
0.15
0.05
1.05
0.80
0.19
0.30
0.20
0.09
4.90 5.00 5.10
4.30 4.40 4.50
6.40 BSC
0.65 BSC
0.45 0.60 0.75
(1.0)
14
0°
8°
0.10
0.10
0.20
D
A2 A
A1
C
bxN
bbb
H
c
GAGE
PLANE
C A-B D
0.25
L
(L1)
DETAIL
SEE DETAIL
SIDE VIEW
01
A
A
NOTES:
1.
CONTROLLING DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERS (ANGLES IN DEGREES).
2. DATUMS -A- AND -B- TO BE DETERMINED AT DATUM PLANE -H3. DIMENSIONS "E1" AND "D" DO NOT INCLUDE MOLD FLASH, PROTRUSIONS
OR GATE BURRS.
4. REFERENCE JEDEC STD MO-153, VARIATION AB-1.
Land Pattern - TSSOP-14
X
DIM
(C)
G
DIMENSIONS
INCHES
MILLIMETERS
C
G
P
X
Y
Z
Z
Y
(.222)
.161
.026
.016
.061
.283
(5.65)
4.10
0.65
0.40
1.55
7.20
P
NOTES:
1.
THIS LAND PATTERN IS FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY.
CONSULT YOUR MANUFACTURING GROUP TO ENSURE YOUR
COMPANY'S MANUFACTURING GUIDELINES ARE MET.
Contact Information
Semtech Corporation
Power Management Products Division
200 Flynn Road, Camarillo, CA 93012
Phone: (805) 498-2111 FAX (805) 498-3804
Visit us at: www.semtech.com
 2006 Semtech Corp.
22
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