TI UC3848

UC1848
UC2848
UC3848
Average Current Mode PWM Controller
FEATURES
BLOCK DIAGRAM
• Practical Primary Side Control of
Isolated Power Supplies with DC
Control of Secondary Side Current
• Accurate Programmable Maximum
Duty Cycle Clamp
• Maximum Volt-Second Product Clamp
to Prevent Core Saturation
• Practical Operation Up to 1MHz
• High Current (2A Pk) Totem Pole
Output Driver
• Wide Bandwidth (8MHz) Current Error
Amplifier
• Under Voltage Lockout Monitors VCC,
VIN and VREF
• Output Active Low During UVLO
• Low Startup Current (500µA)
• Precision 5V Reference (1%)
UDG-93003-1
DESCRIPTION
The UC3848 family of PWM control ICs makes primary
side average current mode control practical for isolated
switching converters. Average current mode control insures that both cycle by cycle peak switch current and
maximum average inductor current are well defined and
will not run away in a short circuit situation. The UC3848
can be used to control a wide variety of converter topologies.
In addition to the basic functions required for pulse width
modulation, the UC3848 implements a patented technique of sensing secondary current in an isolated buck
derived converter from the primary side. A current waveform synthesizer monitors switch current and simulates
the inductor current down slope so that the complete current waveform can be constructed on the primary side
without actual secondary side measurement. This information on the primary side allows for full DC control of
output current.
The UC3848 circuitry includes a precision reference, a
wide bandwidth error amplifier for average current control, an oscillator to generate the system clock, latching
PWM comparator and logic circuits, and a high current
4/96
output driver. The current error amplifier easily interfaces
with an optoisolator from a secondary side voltage sensing circuit.
A full featured undervoltage lockout (UVLO) circuit is contained in the UC3848. UVLO monitors the supply voltage
to the controller (VCC), the reference voltage (VREF),
and the input line voltage (VIN). All three must be good
before soft start commences. If either VCC or VIN is low,
the supply current required by the chip is only 500µA and
the output is actively held low.
Two on board protection features set controlled limits to
prevent transformer core saturation. Input voltage is monitored and pulse width is constrained to limit the maximum volt-second product applied to the transformer. A
unique patented technique limits maximum duty cycle
within 3% of a user programmed value.
These two features allow for more optimal use of transformers and switches, resulting in reduced system size
and cost.
Patents embodied in the UC3848 belong to Lambda
Electronics Incorporated and are licensed for use in applications employing these devices.
UC1848
UC2848
UC3848
ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM RATINGS
Analog Output Currents, Source or Sink (Pins 5 & 10) . . . 5mA
Power Dissipation at TA = 60°C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1W
Storage Temperature Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . −65°C to +150°C
Lead Temperature (Soldering 10 seconds) . . . . . . . . . . +300°C
Supply Voltage (Pin 15). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22V
Output Current, Source or Sink (Pin 14)
DC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5A
Pulse (0.5 s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2A
Power Ground to Ground (Pin 1 to Pin 13) . . . . . . . . . . . ± 0.2V
Analog Input Voltages
(Pins 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . –0.3 to 7V
Analog Input Currents, Source or Sink
(Pins 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1mA
Notes: All voltages are with respect to ground (DIL and SOIC
Pin 1). Currents are positive into the specified terminal. Pin
numbers refer to the 16 pin DIL and SOIC packages. Consult
Packaging Section of Databook for thermal limitations and
considerations of packages.
CONNECTION DIAGRAMS
DIL-16, SOIC-16 (Top View)
J, N, or DW Packages
PLCC-20 & LCC-20
(Top View)
Q & L Packages
PACKAGE PIN FUNCTION
FUNCTION
PIN
N/C
1
GND
2
VREF
3
NI
4
INV
5
N/C
6
CAO
7
CT
8
VS
9
DMAX
10
N/C
11
CDC
12
CI
13
IOFF
14
ION
15
N/C
16
PGND
17
OUT
18
VCC
19
UV
20
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Unless otherwise stated, all specifications are over the junction temperature range
of −55°C to +125°C for the UC1848, −40°C to +85°C for the UC2848, and 0°C to +70°C for the UC3848. Test conditions are: VCC
= 12V, CT = 400pF, CI = 100pF, IOFF = 100µA, CDC = 100nF, Cvs = 100pF, and Ivs = 400µA, TA = TJ.
PARAMETER
TEST CONDITIONS
MIN
TYP
0.95
1
20
25
MAX UNITS
Real Time Current Waveform Synthesizer
Ion Amplifier
Offset Voltage
Slew Rate (Note 1)
lib
1.05
V
V/µs
-2
-20
µA
IOFF Current Mirror
Input Voltage
0.95
1
1.05
V
Current Gain
0.9
1
1.1
A/A
60
100
10
mV
-3
µA
Current Error Amplifier
AVOL
Vio
12V ≤ VCC
20V, 0V
VCM
5V
lib
-0.5
Voh
IO = −200µA
Vol
IO = 200µA
Source Current
VO = 1V
GBW Product
f = 200kHz
Slew Rate (Note 1)
2
dB
3
3.3
V
0.3
0.6
V
1.4
1.6
2.0
mA
5
8
MHz
8
10
V/µs
UC1848
UC2848
UC3848
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Unless otherwise stated, all specifications are over the junction temperature range
of −55°C to +125°C for the UC1848, −40°C to +85°C for the UC2848, and 0°C to +70°C for the UC3848. Test conditions are: VCC
= 12V, CT = 400pF, CI = 100pF, IOFF = 100µA, CDC = 100nF, Cvs = 100pF, and Ivs = 400µA, TA = TJ.
PARAMETER
TEST CONDITIONS
MIN
TYP
240
250
MAX UNITS
Oscillator
Frequency
TA = 25°C
235
Ramp Amplitude
260
kHz
265
kHz
1.5
1.65
1.8
V
73.5
76.5
79.5
%
1100
ns
Duty Cycle Clamp
Max Duty Cycle
V(DMAX) = 0.75 • VREF
Volt Second Clamp
Max On Time
900
VCC Comparator
Turn-on Threshold
13
Turn-off Threshold
Hysteresis
9
10
2.5
3
14
V
V
3.5
V
UV Comparator
Turn-on Threshold
4.1
4.35
4.6
V
Vuv = 4.2V
77
90
103
kΩ
VREF
TA = 25°C
4.95
5
5.05
V
0 < IO < 10mA, 12 < VCC < 20
4.93
Line Regulation
12 < VCC < 20V
Load Regulation
0 < IO < 10mA
Short Circuit Current
VREF = 0V
RHYSTERESIS
Reference
4
30
5.07
V
15
mV
3
15
mV
50
70
mA
20
45
ns
Output Stage
Rise & Fall Time (Note 1)
Cl = 1nF
Output Low Saturation
IO = 20mA
0.25
0.4
V
IO = 200mA
1.2
2.2
V
Output High Saturation
IO = -200mA
2.0
3.0
V
UVLO Output Low Saturation
IO = 20mA
0.8
1.2
V
ISTART
VCC = 12V
0.2
0.4
mA
ICC (pre-start)
VCC = 15V, V(UV) = 0
0.5
1
mA
22
26
mA
ICC
ICC (run)
Note 1: Guaranteed by design.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Under Voltage Lockout
put line thresholds are programmed by Rv1 and Rv2.
The thresholds are
VIN(on) = 4.35V • (1 + Rv1/Rv2′) and
VIN(off) = 4.35V • (1 + Rv1/Rv2) where
Rv2′= Rv2||90k.
The resulting hysteresis is
VIN(hys) = 4.35V • Rv1 / 90k.
When the UV comparator is low, ICC is low (500µA) and
the output is low.
The Under Voltage Lockout block diagram is shown in
Fig 1. The VCC comparator monitors chip supply voltage.
Hysteretic thresholds are set at 13V and 10V to facilitate
off-line applications. If the VCC comparator is low, ICC is
low (<500µA) and the output is low.
The UV comparator monitors input line voltage (VIN). A
pair of resistors divides the input line to UV. Hysteretic in3
UC1848
UC2848
UC3848
APPLICATION INFORMATION (cont.)
When both the UV and VCC comparators are high, the
internal bias circuitry for the rest of the chip is activated.
The CDC pin (see discussion on Maximum Duty Cycle
Control and Soft Start) and the Output are held low until
VREF exceeds the 4.5V threshold of the VREF comparator. When VREF is good, control of the output driver
is transferred to the PWM circuitry and CDC is allowed to
charge.
If any of the three UVLO comparators go low, the UVLO
latch is set, the output is held low, and CDC is discharged. This state will be maintained until all three comparators are high and the CDC pin is fully discharged.
UDG-93004
Figure 1: Under voltage lockout.
Oscillator Frequency as a Function of CT
Frequency Decrease as a Function of RT
10000
FREQUENCY (kHz)
RT = Open
1000
100
10
10
100
1000
C (pF)
UDG-93006
UDG-93005
Figure 2: Oscillator frequency.
4
10000
UC1848
UC2848
UC3848
APPLICATION INFORMATION (cont.)
of the switch. During the off time, switch current drops
abruptly to zero, but the inductor current actually diminishes with a slope dIL/dt = –VO/L. This down slope must
be synthesized in some manner on the primary side to
provide the entire inductor current waveform for the control circuit.
The patented current waveform synthesizer (Fig. 4) consists of a unidirectional voltage follower which forces the
voltage on capacitor CI to follow the on time switch current waveform. A programmable discharge current synthesizes the off time portion of the waveform. ION is the
input to the follower. The discharge current is programmed at IOFF.
The follower has a one volt offset, so that zero current
corresponds to one volt at CI. The best utilization of the
UC3848 is to translate maximum average inductor current to a 4V signal level. Given N and Ns (the turns ratio
of the power and current sense transformers), proper
scaling of IL to V(CI) requires a sense resistor Rs as calculated from:
UDG-93008-1
Figure 3: Error amplifier gain and phase response
over frequency.
Rs = 4V • Ns • N / IL(max).
Oscillator
Restated, the maximum average inductor current will be
limited to:
A capacitor from the CT pin to GND programs oscillator
frequency, as shown in Fig. 2. Frequency is determined
by:
IL(max) = 4V • Ns • N/Rs.
IOFF and CI need to be chosen so that the ratio of
dV(CI)/dt to dIL/dt is the same during switch off time as
on time. Recommended nominal off current is 100 A.
This requires
F = 1 / (10k • CT).
The sawtooth wave shape is generated by a charging
current of 200 A and a discharge current of 1800 A. The
discharge time of the sawtooth is guaranteed dead time
for the output driver. If the maximum duty cycle control is
defeated by connecting DMAX to VREF, the maximum
duty cycle is limited by the oscillator to 90%. If an adjustment is required, an additional trim resistor RT from CT to
Ground can be used to adjust the oscillator frequency. RT
should not be less than 40k . This will allow up to a 22%
decrease in frequency.
CI = (100µA • N • Ns • L) / (Rs • VO(nom))
where L is the output inductor value and VO(nom) is the
converter regulated output voltage.
There are several methods to program IOFF. If accurate
average current control is required during short circuit operation, IOFF must track output voltage. The method
shown in Fig. 4 derives a voltage proportional to VIN • D
(Duty Cycle). (In a buck converter, output voltage is proportional to VIN • D.) A resistively loaded diode connection to the bootstrap winding yields a square wave whose
amplitude is proportional to VIN and is duty cycle modulated by the control circuit. Averaging this waveform with
a filter generates a primary side replica of secondary regulated VO. A single pole filter is shown, but in practice a
two or three pole filter provides better transient response.
Filtered voltage is converted by ROFF to a current to the
IOFF pin to control CI down slope.
Inductor Current Waveform Synthesizer
Average current mode control is a very useful technique
to control the value of any current within a switching converter. Input current, output inductor current, switch current, diode current or almost any other current can be
controlled. In order to implement average current mode
control, the value of the current must be explicitly known
at all times. To control output inductor current (IL) in a
buck derived isolated converter, switch current provides
inductor current information, but only during the on time
5
UC1848
UC2848
APPLICATION INFORMATION (cont.)
If the system is not sensitive to short circuit requirements,
Figure 5 shows the simplest method of downslope generation: a single resistor (ROFF = 40k) from IOFF to VREF.
The discharge current is then 100µA. The disadvantage
to this approach is that the synthesizer continues to generate a down slope when the switch is off even during
short circuit conditions. Actual inductor down slope is
closer to zero during a short circuit. The penalty is that
the average current is understated by an amount approximately equal to the nominal inductor ripple current. Output short circuit is therefore higher than the designed
maximum output current.
A third method of generating IOFF is to add a second
winding to the output inductor core (Fig. 6). When the
power switch is off and inductor current flows in the free
wheeling diode, the voltage across the inductor is equal
to the output voltage plus the diode drop. This voltage is
then transformed by the second winding to the primary
side of the converter. The advantages to this approach
are its inherent accuracy and bandwidth. Winding the
second coil on the output inductor core while maintaining
the required isolation makes this a more costly solution.
In the example, ROFF = VO / 100µA. The 4 • ROFF resistor is added to compensate the one volt input level of
the IOFF pin. Without this compensation, a minor current
foldback behavior will be observed.
UDG-93009
Figure 4: Inductor current waveform synthesizer.
UDG-93011
UDG-93010
Figure 5: Fixed IOFF.
Figure 6: Second inductor winding generation of
IOFF.
6
UC1848
UC2848
UC3848
APPLICATION INFORMATION (cont.)
T(ss) = 20k • CDC.
Maximum Volt-Second Circuit
A maximum volt-second product can be programmed by
a resistor (Rvs) from VS to VIN and a capacitor (Cvs)
from VS to ground (Figure 7). VS is discharged while the
switch is off. When the output turns on, VS is allowed to
charge. Since the threshold of the VS comparator is
much less than VIN, the charging profile at Vs will be essentially linear. If VS crosses the 4.0V threshold before
the PWM turns the output off, the VS comparator will turn
the output off for the remainder of the cycle. The maximum volt-second product is
Ground Planes
The output driver on the UC3848 is capable of 2A peak
currents. Careful layout is essential for correct operation
of the chip. A ground plane must be employed (Fig. 8). A
unique section of the ground plane must be designated
for high di/dt currents associated with the output stage.
This point is the power ground to which to PGND pin is
connected. Power ground can be separated from the rest
of the ground plane and connected at a single point, although this is not strictly necessary if the high di/dt paths
are well understood and accounted for. VCC should be
bypassed directly to power ground with a good high frequency capacitor. The sources of the power MOSFET
should connect to power ground as should the return
connection for input power to the system and the bulk input capacitor. The output should be clamped with a high
current Schottky diode to both VCC and PGND. Nothing
else should be connected to power ground.
VIN • TON(max) = 4.0V • Rvs • Cvs.
Maximum Duty Cycle And Soft Start
A patented technique is used to accurately program maximum duty cycle. Programming is accomplished by a divider from VREF to DMAX (Fig. 7). The value
programmed is:
D(max) = Rd1 / (Rd1 + Rd2).
VREF should be bypassed directly to the signal portion of
the ground plane with a good high frequency capacitor.
Low esr/esl ceramic 1 F capacitors are recommended
for both VCC and VREF. The capacitors from CT, CDC,
and CI should likewise be connected to the signal ground
plane.
For proper operation, the integrating capacitor, CDC,
should be larger than CDC(min) >T(osc) / 80k, where
T(osc) is the oscillator period. CDC also sets the soft start
time constant, so values of CDC larger than minimum
may be desired. The soft start time constant is approximately:
UDG-93012-1
Figure 7: Duty cycle control.
7
UDG-93013-1
UC1848
UC2848
UC3848
UDG-93014
Figure 8: Ground plane considerations.
UDG-93015
Figure 9: Typical application - an average current-mode isolated forward converter.
UNITRODE CORPORATION
7 CONTINENTAL BLVD. • MERRIMACK, NH 03054
TEL. (603) 424-2410 FAX (603) 424-3460
8
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Texas Instruments and its subsidiaries (TI) reserve the right to make changes to their products or to discontinue
any product or service without notice, and advise customers to obtain the latest version of relevant information
to verify, before placing orders, that information being relied on is current and complete. All products are sold
subject to the terms and conditions of sale supplied at the time of order acknowledgement, including those
pertaining to warranty, patent infringement, and limitation of liability.
TI warrants performance of its semiconductor products to the specifications applicable at the time of sale in
accordance with TI’s standard warranty. Testing and other quality control techniques are utilized to the extent
TI deems necessary to support this warranty. Specific testing of all parameters of each device is not necessarily
performed, except those mandated by government requirements.
CERTAIN APPLICATIONS USING SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCTS MAY INVOLVE POTENTIAL RISKS OF
DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PROPERTY OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE (“CRITICAL
APPLICATIONS”). TI SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED, AUTHORIZED, OR
WARRANTED TO BE SUITABLE FOR USE IN LIFE-SUPPORT DEVICES OR SYSTEMS OR OTHER
CRITICAL APPLICATIONS. INCLUSION OF TI PRODUCTS IN SUCH APPLICATIONS IS UNDERSTOOD TO
BE FULLY AT THE CUSTOMER’S RISK.
In order to minimize risks associated with the customer’s applications, adequate design and operating
safeguards must be provided by the customer to minimize inherent or procedural hazards.
TI assumes no liability for applications assistance or customer product design. TI does not warrant or represent
that any license, either express or implied, is granted under any patent right, copyright, mask work right, or other
intellectual property right of TI covering or relating to any combination, machine, or process in which such
semiconductor products or services might be or are used. TI’s publication of information regarding any third
party’s products or services does not constitute TI’s approval, warranty or endorsement thereof.
Copyright  1999, Texas Instruments Incorporated