MIC4103/4104 100V Half Bridge MOSFET Drivers 3/2A Sinking/Sourcing Current General Description Features The MIC4103 and MIC4104 are high-frequency, 100V Half Bridge MOSFET drivers with faster turn-off characteristics than the MIC4100 and MIC4101 drivers. They feature fast 24ns propagation delay times and 6ns driver fall times. The low-side and high-side gate drivers are independently controlled and matched to within 3ns typical. The MIC4103 has CMOS input thresholds and the MIC4104 has TTL input thresholds. The MIC4103/4 include a high-voltage internal diode that charges the high-side gate drive bootstrap capacitor. A robust, high-speed, and low-power level shifter provides clean level transitions to the high-side output. The robust operation of the MIC4103/4 ensures the outputs are not affected by supply glitches, HS ringing below ground, or HS slewing with high-speed voltage transitions. Undervoltage protection is provided on both the low-side and high-side drivers. The MIC4103 and MIC4104 are available in an 8-pin SOIC package with a operating junction temperature range of – 40°C to +125°C. Data sheets and support documentation can be found on Micrel’s web site at: www.micrel.com. • Asymmetrical, low impedance outputs drive 1000pF load with 10ns rise times and 6ns fall times • Bootstrap supply max voltage to 118V DC • Supply voltage up to 16V • Drives high- and low-side N-Channel MOSFETs with independent inputs • CMOS input thresholds (MIC4103) • TTL input thresholds (MIC4104) • On-chip bootstrap diode • Fast 24ns propagation times • Low power consumption • Supply undervoltage protection • Typical 2.5Ω pull up and 1.25Ω pull down output driver resistance • –40°C to +125°C junction temperature range Applications • High-voltage buck converters • Full- and half-bridge power topologies • Active clamp forward converter • Two switch forward topologies • Interface to digital controllers ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Typical Application 100V Buck Regulator Solution MLF and MicroLead Frame is a registered trademark of Amkor Technologies, Inc. Micrel Inc. • 2180 Fortune Drive • San Jose, CA 95131 • USA • tel +1 (408) 944-0800 • fax + 1 (408) 474-1000 • http://www.micrel.com November 2010 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Ordering Information Part Number Input Junction Temperature Range Package MIC4103YM CMOS –40° to +125°C 8-Pin SOIC MIC4104YM TTL –40° to +125°C 8-Pin SOIC Pin Configuration 8-Pin SOIC (M) Pin Description Pin Number Pin Name 1 VDD 2 HB High-Side Bootstrap supply. External bootstrap capacitor is required. Connect positive side of bootstrap capacitor to this pin. Bootstrap diode is on-chip. 3 HO High-Side Output. Connect to gate of High-Side power MOSFET. 4 HS High-Side Source connection. Connect to source of High-Side power MOSFET. Connect negative side of bootstrap capacitor to this pin. 5 HI High-Side input. 6 LI Low-Side input. 7 VSS 8 LO November 2010 Pin Function Positive Supply to lower gate drivers. Decouple this pin to VSS (Pin 7). Bootstrap diode connected to HB (pin 2). Chip negative supply, generally will be ground. Low-Side Output. Connect to gate of Low-Side power MOSFET. 2 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Absolute Maximum Ratings(1) Operating Ratings(2) Supply Voltage (VDD, VHB – VHS) ..................... −0.3V to 18V Input Voltages (VLI, VHI) ........................ −0.3V to VDD + 0.3V Voltage on LO (VLO) ............................. −0.3V to VDD + 0.3V Voltage on HO (VHO) ..................... VHS − 0.3V to VHB + 0.3V Voltage on HS (continuous) ............................. −1V to 110V Voltage on HB .............................................................. 118V Average Current in VDD to HB Diode ....................... 100mA Junction Temperature (TJ) ........................ −55°C to +150°C Storage Temperature (Ts) ......................... −60°C to +150°C ESD Rating................................................................ Note 3 Supply Voltage (VDD) ........................................ +9V to +16V Voltage on HS .................................................. −1V to 100V Voltage on HS (repetitive transient) ................. −5V to 105V HS Slew Rate ............................................................ 50V/ns Voltage on HB ................................... VHS + 8V to VHS + 16V and ............................................ VDD - 1V to VDD + 100V Junction Temperature (TJ) ........................ –40°C to +125°C Junction Thermal Resistance SOIC-8L (θJA) ................................................... 140°C/W Electrical Characteristics(4) VDD = VHB = 12V; VSS = VHS = 0V; No load on LO or HO; TA = 25°C; unless noted. Bold values indicate –40°C< TJ < +125°C. Symbol Parameter Condition Min. Typ. Max. Units Supply Current IDD VDD Quiescent Current LI = HI = 0V 40 150 200 µA IDDO VDD Operating Current f = 500kHz 3.0 4.0 mA IHB Total HB Quiescent Current LI = HI = 0V 25 150 200 µA IHBO Total HB Operating Current f = 500kHz 1.5 2.5 3 mA IHBS HB to VSS Current, Quiescent VHS = VHB = 110V 0.05 1 30 µA Input Pins: MIC4103 (CMOS Input ) VIL Low-Level Input Voltage Threshold 4 3 VIH High-Level Input Voltage Threshold 5.7 VIHYS Input Voltage Hysteresis 0.4 RI Input Pull-Down Resistance 5.3 100 200 0.8 1.5 V 7 8 V V 500 kΩ Input Pins: MIC4104 (TTL Input ) VIL Low-Level Input Voltage Threshold VIH High-Level Input Voltage Threshold RI Input Pull-Down Resistance V 1.5 2.2 V 100 200 500 kΩ 6.5 7.4 8.0 Undervoltage Protection VDDR VDD Rising Threshold VDDH VDD Threshold Hysteresis VHBR HB Rising Threshold VHBH HB Threshold Hysteresis 0.5 6.0 7.0 0.4 V V 8.0 V V Notes: 1. Exceeding the absolute maximum rating may damage the device. 2. The device is not guaranteed to function outside its operating rating. 3. Devices are ESD sensitive. Handling precautions recommended. Human body model, 1.5kΩ in series with 100pF. 4. Specification for packaged product only. November 2010 3 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Electrical Characteristics(4) (Continued) VDD = VHB = 12V; VSS = VHS = 0V; No load on LO or HO; TA = 25°C; unless noted. Bold values indicate –40°C< TJ < +125°C. Symbol Parameter Condition Min. Typ. Max. Units Bootstrap Diode VDL Low-Current Forward Voltage IVDD-HB = 100µA 0.4 0.55 0.70 V VDH High-Current Forward Voltage IVDD-HB = 100mA 0.7 0.8 1.0 V RD Dynamic Resistance IVDD-HB = 100mA 1.0 1.5 2.0 Ω LO Gate Driver VOLL Low-Level Output Voltage ILO = 160mA 0.18 0.3 0.4 V VOHL High-Level Output Voltage ILO = −100mA, VOHL = VDD - VLO 0.25 0.3 0.45 V IOHL Peak Sink Current VLO = 0V 3 A IOLL Peak Source Current VLO = 12V 2 A HO Gate Driver VOLH Low-Level Output Voltage IHO = 160mA 0.22 0.3 0.4 V VOHH High-Level Output Voltage IHO = −100mA, VOHH = VHB – VHO 0.25 0.3 0.45 V IOHH Peak Sink Current VHO = 0V 3 A IOLH Peak Source Current VHO = 12V 2 A Switching Specifications tLPHL Lower Turn-Off Propagation Delay (LI Falling to LO Falling) (MIC4103) 24 45 ns tHPHL Upper Turn-Off Propagation Delay (HI Falling to HO Falling) (MIC4103) 24 45 ns tLPLH Lower Turn-On Propagation Delay (LI Rising to LO Rising) (MIC4103) 24 45 ns tHPLH Upper Turn-On Propagation Delay (HI Rising to HO Rising) (MIC4103) 24 45 ns tLPHL Lower Turn-Off Propagation Delay (LI Falling to LO Falling) (MIC4104) 24 45 ns tHPHL Upper Turn-Off Propagation Delay (HI Falling to HO Falling) (MIC4104) 24 45 ns tLPLH Lower Turn-On Propagation Delay (LI Rising to LO Rising) (MIC4104) 24 45 ns tHPLH Upper Turn-On Propagation Delay (HI Rising to HO Rising) (MIC4104) 24 45 ns tMON Delay Matching: Lower Turn-On and Upper Turn-Off 3 8 10 ns tMOFF Delay Matching: Lower Turn-Off and Upper Turn-On 3 8 10 ns tRC Output Rise Time CL = 1000pF 10 ns tFC Output Fall Time CL = 1000pF 6 ns November 2010 4 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Electrical Characteristics(4) (Continued) VDD = VHB = 12V; VSS = VHS = 0V; No load on LO or HO; TA = 25°C; unless noted. Bold values indicate –40°C< TJ < +125°C. Symbol Parameter Condition Min. Typ. Max. Units Switching Specifications (Continued) tR Output Rise Time (3V to 9V) CL = 0.1µF 0.4 0.6 0.8 µs tF Output Fall Time (3V to 9V) CL = 0.1µF 0.2 0.3 0.4 µs tPW Minimum Input Pulse Width that Changes the Output Note 6 50 ns tBS Bootstrap Diode Turn-On or Turn-Off Time 10 ns Notes: 5. All voltages relative to pin 7, VSS unless otherwise specified 6. Guaranteed by design. Not production tested. November 2010 5 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Timing Diagrams Note: All propagation delays are measured from the 50% voltage level. November 2010 6 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Typical Characteristics November 2010 7 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Typical Characteristics (Continued) November 2010 8 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Functional Characteristics Figure 1. MIC4103/4 Functional Block Diagram November 2010 9 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Functional Description The MIC4103 is a high-voltage, non-inverting, dual MOSFET driver that is designed to independently drive both high-side and low-side N-Channel MOSFETs. The block diagram of the MIC4103 is shown in Figure 1. Both drivers contain an input buffer with hysteresis, a UVLO circuit and an output buffer. The high-side output buffer includes a high-speed level-shifting circuit that is referenced to the HS pin. An internal diode is used as part of a bootstrap circuit to provide the drive voltage for the high-side output. Startup and UVLO The UVLO circuit forces the driver output low until the supply voltage exceeds the UVLO threshold. The low-side UVLO circuit, monitors the voltage between the VDD and VSS pins. The high-side UVLO circuit monitors the voltage between the HB and HS pins. Hysteresis in the UVLO circuit prevents noise and finite circuit impedance from causing chatter during turn-on. Figure 2. MIC4103 Supply Current vs. Input Voltage The MIC4104 has a TTL compatible input range and is recommended for use with inputs signals whose amplitude is less than the supply voltage. The threshold level is independent of the VDD supply voltage and there is no dependence between IVDD and the input signal amplitude with the MIC4104. This feature makes the MIC4104 an excellent level translator that will drive high threshold MOSFETs from a low voltage PWM IC. Input Stage The MIC4103 and MIC4104 have different input stages, which lets these parts cover a wide range of driver applications. Both the HI and LI pins are referenced to the VSS pin. Low-Side Driver A block diagram of the low-side driver is shown in Figure 3. The low-side driver is designed to drive a ground (VSS pin) referenced N-channel MOSFET. Low driver impedances allow the external MOSFET to be turned on and off quickly. The rail-to-rail drive capability of the output ensures full enhancement of the external MOSFET. The MIC4103 has a high-impedance, CMOS compatible input threshold and is recommended for applications where the input signal is noisy or where the input signal swings the full range of voltage (from VDD to GND). There is typically 400mV of hysteresis on the input pins throughout the VDD range. The hysteresis improves noise immunity and prevents input signals with slow rise times from falsely triggering the output. The threshold voltage of the MIC4103 varies proportionally with the VDD supply voltage. A high level applied to LI pin causes the upper driver FET to turn on and VDD voltage is applied to the gate of the external MOSFET. A low level on the LI pin turns off the upper driver and turns on the low side driver to ground the gate of the external MOSFET. The amplitude of the input signal affects the VDD supply current. VIN voltages that are a diode drop less than the VDD supply voltage will cause an increase in the VDD pin current. The graph in Figure 2 shows the typical dependence between IVDD and VIN for VDD = 12V. Vdd LO External FET Vss Figure 3. Low-Side Driver Block Diagram November 2010 10 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 High-Side Driver and Bootstrap Circuit A block diagram of the high-side driver and bootstrap circuit is shown in Figure 4. This driver is designed to drive a floating N-channel MOSFET, whose source terminal is referenced to the HS pin. CB CVDD HI Vin HB Vdd Q1 Level shift Lout HO HS LI Q2 LO Vss Figure 5. High-Side Driver and Bootstrap Circuit Power Dissipation Considerations Power dissipation in the driver can be separated into three areas: • Figure 4. High-Side Driver and Bootstrap Circuit Block Diagram A low-power, high-speed, level shifting circuit isolates the low-side (VSS pin) referenced circuitry from the high-side (HS pin) referenced driver. Power to the high-side driver and UVLO circuit is supplied by the bootstrap circuit while the voltage level of the HS pin is shifted high. Internal diode dissipation in the bootstrap circuit • Internal driver dissipation • Quiescent current dissipation used to supply the internal logic and control functions. Bootstrap Circuit Power Dissipation Power dissipation of the internal bootstrap diode primarily comes from the average charging current of the CB capacitor times the forward voltage drop of the diode. Secondary sources of diode power dissipation are the reverse leakage current and reverse recovery effects of the diode. The bootstrap circuit consists of an internal diode and external capacitor, CB. In a typical application, such as the synchronous buck converter shown in Figure 5, the HS pin is at ground potential while the low-side MOSFET is on. The internal diode allows capacitor CB to charge up to VDD − VD during this time (where VD is the forward voltage drop of the internal diode). After the low-side MOSFET is turned off and the HO pin turns on, the voltage across capacitor CB is applied to the gate of the upper external MOSFET. As the upper MOSFET turns on, voltage on the HS pin rises with the source of the high-side MOSFET until it reaches VIN. As the HS and HB pin rise, the internal diode is reverse biased preventing capacitor CB from discharging. The average current drawn by repeated charging of the high-side MOSFET is calculated by: I F ( AVE ) = Qgate × fS where : Q gate = Total Gate Charge at VHB fS = gate drive switching frequency The average power dissipated by the forward voltage drop of the diode equals: Pdiode fwd = I F ( AVE ) × VF where : VF = Diode forward voltage drop November 2010 11 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 The value of VF should be taken at the peak current through the diode, however, this current is difficult to calculate because of differences in source impedances. The peak current can either be measured or the value of VF at the average current can be used and will yield a good approximation of diode power dissipation. The reverse leakage current of the internal bootstrap diode is typically 11µA at a reverse voltage of 100V and 125°C. Power dissipation due to reverse leakage is typically much less than 1mW and can be ignored. Reverse recovery time is the time required for the injected minority carriers to be swept away from the depletion region during turn-off of the diode. Power dissipation due to reverse recovery can be calculated by computing the average reverse current due to reverse recovery charge times the reverse voltage across the diode. November 2010 12 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Application Information The average reverse current and power dissipation due to reverse recovery can be estimated by: Vin CB I RR ( AVE ) = 0.5 × I RRM × t rr × fS HB Vdd Pdiode RR = I RR ( AVE ) × VREV HI where : IRRM = Peak Reverse Recovery Current Level shift HO t rr = Reverse Recovery Time HS The total diode power dissipation is: LI LO Pdiode total = Pdiode fwd + Pdiode RR Vss An optional external bootstrap diode may be used instead of the internal diode (Figure 6). An external diode may be useful if high gate charge MOSFETs are being driven and the power dissipation of the internal diode is contributing to excessive die temperatures. The voltage drop of the external diode must be less than the internal diode for this option to work. The reverse voltage across the diode will be equal to the input voltage minus the VDD supply voltage. A 100V Schottky diode will work for most 72V input telecom applications. The above equations can be used to calculate power dissipation in the external diode, however, if the external diode has significant reverse leakage current, the power dissipated in that diode due to reverse leakage can be calculated as: Figure 6. Optional Bootstrap Diode Gate Driver Power Dissipation Power dissipation in the output driver stage is mainly caused by charging and discharging the gate to source and gate to drain capacitance of the external MOSFET. Figure 7 shows a simplified equivalent circuit of the MIC4103 driving an external MOSFET. Pdiode REV = I R × VREV × (1 − D ) where : IR = Reverse current flow at VREV and TJ External FET HB Vdd Cgd Ron VREV = Diode Reverse Voltage CB HO D = Duty Cycle = t ON / fS fs = switching frequency of the power supply Rg Roff The on-time is the time the high-side switch is conducting. In most power supply topologies, the diode is reverse biased during the switching cycle off-time. Rg_fet Cgs HS Figure 7. MIC4103 Driving an External MOSFET November 2010 13 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 The same energy is dissipated by ROFF, RG, and RG_FET when the driver IC turns the MOSFET off. Assuming RON is approximately equal to Roff, the total energy and power dissipated by the resistive drive elements is: Dissipation during the External MOSFET Turn-On Energy from capacitor CB is used to charge up the input capacitance of the MOSFET (CGD and CGS). The energy delivered to the MOSFET is dissipated in the three resistive components, RON, RG, and RG_FET. RON is the on resistance of the upper driver MOSFET in the MIC4103. RG is the series resistor (if any) between the driver IC and the MOSFET. RG_FET is the gate resistance of the MOSFET. RG_FET is usually listed in the power MOSFET’s specifications. The ESR of capacitor CB and the resistance of the connecting trace can be ignored since they are much less than RON and RG_FET. Edriver = QG × VGS and Pdriver = QG × VGS × fs where Edriver is the energy dissipated per switching cycle Pdriver is the power dissipated by switching the MOSFET on and off QG is the total gate charge at Vgs The effective capacitance of CGD and CGS is difficult to calculate since they vary non-linearly with ID, VGS, and VDS. Fortunately, most power MOSFET specifications include a typical graph of total gate charge vs. VGS. Figure 8 shows a typical gate charge curve for an arbitrary power MOSFET. This chart shows that for a gate voltage of 10V, the MOSFET requires about 23.5nC of charge. The energy dissipated by the resistive components of the gate drive circuit during turn-on is calculated as: E= 1 2 VGS is the gate to source voltage on the MOSFET fs is the switching frequency of the gate drive circuit The power dissipated inside the MIC4103/4 is equal to the ratio of RON & ROFF to the external resistive losses in RG and RG_FET. Letting RON =ROFF, the power dissipated in the MIC4103 due to driving the external MOSFET is: Pdiss drive = Pdriver × Ciss × Vgs 2 but RON RON + RG + RG _ FET Supply Current Power Dissipation Power is dissipated in the MIC4103 even if there is nothing being driven. The supply current is drawn by the bias for the internal circuitry, the level shifting circuitry, and shootthrough current in the output drivers. The supply current is proportional to operating frequency and the VDD and VHB voltages. The typical characteristic graphs show how supply current varies with switching frequency and supply voltage. Q = C× V so E = 1/2 × Qg × Vgs where Ciss is the total gate capacitance of the MOSFET The power dissipated by the MIC4103 due to supply current is: Pdiss sup ply = VDD × I DD + VHB × I HB Total Power Dissipation and Thermal Considerations Total power dissipation in the MIC4103 or MIC4104 is equal to the power dissipation caused by driving the external MOSFETs, the supply current, and the internal bootstrap diode. Pdiss total = Pdiss supply + Pdiss drive + Pdiode total Figure 8. Typical Gate Charge vs. VGS November 2010 14 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 The die temperature may be calculated once the total power dissipation is known. Decoupling and Bootstrap Capacitor Selection Decoupling capacitors are required for both the low-side (VDD) and high-side (HB) supply pins. These capacitors supply the charge necessary to drive the external MOSFETs as well as minimize the voltage ripple on these pins. The capacitor from HB to HS serves double duty by providing decoupling for the high-side circuitry as well as providing current to the high-side circuit while the high-side external MOSFET is on. ceramic capacitors are recommended because of their low impedance and small size. Z5U type ceramic capacitor dielectrics are not recommended due to the large change in capacitance over temperature and voltage. A minimum value of 0.1µf is required for each of the capacitors, regardless of the MOSFETs being driven. Larger MOSFETs may require larger capacitance values for proper operation. The voltage rating of the capacitors depends on the supply voltage, ambient temperature, and the voltage derating used for reliability. 25V rated X5R or X7R ceramic capacitors are recommended for most applications. The minimum capacitance value should be increased if lowvoltage capacitors are used since even good quality dielectric capacitors, such as X5R, will lose 40% to 70% of their capacitance value at the rated voltage. TJ = T A + Pdiss total × θ JA where : TA is the maximum ambient temperature TJ is the junction temperature (°C) Pdisstotal is the power dissipation of the MIC4103/4 θJC is the thermal resistance from junction to ambient air (°C/W) Propagation Delay and Delay Matching and other Timing Considerations Propagation delay and signal timing is an important consideration in a high-performance power supply. The MIC4103 is designed not only to minimize propagation delay but to minimize the mismatch in delay between the high-side and low-side drivers. Fast propagation delay between the input and output drive waveform is desirable. It improves overcurrent protection by decreasing the response time between the control signal and the MOSFET gate drive. Minimizing propagation delay also minimizes phase shift errors in power supplies with wide bandwidth control loops. Placement of the decoupling capacitors is critical. The bypass capacitor for VDD should be placed as close as possible between the VDD and VSS pins. The bootstrap capacitor (CB) for the HB supply pin must be located as close as possible between the HB and HS pins. The trace connections must be short, wide, and direct. The use of a ground plane to minimize connection impedance is recommended. Refer to the section on layout and component placement for more information. Many power supply topologies use two switching MOSFETs operating 180° out of phase from each other. These MOSFETs must not be on at the same time or a short circuit will occur, causing high peak currents and higher power dissipation in the MOSFETs. The MIC4103 and MIC4104 output gate drivers are not designed with anti-shoot-through protection circuitry. The output drive signals simply follow the inputs. The power supply design must include timing delays (dead-time) between the input signals to prevent shoot-through. The MIC4103 & MIC4104 drivers specify delay matching between the two drivers to help improve power supply performance by reducing the amount of dead-time required between the input signals. The voltage on the bootstrap capacitor drops each time it delivers charge to turn on the MOSFET. The voltage drop depends on the gate charge required by the MOSFET. Most MOSFET specifications specify gate charge vs. Vgs voltage. Based on this information and a recommended ∆VHB of less than 0.1V, the minimum value of bootstrap capacitance is calculated as: Care must be taken to insure the input signal pulse width is greater than the minimum specified pulse width. An input signal that is less than the minimum pulse width may result in no output pulse or an output pulse whose width is significantly less than the input. CB ≥ The maximum duty cycle (ratio of high side on-time to switching period) is controlled by the minimum pulse width of the low side and by the time required for the CB capacitor to charge during the off-time. Adequate time must be allowed for the CB capacitor to charge up before the high-side driver is turned on. November 2010 Qgate ΔVHB where : Q gate = Total Gate Charge at VHB ∆ HB = Voltage drop at the HB pin The decoupling capacitor for the Vdd input may be calculated with the same formula, however, the two capacitors are usually equal in value. 15 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Figure 10 shows the critical current paths when the driver outputs go low and turn off the external MOSFETs. Short, low impedance connections are important during turn-off for the same reasons given in the turn-on explanation. Remember that during turn-off current flowing through the internal diode replenishes charge in the bootstrap capacitor, CB. Grounding, Component Placement, and Circuit Layout Nanosecond switching speeds and ampere peak currents in and around the MIC4103 and MIC4104 drivers require proper placement and trace routing of all components. Improper placement may cause degraded noise immunity, false switching, excessive ringing or circuit latch-up. Figure 9 shows the critical current paths when the driver outputs go high and turn on the external MOSFETs. It also helps demonstrate the need for a low impedance ground plane. Charge needed to turn-on the MOSFET gates comes from the decoupling capacitors CVDD and CB. Current in the low-side gate driver flows from CVDD through the internal driver, into the MOSFET gate and out the Source. The return connection back to the decoupling capacitor is made through the ground plane. Any inductance or resistance in the ground return path causes a voltage spike or ringing to appear on the source of the MOSFET. This voltage works against the gate drive voltage and can either slow down or turn off the MOSFET during the period where it should be turned on. Current in the high-side driver is sourced from capacitor CB and flows into the HB pin and out the HO pin, into the gate of the high side MOSFET. The return path for the current is from the source of the MOSFET and back to capacitor CB. The high-side circuit return path usually does not have a low impedance ground plane so the trace connections in this critical path should be short and wide to minimize parasitic inductance. As with the low-side circuit, impedance between the MOSFET source and the decoupling capacitor causes negative voltage feedback which fights the turn-on of the MOSFET. Figure 10. Turn-Off Current Paths The following circuit guidelines should be adhered to for optimum circuit performance: 1. The VDD and HB bypass capacitors must be placed close to the supply and ground pins. It is critical that the trace length between the high side decoupling capacitor (CB) and the HB & HS pins be minimized to reduce trace inductance. 2. A ground plane should be used to minimize parasitic inductance and impedance of the return paths. The MIC4103 is capable of greater than 2A peak currents and any impedance between the MIC4103, the decoupling capacitors, and the external MOSFET will degrade the performance of the driver. 3. Trace out the high di/dt and dv/dt paths, as shown in Figures 9 and 10 and minimize trace length and loop area for these connections. Minimizing these parameters decreases the parasitic inductance and the radiated EMI generated by fast rise and fall times. It is important to note that capacitor CB must be placed close to the HB and HS pins. This capacitor not only provides all the energy for turn-on but it must also keep HB pin noise and ripple low for proper operation of the highside drive circuitry. Low -side drive turn-on current path LO Vdd gnd plane CVdd HB Vss HO CB HS LI Level shift gnd plane HI High-side drive turn-on current path Figure 9. Turn-On Current Paths November 2010 16 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 CB CVDD HI A typical layout of a synchronous Buck converter power stage (Figure 11) is shown in Figure 12. The circuit is configured as a synchronous buck power stage. The high-side MOSFET drain connects to the input supply voltage and the source connects to the switching node. The low-side MOSFET drain connects to the switching node and its source is connected to ground. The buck converter output inductor (not shown) would connect to the switching node. The high-side drive trace, HO, is routed on top of its return trace, HS, to minimize loop area and parasitic inductance. The low-side drive trace LO is routed over the ground plane which minimizes the impedance of that current path. The decoupling capacitors, CB and CVDD are placed to minimize trace length between the capacitors and their respective pins. This close placement is necessary to efficiently charge capacitor CB when the HS node is low. All traces are 0.025” wide or greater to reduce impedance. CIN is used to decouple the high current path through the MOSFETs. Vin HB Vdd Level shift HO HS High-Side Fet HS (switch) Node Low-Side Fet LI Cin LO MIC4103 Vss Figure 11. Synchronous Buck Converter Power Stage Top Side Bottom Side Figure 12. Typical Layout of a Synchronous Buck Converter Power Stage November 2010 17 M9999-110910-B Micrel MIC4103/4104 Package Information 8-Pin SOIC (M) MICREL, INC. 2180 FORTUNE DRIVE SAN JOSE, CA 95131 USA TEL +1 (408) 944-0800 FAX +1 (408) 474-1000 WEB http://www.micrel.com Micrel makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information furnished in this data sheet. This information is not intended as a warranty and Micrel does not assume responsibility for its use. Micrel reserves the right to change circuitry, specifications and descriptions at any time without notice. No license, whether express, implied, arising by estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual property rights is granted by this document. Except as provided in Micrel’s terms and conditions of sale for such products, Micrel assumes no liability whatsoever, and Micrel disclaims any express or implied warranty relating to the sale and/or use of Micrel products including liability or warranties relating to fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, or infringement of any patent, copyright or other intellectual property right Micrel Products are not designed or authorized for use as components in life support appliances, devices or systems where malfunction of a product can reasonably be expected to result in personal injury. Life support devices or systems are devices or systems that (a) are intended for surgical implant into the body or (b) support or sustain life, and whose failure to perform can be reasonably expected to result in a significant injury to the user. A Purchaser’s use or sale of Micrel Products for use in life support appliances, devices or systems is a Purchaser’s own risk and Purchaser agrees to fully indemnify Micrel for any damages resulting from such use or sale. © 2006 Micrel, Incorporated. November 2010 18 M9999-110910-B