SEMTECH SC1401ISS

HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
November 21, 2000
SC1401
TEL:805-498-2111 FAX:805-498-3804 WEB:http://www.semtech.com
DESCRIPTION
FEATURES
The SC1401 is a synchronous buck regulator designed
to power the latest generation microprocessors in
battery operated systems. The SC1401 may be used
to provide both the I/O and core voltages utilizing
synchronous rectification for the core supply voltage
and an LDO N-Channel MOSFET controller for the I/O
supply voltage. A 1.25 volt reference allows lower
output voltages required by today’s portable
microprocessors.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The synchronous buck regulator is capable of
achieving efficiencies up to 95%. The gate drive
circuitry can deliver 2.0A peak currents, allowing the
use of N-channel MOSFETs for lower switching and
conduction losses.
>90% Efficiency (SMPS)
6.0V to 30V Input range
1.25V to 5.5V Adjustable output (SMPS)
PWM and LDO regulator outputs
High output gate drive of 2 Amps (SMPS)
Power save mode for light load operation
200kHz/300kHz fixed-frequency PWM operation
2mA Typical quiescent current
2µA Typical shutdown current
APPLICATIONS
•
•
•
A digital soft start is provided to ensure orderly start up
of the power supply without the need for external
components. At light load in power save mode, the
controller changes mode of operation by missing gate
drive cycles, thus reducing gate drive current and
improving efficiency. A logic high on PSAVE disables
the power saving mode thus reducing noise. The
SC1401 is fabricated in a high performance BiCMOS
process. This process reduces the power dissipation
in low current and shutdown operation modes and
improves efficiency.
Notebook and palmtop computers
LCD monitors
Internet appliances
ORDERING INFORMATION
DEVICE
PACKAGE
TEMP. (TA)
SC1401ISS
SSOP-20
-40°C - +85°C
Notes
(1) Add suffix “TR” for tape and reel.
The LDO controller is a high performance positive
voltage regulator designed to provide a low noise
power source to the microprocessor peripherals by
driving a low cost external N-Channel MOSFET.
TYPICAL APPLICATION CIRCUIT
VIN
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
ENABLE_IO
VDD2
RESET
C6
PSAVE
U1
1
SYNC
SC1401ISS
SYNC
PSAVE
SHDN
RESET
20
Q1
2
SHDN
3
FB
ENABLEIO
19
VO_LINEAR
D1
18
R1
C7
4
5
VDD1
IOS
GND
GATEIO
CSL
VDD2
CSH
BST
V5V
DH
R2
16
+5V
R3
6
15
D2
7
8
+5V
C10
C8
17
Q2
14
13
L1
C9
R4
VO_SMPS
C11
9
DL
PHASE
12
C15
D4
10
PGND
PGND
11
Q3
C12
R5
C13
C14
D3
R6
R7
C16
1
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
PIN DESCRIPTION
Pin #
Pin Name
Pin Function
1
SYNC
Oscillator control/synchronization input. Connect to V5V for 300kHz. Connect to
GND for 200kHz. For external clock synchronization in the 240kHz to 350kHz
range. A high-to-low transition causes a new cycle start.
2
SHDN
Logic Low shuts down the switching regulator.
3
FB
Feedback input for the SMPS. FB selects fixed 1.25V output voltage setting
when tied to VOUT. Connect FB to a resistor divider for adjustable output mode.
R 8  Refer to page 9.

V O (SMPS) = 1.25 •  1 +

R9 

4
VDD1
Supply input from battery (6V to 30V).
5
GND
Low noise analog ground and feedback reference point.
6
CSL
Inverting input to current sense amplifier. Also serves as the feedback input in
fixed output mode.
7
CSH
Non-Inverting input to current sense amplifier. Current limit level is 120mV
referenced to CSL.
8
V5V
5 volt external supply used to power the gate drives, internal control and
reference of the SC1401.
9
DL
Gate drive output for low side synchronous rectifier MOSFET.
10
PGND
Device power ground.
11
PGND
Device power ground.
12
PHASE
Inductor switching node connected to the source of high side MOSFET
and drain of low side MOSFET.
13
DH
Gate drive output for high side N-Channel MOSFET. DH is a floating driver
output driven from the floating voltage across BST to PHASE.
14
BST
Boost capacitor connection for the high side driver.
15
VDD2
Supply voltage input for the linear FET controller.
16
GATEIO
Gate drive output for the linear FET controller.
17
IOS
Sense input voltage for the adjustable voltage linear FET controller.
R 5  Refer to page 9.

V O (Linear) = 1.25 •  1 +

R6 

18
ENABLEIO
Logic low shuts down the linear FET controller.
19
RESET
Active-Low reset output.
20
PSAVE
A logic low enables power saving mode.
Note: All logic level inputs and outputs are open collector TTL compatible.
2
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM RATINGS
PARAMETER
MAXIMUM
UNITS
VDD1 to GND
-0.3 to +36
V
PGND to GND
- 0.3 to 0.3
V
V5V, FB, CSH, CSL, IOS to GND
-0.3 to +6
V
SYNC, SHDN, PSAVE, ENABLEIO to GND
-0.3 to +6
V
BST to GND
-0.3 to +36
V
BST to PHASE
-0.3 to 6
V
VDD2 to GND
-0.3 to +36
V
9
V
-40 to +125
°C
50
°C/W
-65 to +150
°C
+300, 10 seconds
°C
GATEIO to GND
Junction operating temperature (TJ)
Thermal resistance junction to ambient (θJA)
Storage temperature
Lead soldering temperature
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Unless specified: VDD1 = 12V, VDD2 = 12V V5V = 5V, SHDN = PSAVE = 5V, TA = -40 °C to +85 °C . Typical values are at TA = +25°C.
PARAMETER
CONDITIONS
MIN
TYP
MAX
UNITS
6.0
30.0
V
VREF
5.5
V
1.275
V
SMPS CONTROLLER
VDD1 Input Voltage Range
VOUT SMPS
Internal BandGap Voltage, VREF
Measured at the Feedback pin
1.225
1.250
Load Regulation
0mV < CSH - CSL < 100mV
2
%
Line Regulation
6V < VDD1 < 30V
0.03
%/V
Overcurrent-Limit Threshold
PSAVE Mode Threshold
CSH - CSL
100
130
160
mV
CSH - CSL, PSAVE = 0 V
30
mV
Soft-Start Ramp Time
From enable to 95% full current limit with
respect to fOSC
512
clks
Oscillator Frequency
SYNC = V5V
SYNC = 0V
265
165
300
200
Maximum Duty Factor
SYNC = V5V
SYNC = 0V
85
90
87
93
335
235
kHz
%
Note 1: This device is ESD sensitive. Use of standard ESD handling precautions is required.
3
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS (continued)
Unless specified: VDD1 = 12V, V5V = 5V, VDD2 = 12V
LINE PARAMETER
SHDN = PSAVE = 5V, TA = -40 °C to +85 °C. Typical values are at TA = +25°C.
CONDITIONS
Gate Driver Sink/Source
Gate Driver On-Resistance
MIN
TYP
MAX
UNITS
DL, DH, forced to 2V
2.0
A
High or low
1.0
Ω
SYNC Input High Pulse1
200
1
SYNC Input Low Pulse Width
200
ns
SYNC Rise/Fall Time1
200
SYNC Input Frequency Range
Current-Sense Input Leakage
FB Input Leakage Current
240
350
kHz
CSL = CSH = 5.5V
20
µA
FB = 1.25V
1
µA
5.0
30.0
V
VREF
5.5
V
LINEAR REGULATOR
VDD2 Input Voltage Range
VOUT Linear
GATEIO Source current
VDD2=12V, GATEIO=0V
2.6
mA
IOS Input Leakage Current
IOS = 1.25V
1
µA
Line Regulation
ILOAD=0.5A
0.03
%/V
Load Regulation
Vin=12V, ILOAD = 0.1A to 1A
0.85
%
SUPPLY CURRENTS
VDD1 Operating Supply
5
50
µA
Shutdown Supply Current
VDD1 = 6V to 30V, V5V = 5V, SHDN = 0V
15
25
µA
V5V Operating Supply Current
V5V = 5V, no load on DH/DL, PSAVE = 0V
1.5
4
mA
5
mA
VDD2 Supply Current
VDD2 = 12V
Note 1: Not tested.
4
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS (continued)
Unless specified: VDD1 = 12V, VDD2 = 12V V5V = 5V, SHDN = PSAVE = 5V, TA = -40 °C to +85 °C. Typical values are at TA = +25°C.
PARAMETER
CONDITIONS
MIN
TYP
MAX
UNITS
FAULT DETECTION
Thermal Shutdown Threshold
VDD1 Undervoltage Reset
Threshold
Typical hysteresis = +10°V
150
°C
Falling edge of VDD1, hysteresis = 1%
4.2
4.5
4.8
V
Falling edge of V5V, hysteresis = 1%
3.75
4.0
4.25
V
V5V Undervoltage Reset
Threshold
FB Overvoltage Reset
Threshold
With respect to unloaded output voltage, typ.
Hysteresis = 1%
10
%
FB Undervoltage Reset
Threshold
With respect to unloaded output voltage, typ.
Hysteresis = 1%
-10
%
FB Over/Under Voltage condition
1.5
µs
With respect to unloaded linear output voltage
-10
%
With respect to fOSC
27,000 32,000 37,000
clks
RESET Propagation Delay
IOS Undervoltage Reset
Threshold
RESET Delay Time
LOGICAL INPUTS AND OUTPUTS
Logic Input High
SHDN,ENABLEIO
Logic Input Low
PSAVE,SYNC
Input Leakage Current
Logic Output Low Voltage
SHDN,ENABLEIO, PSAVE, SYNC
1.8
-1.0
RESET, ISINK = 4mA
1.6
V
1.0
µA
0.4
V
5
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
OUTPUT VOLTAGE
(V)
LINE REGULATION (SMPS)
Io = 7.0A, Vo = 2.2V
2.27
2.26
2.25
2.24
2.23
2.22
2.21
6.0
9.0
12.0
15.0
18.0
21.0
24.0
27.0
30.0
INPUT VOLTAGE (V)
OUTPUT VOLTAGE (V)
LOAD REGULATION, Vo = 2.2V (SMPS), Vin = 12V
2.250
2.245
2.240
2.235
2.230
2.225
2.220
2.215
0.5
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
LOAD CURRENT (A)
EFFICIENCY vs LOAD CURRENT
100.00%
EFFICIENCY (%)
95.00%
90.00%
VIN = 6V
VIN = 10V
VIN = 14V
VIN = 18V
VIN = 22V
85.00%
80.00%
75.00%
70.00%
65.00%
0.1
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
LOAD CURRENT (A)
6
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
LOAD TRANSIENT: Vin = 16V, Vo = 2.0V, I = 1A to 7A
RIPPLE VOLTAGE: 200KHZ
RIPPLE VOLTAGE: 300KHZ
7
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
PIN CONFIGURATION
(Top View)
(20-Pin SSOP)
VO (SMPS)
 R8 
VO = 1.25 • 1 + 
 R9 
VO (Linear)
R7
(current sense resistor)
 R5 
VO = 1.25 • 1 + 
 R6 
R7 =
120mV
I MAX
R10
5Ω
Table 1
8
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
SHDN
SYNC
PSAVE
ENABLEIO
RESET
+5V
C6
0.1uF
C5
10uF
V5V
4.7K
R1
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
PGND
DL
V5V
CSH
CSL
GND
VDD1
FB
SHDN
SYNC
U1
PGND
PHASE
DH
BST
VDD2
GATEIO
IOS
ENABLEIO
RESET
PSAVE
SC1401CSS
0.22uF
C12
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
5.6
R10
0.1uF
C7
VDD2
C11
V5V
D4
MTZ9.1B, 9.1V 500mW
D1
22uF,35V
0.1uF
C4
6
22uF,35V
BAT42W
C3
47uF
C8
8
U2
IRF7805
7
22uF,35V
5
4
5
4
3
6
3
C2
U3
IRF7805
R6
24.9K
R5
41.2K
U4
IRF7805
D2
MBRS340T3
3.9uH
0.02, 1W
R7B
0.02, 1W
R7A
3.3V, 1.0A
0.1uF
10uF
L1
To uP I/O
C10
C9
VDD2
Vo(lin)
Q1
MTD20N03HDL
7
22uF,35V
5
4
2
7
2
8
C1
6
3
1
8
1
652 MITCHELL ROAD
2
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
1
VDD1 = 6.0V to 30.0V
R9
24.9K
R8
19.1K
330uF,6.3V
C13
330uF,6.3V
C14
Vo(smps)
330uF, 6.3V
C15
2.2V, 8.5A
0.1uF
C16
MBRS340T3
D3
To uP core
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
TYPICAL NOTEBOOK CPU APPLICATION CIRCUIT FOR VCORE = 2.2V & VI/O = 3.3V
9
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
V5V
1
J2
1
J1
1
B4
1
B3
1
B2
1
B1
1
2
3
4
SW DIP-4
8
7
6
5
1M
R12
1M
R2
R1
4.7K
Vlinear_ext JP3
V5V_Ext 2
1
S1
C2
C3
C4
C12
1M
R3
V5V
2
1M
R4
JP4
C6
0.1uF
10uF
V5V
V5V_onboard
C5
1
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
PGND
DL
V5V
CSH
CSL
GND
VDD1
FB
SHDN
SYNC
PGND
PHASE
DH
BST
VDD2
GATEIO
IOS
ENABLEIO
RESET
PSAVE
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
U1 SC1401CSS_RTP1
SEL
C11
R14
SEL
R10
V5V
D5
MA8062
0.22uF
C7
VDD2 = 30V max
5
22uF,35V 22uF,35V 22uF,35V 22uF, 35V 0.1uF
Q5
IRF7805
Q3
IRF7805
Q4
IRF7805
R13
SEL
R11
SEL
5
4
6
C1
D1
7
2
7
V5V_onboard
Q2
MMBT2222
L1
0.1uF
10uF
301K
R16
0.1uF
0.02, 1W
R7A
0.02, 1W
R7B
C10
C9
3.9uH
D2
MBRS340T3
C18
R6
10K
R5
2K
VO(lin)
Q1
MTD20N03HDL
D4
MA8062
1
R15
6.2K
3
2
VDD1 = 6.0V to 30.0V
6
3
0.1uF
8
1
8
1
8
BAT42W
4
5
4
3
6
3
2
7
2
652 MITCHELL ROAD
1
R9
10K
R8
6.04K
47uF
C8
2
1
2
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
1
GND
100pF
C17
C14
C15
C16
330uF,6.3V 330uF,6.3V 330uF, 6.3V 0.1uF
C13
JP1
Vlinear_onboard
Vlinear_Ext
JP2
Vlinear_Ext
MBRS340T3
D3
VO(smps)
VO(lin)
B5
1
B7
1
B6
1
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
EVALUATION BOARD SCHEMATIC
10
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
Figure 1: SC1401 Block Diagram
V5V
GND
UVLO
VDD1
VDD2
VBG
GATEIO
IOS
BG
REF
SHDN
BST
PSAVE
DH
DIGITAL
CONTROLLER
OCS
SYNC
PHASE
DL
COUNTER
PGND
ENABLEIO
CSH
DAC
CSL
RESET
POWER
GOOD
BG
REF
FB
PGND
VGB
Figure 2: Main PWM Modulator Control Block
11
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
November 21, 2000
SC1401
TEL:805-498-2111 FAX:805-498-3804 WEB:http://www.semtech.com
Detailed Description
The SC1401 is a high performance, high efficiency,
PWM synchronous buck controller, designed to
power the latest generation microprocessors in
battery operated systems. Two high-current gate
drive outputs are supplied to control both MOSFETs
in the synchronous rectified buck converter. This
power supply can be programmed to operate at
either fixed (1.25V) or adjustable output voltages.
The power save feature enables high efficiency over
a wide range of load current. The control and fault
monitoring circuitry associated with the PWM
controller includes digital softstart, turn-on
sequencing, frequency compensation, power save,
overcurrent and over and under voltage fault
protection. An LDO NMOS linear regulator is also
generated by the SC1401. A block diagram of the
SC1401 is shown in Figure 1.
PWM Control Block
The SC1401 employs peak-current-mode control with
slope compensation to provide fast output response
to load and line transients. The PWM control block
consists of an analog PWM modulator followed by
PWM logic control. The analog modulator combines
the current output, slope compensation signal and
error voltage to generate a PWM pulse train. The
PWM logic uses the pulse train from the modulator
and other control signals to generate the output
states for the high and low side gate driver outputs.
A block diagram of the PWM control block is shown
in Figure 2.
An error amplifier generates the difference signal
between the reference voltage and the feedback
voltage to generate the control voltage for the peak
current mode comparator. A nominal gain of 8 is
used in the error amplifier to further increase the
system loop-gain and reduce the load regulation
error typically seen with low loop-gain current mode
controllers. The increased gain in the voltage loop is
compensated by pole-zero-pole response of the
voltage error amplifier. The current feedback signal
is summed with the slope compensation signal and
compared to the control voltage by the PWM
comparator.
When the power supply is operating in continuous
conduction mode with current > 25% of its peak
value, the high side MOSFET is turned on at the
beginning of each switching cycle. The high-side
MOSFET is turned off when the desired duty cycle is
reached. Active shoot-through protection delays the
turn-on of the low-side power device until the
PHASE node drops below 1.25V. The low-side
devices remains on until the beginning of the next
switching cycle. Again, active shoot-through
protection ensures that the gate to the low-side
power device is low before the high-side device is
turned on.
When PSAVE is enabled (low) and the output
current drops below 25% of its peak level, the PWM
logic will automatically enter PSAVE mode to
improve efficiency. When the controller enters
power save, it increases the regulation point by
0.8%, typically issuing one more high side pulse as
the converter enters PSAVE. The PWM control
then disables switching cycles until the FB falls
below the reference. At light loads the effective
switching frequency will drop dramatically and
efficiency will increase because of the reduced gate
charge current required to switch the power stage.
Boosting the regulation point when entering PSAVE
gives the output improved dynamic regulation
because the output voltage is not allowed to droop
below the nominal regulation point. Load current
steps, that cause the converter to come out of
PSAVE, will not cause as large a negative dip in the
output voltage.
The PSAVE threshold is a function of the load and
peak-to-peak inductor current. It can be calculated
by the following equations:
V THPSAVE
∆I L
=


=  O


I -
∆I L 
 • RS
2 
(V IN - V O ) • D
L
f
!IL = peak-to-peak inductor current
IO = Load Current
VIN = Input Voltage
VO = Output Voltage
D = Duty Cycle
f = Frequency
L = Inductance
12
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
Gate Drive and Control
The gate drivers on the SC1401 are designed to
switch large MOSFETs at up to 350kHz. The highside gate drivers are required to drive the gates of the
high-side MOSFETs above the V5V input. The supply
for these gate drivers is generated by charging a
bootstrap capacitor from a supply when the low side
driver is on. Monitoring circuits ensure that the
bootstrap capacitor is charged when coming out of
shutdown or fault conditions where the bootstrap
capacitor may be depleted.
In continuous conduction mode, the low side driver
outputs that control the synchronous rectifier in the
power stage is on when the high side driver is off.
Under light load conditions the ripple current will
approach the point where it reverses polarity. This is
detected by the low side driver control and the
synchronous rectifier is turned off before the current
reverses, preventing energy drain from the output.
Current Sense (CSH,CSL)
value, the SMPS is latched off and synchronous
NMOS FET is turned on. To prevent the output from
ringing below ground a signal level Schottky diode
should be placed across the output with its anode at
ground. The same results apply if VDD1 or V5V fall
below their respective under-voltage thresholds.
If the SMPS or LDO outputs fall 10% below its
nominal, the RESET output is pulled low.
Shutdown Mode
Holding the SHDN pin low disables the SC1401,
reducing the total supply input current to <10uA. A
shutdown condition tri-states the SMPS and pulls the
RESET output low. Holding the ENABLEIO pin low
disables the LDO.
Output Voltage Selection
If FB is connected to CSL, the SMPS will regulate to
the internal bandgap voltage, 1.25V. If external
resistors are used, the output is regulated based on a
resistor divider and 1.25V at the FB pin.
The output current of the power supply is sensed as
the voltage drop across an external resistor between
the CSH and CSL pins. Over current is detected when
V(CSH,CSL) exceeds +/-130mV. An over current will
turn off the high side driver on a cycle by cycle basis.
CSH and CSL are also used for peak current feed
back in the main PWM loop and to determine the
current level for entering power save mode and the
turn-off time for the synchronous rectifier.
LDO Regulation Operation
Oscillator
The SMPS contains its own counter and DAC to
gradually increase the current limit at startup to
prevent input surge currents. The current limit is
increased from 0, 25%, 50%, 75%, to 100% linearly
over the course of 512 switching cycles.
The SC1401 oscillator frequency is trimmed to +/10%. When the SYNC pin is high the oscillator runs at
300kHz; when sync is low the frequency is 200kHz.
The oscillator can also be synchronized to the falling
edge of a clock on the SYNC pin with a frequency
between 240kHz and 350kHz. The 200kHz operation
state is used for highest efficiency, and 300kHz for
minimum output ripple and/or smaller inductor and
output capacitor values.
Fault Protection
In addition to cycle-by-cycle current limit, the SC1401
monitors over temperature, power supply output over
and under-voltage and input supply under-voltage
conditions. The over temperature detect will shut the
part down if the die temperature exceeds 150°C with
10°C of hysteresis.
If the SMPS output is greater than 10% of its nominal
The n-channel LDO regulator is capable of supplying
1A over a 1.25V to 5.5V output range. The input
voltage to the LDO is the VDD2 supply with a
maximum input voltage of 30V. To set the output
voltage, an external resistor divider is used based on
1.25V at the IOS pin.
Power-up and Soft-Start
A RESET output is also generated at startup. The
RESET pin is held low for 32K switching cycles.
Another timer is used to enable the undervoltage
protection. The undervoltage protection circuitry is
enabled after 5000 switching cycles at which time the
SMPS should be in regulation.
Evaluation Board
The evaluation board schematic shown on page 10 is
configured to output 2.0V at 7.0A on the main switcher
and 1.5V at 1A on the linear regulator. In addition, the
main switcher has a compensation circuit consisting of
C18, R16 and C17. This circuit aids in the stability of
the supply for variability in output filter components
13
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
and output voltage and current ranges. This
compensation circuit is necessary for proper
operation of the SC1401. This will eliminate any
uncertainties in stability with respect to various output
configurations that may be implemented using the
part.
Having JP1 in place will enable the linear regulator to
derive power from the main switching supply. The
switcher must have a higher output voltage than the
linear to allow this option to work properly. Further
information of the evaluation board and it operation is
described in the SC1401 Evaluation Board Manual.
efficiency, small size and low cost are required.
The Semtech SC1401 EVAL board consists of a
2.0V, 7A switcher and a 1.5V, 1A linear regulator.
Design Guidelines
The schematic for the EVAL board is shown on page
10. The EVAL board is configured as follows:
Switching Regulator 1
Vout1 = 2.0V, 7A
Linear Regulator 1
Vout2 = 1.5V, 1A
LDO
The evaluation board schematic shows that the LDO
regulator is set up to derive its power from the output
of the SMPS. The GATEIO, pin 16 is the gate drive
for an N-Channel MOSFET, Q1. This output has a
breakdown voltage of 12V so it is imperative the gate
does not exceed 12V and Q5, a nine volt zener diode
is added to prevent this from happening. In addition,
IOS, pin 17 is the input from the resistive divider
formed by R5 and R6. The LDO MOSFET should be
chosen to carry the load current and dissipate the
power required by the conditions of the load current
and voltage drop across the MOSFET. Capacitors
C9 and C10 were added for filtering purposes.
Gate Drive Power
JP4 enables the gate drive power to operate off of
the onboard zener follower which supplies 5 volts,
formed by components Q2, R15 and D4. This takes
the input voltage and produces 5V for the bootstrap
diode D1 that supplies the gate drive power for the
upper MOSFET of the Q3 SMPS. Alternatively, you
could also bring in an external voltage for the gate
drive voltage by moving the jumper from JP4 to JP3.
Consult the SC1401 Evaluation Board Manual for
further details of the evaluation board operation.
APPLICATIONS INFORMATION
Designing the Output Filter
Before calculating the output filter inductance and
output capacitor, an acceptable amount of output
ripple current is to be determined. The ESR of the
output capacitor multiplied by the ripple current sets
the maximum allowable ripple voltage. So once the
ripple voltage specification is selected, the capacitor
ESR is chosen usually based on capacitor cost and
size constraints. This then sets the maximum output
ripple current through the capacitor and inductor.
For the EVAL board 2.0V switcher, we selected a
maximum ripple voltage of 50mV. Choosing three
330uF, 6.3V tantalum capacitors C13,C14 and C15
each having an ESR of 100 milliohms, their
combined ESR equaling 33 milliohms, sets the
maximum ripple current as follows:
∆IO =
∆VO
ESR
∆IO =
0.05
= 1.5Amp
0.033
Be sure that the three output capacitors can handle
this ripple current. Ripple current specifications are
found in the capacitor data sheet for high quality
capacitors intended for use in switching power
supplies.
Introduction
The SC1401 is a versatile switching regulator providing an adjustable output from 1.25V to 5.5V. In
addition, there is one on-chip adjustable linear
regulator capable of supplying 1 amp of output
current. The SC1401 is designed for notebook
applications but has applications anywhere high
The inductance can now be found:
L1 =
(VINMAX − VO ) • D • t
∆IO
The inductance and duty cycle equation excludes
14
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
any resistive drops due to winding resistance and
MOSFET on resistance.
D=
Where:
L1 =
VO
1
, t = , and f = 300kHz
VIN
f
(28 − 2.0) •
2.0
• 3.33 • 10 − 6
28
1.5
Input Capacitor Selection
Input capacitor is selected based upon the input
ripple current demands 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 =
IO
VIN
IRMS =
7
• 2 • (6 - 2)
6
L1 = 4µH
From this calculation we choose L1 to be 3.9uH.
VO • (VIN − VO )
For a lower operating frequency, f = 200kHz, L1
calculates to be 6uH.
IRMS = 3.3 Amps
Choosing Inductor & FET Current Rating
The worse case input RMS ripple current occurs at
50% duty cycle (D = 0.5 or Vin = 2 Vout) and
therefore under this condition the IRMS ripple current
can be approximated by:
The current carrying capability of the inductor and
MOSFETs should be sized to handle the maximum
current of the supply set by the current sense
resistor. For the SC1401 EVAL board Rsense equals
the parallel combination of R7A & R7B. Here we use
the minimum current threshold value:
RSENSE =
100mV
IPEAK
Where IPEAK equals:
IPEAK = IO +
∆IO
2
IPEAK = 7 + 0.75
IPEAK = 7.75 Amps
Here we chose a sense resistor of 13.5 milliohms.
Now we can determine FET and inductor current
carrying capability by using the maximum current
limit threshold:
IPEAK
0.14
=
= 10 .4 Amps
0.0135
From this value choose an inductor with Isat > 10.4
Amps, and for the FET choose a continuous
conduction current rating Ic > 10.4 Amps.
IRMS =
IO
2
However, this condition will not occur because the
duty cycle is set by Vo/Vin, 2/6 = 0.33. If the output
voltage is changed where D approaches 50% the
input capacitor ripple current may need to be
recalculated and capacitors added.
Therefore, for a maximum load current of 7 amps,
the input capacitors should be able to safely handle
3.3 amps of ripple current.
For the EVAL board, we chose four 22uF, 35V
Tantantalum capacitors. Each capacitor has a ripple
current capability of 0.908 amps at 100kHz, 25°C.
Four of these capacitors in parallel will meet the
requirements.
MOSFET Switches
After selecting the voltage and current requirements
of each MOSFET device for the upper and lower
switches, the next step is to determine their power
handling capability. For the EVAL board the
IRF7805 meet the voltage and current requirements.
However, the lower FET is a combination of two
IRF7805 devices in parallel for improved efficiency
15
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
and to handle any possible short circuit condition.
These are 30V, 9A FET’s. Based on 85°C ambient
temperature, 150°C junction temperature and
thermal resistance, their power handling is calculated
as follows:
PSU = 0.065W
Crss is the reverse transfer capacitance of the FET;
in this case it equals 215pF for the IRF7805.
Power Limit for Upper & Lower FET:
Where Ig is the gate driver current. This is equal to
2A for the SC1401.
TJ = 150oC
So the total FET losses equate to:
PT =
TA = 85oC
!JA = 50oC/W
TJ − TA 150 − 85
=
= 1.3W
θ JA
50
Each FET must not exceed 1.3W of power
dissipation.
The conduction losses for the upper & lower FET can
be determined. For the calculations below, a
nominal input voltage of 12V, for Vout = 2.0V, Iout =
7A and f = 300kHz. The Rdson value for the upper &
lower FET is 11milliohms. We will calculate the
conduction losses and switching losses for each
FET. From the calculations below we are well within
the 1.3 watt dissipation limit as calculated above.
Conduction Losses Upper FET:
PFETS = 0.09 + 0.225 + 0.065 = 0.38W.
Note that as Vin increases, the power dissipation
from switching losses will also increase. This is
especially important if the input to the supply is from
an AC adapter. Therefore, it is necessary to check
the calculations with your maximum input voltage
specification. In addition, the distribution of power in
the upper and lower FET will change as input voltage
increases.
Other losses to consider are gate charge losses,
inductor switching and copper losses, and losses in
the input and output capacitors. All these items will
decrease efficiency and need to be carefully
analyzed to obtain the highest efficiency possible,
especially if running off battery power.
PCU = R DS • D • I2
PCU = 0.011 •
2
• 72
12
PCU = 0.090W
Conduction Losses Lower FET:
PCU = R DS • (1 − D ) • I2
PCL = 0.0055 • (1 −
2
) • 72
12
PCL = 0.225W
Switching Losses Upper FET:
Note: switching losses exist on the upper FET only
because the clamp diode across the lower FET will
turn on prior to the lower FET turning on.
2
PSU =
C RSS • VIN • F • IO
IG
=
215 • 10 −12 • 12 2 • 300000
•7
1
16
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320
HIGH PERFORMANCE SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
CONTROLLER WITH LDO FOR PORTABLE
POWER
SC1401
November 21, 2000
OUTLINE DRAWING - SSOP-20
Jedec MO-150AE
17
© 2000 SEMTECH CORP.
652 MITCHELL ROAD
NEWBURY PARK CA 91320