AP7363
Document number: DS35059 Rev. 8 - 2
8 of 14
www.diodes.com
December 2012
© Diodes Incorporated
P7363
Application Note (cont.)
Stability and Phase Margin
Any regulator which operates using a feedback loop must be compensated in such a way as to ensure adequate phase margin, which is defined
as the difference between the phase shift and -180 degrees at the frequency where the loop gain crosses unity (0 dB). For most LDO regulators,
the ESR of the output capacitor is required to create a zero to add enough phase lead to ensure stable operation. The AP7363 has a internal
compensation circuit which maintains phase margin regardless of the ESR of the output capacitor, any type of capacitos can be used.
The two charts on the next page show the gain/phase plot of the AP7363 with an output of 1.2V, 10μF ceramic output capacitor, delivering 1.5A
load current and no load. It can be seen the phase margin is about 90° (which is very stable).
Short Circuit Protection
When output current at OUT pin is higher than current limit threshold, the current limit protection will be triggered and clamp the output current to
prevent over-current and to protect the regulator from damage due to overheating.
Thermal Shutdown Protection
Thermal protection disables the output when the junction temperature rises to approximately +170°C, allowing the device to cool down. When the
junction temperature reduces to approximately +160°C the output circuitry is enabled again. Depending on power dissipation, thermal resistance,
and ambient temperature, the thermal protection circuit may cycle on and off. This cycling limits the heat dissipation of the regulator, protecting it
from damage due to overheating.
Low Quiescent Current
The AP7363, consuming only around 0.5mA for all input range, provides great power saving in portable and low power applications.
Output Noise
This is the integrated value of the output noise over a specified frequency range. Input voltage and output load current are kept constant during
the measurement. Results are expressed in µVrms or µV√Hz.
The AP7363 is a low noise regulator and needs no external noise reduction capacitor. Output voltage noise is typically 100μVrms overall noise
level between 100 Hz and 100 kHz.
Noise is specified in two ways:
Output noise density is the RMS sum of all noise sources, measured at the regulator output, at a specific frequency (measured with a 1Hz
bandwidth). This type of noise is usually plotted on a curve as a function of frequency.
Output noise voltage is the RMS sum of spot noise over a specified bandwidth. Spot noise is measured in units μV/√Hz or nV/√Hz and total
output noise is measured in μV(rms). The primary source of noise in low-dropout regulators is the internal reference.
-120
-100
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
FREQUENCY(Hz)
Gain-Bandwidth Plot for 1.5A Load
140
100
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
-20
-40
-60
-80
PHASE MARGIN (°)
1k 10k 100k 1M
PHASE
V = 2.7V
V = 1.2V
I = 1.5A
C = 10µF CER
IN
OUT
L
OUT
GAIN
L
AIN (dB)
-120
-100
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
L
AI
(dB)
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
-20
-40
-60
-80
PHASE MARGIN (°)
FREQUENCY(Hz)
Gain-Bandwidth Plot for no Load
100 1k 10k 100k 1M
V = 2.7V
V = 1.2V
I = 0A
C = 10µF CER
IN
OUT
L
OUT
PHASE
GAIN
