LTC3548-2
9
35482fb
APPLICATIONS INFORMATION
RMS current must be used. The maximum RMS capacitor
current is given by:
II
VVV
V
RMS MAX
OUT IN OUT
IN
≈
(– )
where the maximum average output current I
MAX
equals
the peak current minus half the peak-to-peak ripple cur-
rent, I
MAX
= I
LIM
– ΔI
L
/2.
This formula has a maximum at V
IN
= 2V
OUT
, where I
RMS
= I
OUT
/2. This simple worst-case is commonly used to
design because even signifi cant deviations do not offer
much relief. Note that capacitor manufacturer’s ripple cur-
rent ratings are often based on only 2000 hours lifetime.
This makes it advisable to further derate the capacitor,
or choose a capacitor rated at a higher temperature than
required. Several capacitors may also be paralleled to meet
the size or height requirements of the design. An additional
0.1μF to 1μF ceramic capacitor is also recommended on
V
IN
for high frequency decoupling, when not using an all
ceramic capacitor solution.
Output Capacitor (C
OUT
) Selection
The selection of C
OUT
is driven by the required ESR to
minimize voltage ripple and load step transients. Typically,
once the ESR requirement is satisfi ed, the capacitance
is adequate for fi ltering. The output ripple (ΔV
OUT
) is
determined by:
Δ≈Δ +
⎛
⎝
⎜
⎞
⎠
⎟
V I ESR
fC
OUT L
O OUT
1
8• •
where f
O
= operating frequency, C
OUT
= output capacitance
and ΔI
L
= ripple current in the inductor. The output ripple
is highest at maximum input voltage since ΔI
L
increases
with input voltage. With ΔI
L
= 0.3 • I
OUT(MAX)
the output
ripple will be less than 100mV at maximum V
IN
and
f
O
= 2.25MHz with:
ESR
COUT
< 150mΩ
Once the ESR requirements for C
OUT
have been met, the
RMS current rating generally far exceeds the I
RIPPLE(P-P)
requirement, except for an all ceramic solution.
In surface mount applications, multiple capacitors may
have to be paralleled to meet the capacitance, ESR or
RMS current handling requirement of the application.
Aluminum electrolytic, special polymer, ceramic and dry
tantalum capacitors are all available in surface mount
packages. The OS-CON semiconductor dielectric capacitor
available from Sanyo has the lowest ESR (size) product
of any aluminum electrolytic at a somewhat higher price.
Special polymer capacitors, such as Sanyo POSCAP,
Panasonic Special Polymer (SP) and Kemet A700, of-
fer very low ESR, but have a lower capacitance density
than other types. Tantalum capacitors have the highest
capacitance density, but they have a larger ESR and it
is critical that the capacitors are surge tested for use in
switching power supplies. An excellent choice is the AVX
TPS series of surface mount tantalums, available in case
heights ranging from 2mm to 4mm. Aluminum electrolytic
capacitors have a signifi cantly larger ESR, and are often
used in extremely cost-sensitive applications provided that
consideration is given to ripple current ratings and long
term reliability. Ceramic capacitors have the lowest ESR
and cost, but also have the lowest capacitance density,
a high voltage and temperature coeffi cient, and exhibit
audible piezoelectric effects. In addition, the high Q of
ceramic capacitors along with trace inductance can lead
to signifi cant ringing.
In most cases, 0.1μF to 1μF of ceramic capacitors should
also be placed close to the LTC3548-2 in parallel with the
main capacitors for high frequency decoupling.
Ceramic Input and Output Capacitors
Higher value, lower cost ceramic capacitors are now be-
coming available in smaller case sizes. These are tempting
for switching regulator use because of their very low ESR.
Unfortunately, the ESR is so low that it can cause loop
stability problems. Solid tantalum capacitor ESR generates
a loop zero at 5kHz to 50kHz that is instrumental in giving
acceptable loop phase margin. Ceramic capacitors remain
capacitive to beyond 300kHz and usually resonate with their
ESL before ESR becomes effective. Also, ceramic caps are
prone to temperature effects which requires the designer
to check loop stability over the operating temperature
range. To minimize their large temperature and voltage
coeffi cients, only X5R or X7R ceramic capacitors should
be used. A good selection of ceramic capacitors is available
from Taiyo Yuden, AVX, Kemet, TDK and Murata.
