LTC3727A-1
15
3727a1fa
The term (1 + δ) is generally given for a MOSFET in the
form of a normalized R
DS(ON)
vs Temperature curve,
but δ = 0.005/°C can be used as an approximation for
low voltage MOSFETs. C
RSS
is usually specifi ed in the
MOSFET characteristics. The constant k = 1.7 can be used
to estimate the contributions of the two terms in the main
switch dissipation equation.
The Schottky diode D1 shown in Figure 2 conducts dur-
ing the dead-time between the conduction of the two
power MOSFETs. This prevents the body diode of the
bottom MOSFET from turning on, storing charge during
the dead-time and requiring a reverse recovery period
that could cost as much as 3% in effi ciency at high V
IN
.
A 1A to 3A Schottky is generally a good compromise for
both regions of operation due to the relatively small aver-
age current. Larger diodes result in additional transition
losses due to their larger junction capacitance. Schottky
diodes should be placed in parallel with the synchronous
MOSFETs when operating in pulse-skip mode or in Burst
Mode operation.
C
IN
and C
OUT
Selection
The selection of C
IN
is simplifi ed by the multiphase ar-
chitecture and its impact on the worst-case RMS current
drawn through the input network (battery/fuse/capacitor).
It can be shown that the worst case RMS current occurs
when only one controller is operating. The controller with
the highest (V
OUT
)(I
OUT
) product needs to be used in the
formula below to determine the maximum RMS current
requirement. Increasing the output current, drawn from
the other out-of-phase controller, will actually decrease the
input RMS ripple current from this maximum value (see
Figure 4). The out-of-phase technique typically reduces
the input capacitor’s RMS ripple current by a factor of
30% to 70% when compared to a single phase power
supply solution.
The type of input capacitor, value and ESR rating have
effi ciency effects that need to be considered in the selec-
tion process. The capacitance value chosen should be
suffi cient to store adequate charge to keep high peak
battery currents down. 22μF to 47μF is usually suffi cient
for a 25W output supply operating at 250kHz. The ESR of
the capacitor is important for capacitor power dissipation
APPLICATIONS INFORMATION
as well as overall battery effi ciency. All of the power (RMS
ripple current • ESR) not only heats up the capacitor but
wastes power from the battery.
Medium voltage (20V to 35V) ceramic, tantalum, OS-CON
and switcher-rated electrolytic capacitors can be used
as input capacitors, but each has drawbacks: ceramic
voltage coeffi cients are very high and may have audible
piezoelectric effects; tantalums need to be surge-rated;
OS-CONs suffer from higher inductance, larger case size
and limited surface-mount applicability; electrolytics’
higher ESR and dryout possibility require several to be
used. Multiphase systems allow the lowest amount of
capacitance overall. As little as one 22μF or two to three
10μF ceramic capacitors are an ideal choice in a 20W to
35W power supply due to their extremely low ESR. Even
though the capacitance at 20V is substantially below their
rating at zero-bias, very low ESR loss makes ceramics
an ideal candidate for highest effi ciency battery operated
systems. Also consider parallel ceramic and high quality
electrolytic capacitors as an effective means of achieving
ESR and bulk capacitance goals.
In continuous mode, the source current of the top N-chan-
nel MOSFET is a square wave of duty cycle V
OUT
/V
IN
. To
prevent large voltage transients, a low ESR input capaci-
tor sized for the maximum RMS current of one channel
must be used. The maximum RMS capacitor current is
given by:
C quiredI I
VVV
V
IN RMS MAX
OUT IN OUT
I
Re
/
≅
−
()
⎡
⎣
⎤
⎦
12
NN
This formula has a maximum at V
IN
= 2V
OUT
, where
I
RMS
= I
OUT
/2. This simple worst case condition is
commonly used for design because even signifi cant
deviations do not offer much relief. Note that capacitor
manufacturer’s ripple current ratings are often based on
only 2000 hours of life. This makes it advisable to further
derate the capacitor, or to choose a capacitor rated at a
higher temperature than required. Several capacitors may
also be paralleled to meet size or height requirements in
the design. Always consult the manufacturer if there is
any question.
