LT3480
17
3480fe
For more information www.linear.com/LT3480
APPLICATIONS INFORMATION
VIAS TO LOCAL GROUND PLANE
VIAS TO V
OUT
VIAS TO RUN/SS
VIAS TO PG
VIAS TO V
IN
OUTLINE OF LOCAL
GROUND PLANE
3480 F09
L1
C2
R
RT
R
PG
R
C
R2
R1
C
C
V
OUT
D1
C1
GND
VIAS TO SYNC
Figure 9. A Good PCB Layout Ensures Proper, Low EMI Operation
PCB Layout
For proper operation and minimum EMI, care must be
taken during printed circuit board layout. Figure 9 shows
the recommended component placement with trace,
ground plane and via locations. Note that large, switched
currents flow in the LT3480’s V
IN
and SW pins, the catch
diode (D1) and the input capacitor (C1). The loop formed
by these components should be as small as possible. These
components, along with the inductor and output capacitor,
should be placed on the same side of the circuit board,
and their connections should be made on that layer. Place
a local, unbroken ground plane below these components.
The SW and BOOST nodes should be as small as possible.
Finally, keep the FB and V
C
nodes small so that the ground
traces will shield them from the SW and BOOST nodes.
The Exposed Pad on the bottom of the package must be
soldered to ground so that the pad acts as a heat sink. To
keep thermal resistance low, extend the ground plane as
much as possible, and add thermal vias under and near
the LT3480 to additional ground planes within the circuit
board and on the bottom side.
Hot Plugging Safely
The small size, robustness and low impedance of ceramic
capacitors make them an attractive option for the input
bypass capacitor of LT3480 circuits. However, these capaci-
tors can cause problems if the LT3480 is plugged into a
live supply (see Linear Technology Application Note 88 for
a complete discussion). The low loss ceramic capacitor,
combined with stray inductance in series with the power
source, forms an under damped tank circuit, and the
voltage at the V
IN
pin of the LT3480 can ring to twice the
nominal input voltage, possibly exceeding the LT3480’s
rating and damaging the part. If the input supply is poorly
controlled or the user will be plugging the LT3480 into an
energized supply, the input network should be designed
to prevent this overshoot. Figure 10 shows the waveforms
that result when an LT3480 circuit is connected to a 24V
supply through six feet of 24-gauge twisted pair. The
first plot is the response with a 4.7µF ceramic capacitor
at the input. The input voltage rings as high as 50V and
the input current peaks at 26A. A good solution is shown
in Figure 10b. A 0.7
resistor is added in series with the
input to eliminate the voltage overshoot (it also reduces
the peak input current). A 0.1µF capacitor improves high
frequency filtering. For high input voltages its impact on
efficiency is minor, reducing efficiency by 1.5 percent for
a 5V output at full load operating from 24V.
High Temperature Considerations
The PCB must provide heat sinking to keep the LT3480
cool. The exposed pad on the bottom of the package must
be soldered to a ground plane. This ground should be tied
to large copper layers below with thermal vias; these lay-
ers will spread the heat dissipated by the LT3480. Place
additional vias can reduce thermal resistance further. With
these steps, the thermal resistance from die (or junction)
to ambient can be reduced to
JA
= 35°C/W or less. With
100 LFPM airflow, this resistance can fall by another 25%.
Further increases in airflow will lead to lower thermal re-
sistance. Because of the large output current capability of
