16
LTC3727/LTC3727-1
3727fc
The benefit of the LTC3727 multiphase can be calculated
by using the equation above for the higher power control-
ler and then calculating the loss that would have resulted
if both controller channels switch on at the same time. The
total RMS power lost is lower when both controllers are
operating due to the interleaving of current pulses through
the input capacitor’s ESR. This is why the input capacitor’s
requirement calculated above for the worst-case control-
ler is adequate for the dual controller design. Remember
that input protection fuse resistance, battery resistance
and PC board trace resistance losses are also reduced due
to the reduced peak currents in a multiphase system.
The
overall benefit of a multiphase design will only be fully
realized when the source impedance of the power supply/
battery is included in the efficiency testing.
The drains of
the two top MOSFETS should be placed within 1cm of each
other and share a common C
IN
(s). Separating the drains
and C
IN
may produce undesirable voltage and current
resonances at V
IN
.
The selection of C
OUT
is driven by the required effective
series resistance (ESR). Typically once the ESR require-
ment is satisfied the capacitance is adequate for filtering.
The output ripple (ΔV
OUT
) is determined by:
ΔΔV I ESR
fC
OUT L
OUT
+
1
8
Where f = operating frequency, C
OUT
= output capaci-
tance, 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
= 0.3I
OUT(MAX)
the
output ripple will typically be less than 50mV at max V
IN
assuming:
C
OUT
Recommended ESR < 2 R
SENSE
and C
OUT
> 1/(8fR
SENSE
)
The first condition relates to the ripple current into the
ESR of the output capacitance while the second term
guarantees that the output capacitance does not signifi-
cantly discharge during the operating frequency period
due to ripple current. The choice of using smaller output
capacitance increases the ripple voltage due to the
discharging term but can be compensated for by using
capacitors of very low ESR to maintain the ripple voltage
at or below 50mV. The I
TH
pin OPTI-LOOP compensation
components can be optimized to provide stable, high
performance transient response regardless of the output
capacitors selected.
Manufacturers such as Nichicon, Nippon Chemi-Con and
Sanyo can be considered for high performance through-
hole capacitors. The OS-CON semiconductor dielectric
capacitor available from Sanyo has the lowest (ESR)(size)
product of any aluminum electrolytic at a somewhat
higher price. An additional ceramic capacitor in parallel
with OS-CON capacitors is recommended to reduce the
inductance effects.
In surface mount applications multiple capacitors may
need to be used in parallel to meet the ESR, RMS current
handling and load step requirements of the application.
Aluminum electrolytic, dry tantalum and special polymer
capacitors are available in surface mount packages. Spe-
cial polymer surface mount capacitors offer very low ESR
but have lower storage capacity per unit volume than other
capacitor types. These capacitors offer a very cost-effec-
tive output capacitor solution and are an ideal choice when
combined with a controller having high loop bandwidth.
Tantalum capacitors offer the highest capacitance density
and are often used as output capacitors for switching
regulators having controlled soft-start. Several excellent
surge-tested choices are the AVX TPS, AVX TPS Series III
or the KEMET T510 series of surface mount tantalums,
available in case heights ranging from 1.2mm to 4.1mm.
Aluminum electrolytic capacitors can be used in cost-
driven applications providing that consideration is given
to ripple current ratings, temperature and long term reli-
ability. A typical application will require several to many
aluminum electrolytic capacitors in parallel. A combina-
tion of the above mentioned capacitors will often result in
maximizing performance and minimizing overall cost. Other
capacitor types include Nichicon PL series, NEC Neocap,
Cornell Dubilier ESRE and Sprague 595D series. Consult
manufacturers for other specific recommendations.
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
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LTC3727/LTC3727-1
3727fc
INTV
CC
Regulator
An internal P-channel low dropout regulator produces
7.5V at the INTV
CC
pin from the V
IN
supply pin. INTV
CC
powers the drivers and internal circuitry within the
LTC3727. The INTV
CC
pin regulator can supply a peak
current of 50mA and must be bypassed to ground with a
minimum of 4.7μF tantalum, 10μF special polymer, or low
ESR type electrolytic capacitor. A 1μF ceramic capacitor
placed directly adjacent to the INTV
CC
and PGND IC pins
is highly recommended. Good bypassing is necessary to
supply the high transient currents required by the MOSFET
gate drivers and to prevent interaction between channels.
Higher input voltage applications in which large MOSFETs
are being driven at high frequencies may cause the maxi-
mum junction temperature rating for the LTC3727 to be
exceeded. The system supply current is normally domi-
nated by the gate charge current. Additional external
loading of the INTV
CC
and 3.3V linear regulators also
needs to be taken into account for the power dissipation
calculations. The total INTV
CC
current can be supplied by
either the 7.5V internal linear regulator or by the EXTV
CC
input pin. When the voltage applied to the EXTV
CC
pin is
less than 7.3V, all of the INTV
CC
current is supplied by the
internal 7.5V linear regulator. Power dissipation for the IC
in this case is highest: (V
IN
)(I
INTVCC
), and overall efficiency
is lowered. The gate charge current is dependent on
operating frequency as discussed in the Efficiency Consid-
erations section. The junction temperature can be esti-
mated by using the equations given in Note 2 of the
Electrical Characteristics. For example, the LTC3727 V
IN
current is limited to less than 24mA from a 24V supply
when not using the EXTV
CC
pin as follows:
T
J
= 70°C + (24mA)(24V)(95°C/W) = 125°C
Use of the EXTV
CC
input pin reduces the junction tempera-
ture to:
T
J
= 70°C + (24mA)(7.5V)(95°C/W) = 87°C
Dissipation should be calculated to also include any added
current drawn from the internal 3.3V linear regulator. To
prevent maximum junction temperature from being ex-
ceeded, the input supply current must be checked operat-
ing in continuous mode at maximum V
IN
.
EXTV
CC
Connection
The LTC3727 contains an internal P-channel MOSFET
switch connected between the EXTV
CC
and INTV
CC
pins.
When the voltage applied to EXTV
CC
rises above
7.3V, the
internal regulator is turned off and the switch closes,
connecting the EXTV
CC
pin to the INTV
CC
pin thereby
supplying internal power. The switch remains closed as
long as the voltage applied to EXTV
CC
remains above 7.0V.
This allows the MOSFET driver and control power to be
derived from the output during normal operation (7.2V <
V
OUT
< 8.5V) and from the internal regulator when the
output is out of regulation (start-up, short-circuit). If more
current is required through the EXTV
CC
switch than is
specified, an external Schottky diode can be added be-
tween the EXTV
CC
and INTV
CC
pins. Do not apply greater
than 8.5V to the EXTV
CC
pin and ensure that EXTV
CC
<V
IN
.
Significant efficiency gains can be realized by powering
INTV
CC
from the output, since the V
IN
current resulting
from the driver and control currents will be scaled by a
factor of (Duty Cycle)/(Efficiency). For 7.5V regulators this
supply means connecting the EXTV
CC
pin directly to V
OUT
.
However, for 3.3V and other lower voltage regulators,
additional circuitry is required to derive INTV
CC
power
from the output.
The following list summarizes the four possible connec-
tions for EXTV
CC:
1. EXTV
CC
Left Open (or Grounded). This will cause INTV
CC
to be powered from the internal 7.5V regulator resulting in
an efficiency penalty of up to 10% at high input voltages.
2. EXTV
CC
Connected directly to V
OUT
. This is the normal
connection for a 7.5V regulator and provides the highest
efficiency.
3. EXTV
CC
Connected to an External supply. If an external
supply is available in the 7.5V to 8.5V range, it may be used
to power EXTV
CC
providing it is compatible with the
MOSFET gate drive requirements.
4. EXTV
CC
Connected to an Output-Derived Boost Net-
work. For 3.3V and other low voltage regulators, efficiency
gains can still be realized by connecting EXTV
CC
to an
output-derived voltage that has been boosted to greater
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
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18
LTC3727/LTC3727-1
3727fc
than 7.5V. This can be done with the inductive boost
winding as shown in Figure 6.
Topside MOSFET Driver Supply (C
B
, D
B
)
External bootstrap capacitors C
B
connected to the BOOST
pins supply the gate drive voltages for the topside MOSFETs.
Capacitor C
B
in the functional diagram is charged though
external diode D
B
from INTV
CC
when the SW pin is low.
When one of the topside MOSFETs is to be turned on, the
driver places the C
B
voltage across the gate-source of the
desired MOSFET. This enhances the MOSFET and turns on
the topside switch. The switch node voltage, SW, rises to
V
IN
and the BOOST pin follows. With the topside MOSFET
on, the boost voltage is above the input supply: V
BOOST
=
V
IN
+ V
INTVCC
. The value of the boost capacitor C
B
needs
to be 100 times that of the total input capacitance of the
topside MOSFET(s). The reverse breakdown of the exter-
nal Schottky diode must be greater than V
IN(MAX)
. When
adjusting the gate drive level, the final arbiter is the total
input current for the regulator. If a change is made and the
input current decreases, then the efficiency has improved.
If there is no change in input current, then there is no
change in efficiency.
Figure 6. Secondary Output Loop & EXTV
CC
Connection
Output Voltage
The LTC3727 output voltages are each set by an external
feedback resistive divider carefully placed across the
output capacitor. The resultant feedback signal is
compared with the internal precision 0.800V voltage
reference by the error amplifier. The output voltage is
given by the equation:
VV
R
R
OUT
=+
08 1
2
1
.
where R1 and R2 are defined in Figure 2.
SENSE
+
/SENSE
Pins
The common mode input range of the current comparator
sense pins is from 0V to 14V. Continuous linear operation
is guaranteed throughout this range allowing output volt-
age setting from 0.8V to 14V. A differential NPN input
stage is biased with internal resistors from an internal
2.4V source as shown in the Functional Diagram. This
requires that current either be sourced or sunk from the
SENSE pins depending on the output voltage. If the output
voltage is below 2.4V current will flow out of both SENSE
pins to the main output. The output can be easily preloaded
by the V
OUT
resistive divider to compensate for the current
comparator’s negative input bias current. The maximum
current flowing out of each pair of SENSE pins is:
I
SENSE
+
+ I
SENSE
= (2.4V – V
OUT
)/24k
Since V
OSENSE
is servoed to the 0.8V reference voltage, we
can choose R1 in Figure 2 to have a maximum value to
absorb this current.
Rk
V
VV
MAX
OUT
124
08
24
()
.
.–
=
for V
OUT
< 2.4V
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
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EXTV
CC
FCB
SGND
V
IN
TG1
SW
BG1
PGND
LTC3727
R
SENSE
V
OUT
V
SEC
+
C
OUT
+
1μF
3727 F06
N-CH
N-CH
R6
+
C
IN
V
IN
T1
1:N
OPTIONAL EXTV
CC
CONNECTION
7.5V < V
SEC
< 8.5V
R5

LTC3727EG-1#TRPBF

Mfr. #:
Manufacturer:
Analog Devices / Linear Technology
Description:
Switching Voltage Regulators Dual, 2-Phase Step-Down Controller
Lifecycle:
New from this manufacturer.
Delivery:
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