14
LTC1530
1530fa
circuits not employing the current limit function, the
current in the inductor may rise above this maximum
under short circuit or fault conditions; the inductor should
be sized accordingly to withstand this additional current.
Inductors with gradual saturation characteristics (example:
powdered iron) are often the best choice.
Input and Output Capacitors
A typical LTC1530 design places significant demands on
both the input and the output capacitors. During normal
steady load operation, a buck converter like the LTC1530
draws square waves of current from the input supply at the
switching frequency. The peak current value is equal to the
output load current plus 1/2 the peak-to-peak ripple cur-
rent. Most of this current is supplied by the input bypass
capacitor. The resulting RMS current flow in the input
capacitor heats it and causes premature capacitor failure
in extreme cases. Maximum RMS current occurs with
50% PWM duty cycle, giving an RMS current value equal
to I
OUT
/2. A low ESR input capacitor with an adequate
ripple current rating must be used to ensure reliable
operation. Note that capacitor manufacturers’ ripple cur-
rent ratings are often based on only 2000 hours (3 months)
lifetime at rated temperature. Further derating of the input
capacitor ripple current beyond the manufacturer’s speci-
fication is recommended to extend the useful life of the
circuit. Lower operating temperature has the largest effect
on capacitor longevity.
The output capacitor in a buck converter under steady
state conditions sees much less ripple current than the
input capacitor. Peak-to-peak current is equal to inductor
ripple current, usually 10% to 40% of the total load
current. Output capacitor duty places a premium not on
power dissipation but on ESR. During an output load
transient, the output capacitor must supply all of the
additional load current demanded by the load until the
LTC1530 adjusts the inductor current to the new value.
ESR in the output capacitor results in a step in the output
voltage equal to the ESR value multiplied by the change in
load current. An 11A load step with a 0.05Ω ESR output
capacitor results in a 550mV output voltage shift; this is
19.6% of the output voltage for a 2.8V supply! Because of
the strong relationship between output capacitor ESR and
output load transient response, choose the output capaci-
tor for ESR, not for capacitance value. A capacitor with
suitable ESR will usually have a larger capacitance value
than is needed to control steady-state output ripple.
Electrolytic capacitors rated for use in switching power
supplies with specified ripple current ratings and ESR can
be used effectively in LTC1530 applications. OS-CON
electrolytic capacitors from Sanyo and other manufactur-
ers give excellent performance and have a very high
performance/size ratio for electrolytic capacitors. Surface
mount applications can use either electrolytic or dry
tantalum capacitors. Tantalum capacitors must be surge
tested and specified for use in switching power supplies.
Low cost, generic tantalums are known to have very short
lives followed by explosive deaths in switching power
supply applications. AVX TPS series surface mount
devices are popular surge tested tantalum capacitors that
work well in LTC1530 applications.
A common way to lower ESR and raise ripple current
capability is to parallel several capacitors. A typical
LTC1530 application might exhibit 5A input ripple cur-
rent. Sanyo OS-CON capacitors, part number 10SA220M
(220µF/10V), feature 2.3A allowable ripple current at
85°C; three in parallel at the input (to withstand the input
ripple current) meet the above requirements. Similarly,
AVX TPSE337M006R0100 (330µF/6V) capacitors have a
rated maximum ESR of 0.1Ω; seven in parallel lower the
net output capacitor ESR to 0.014Ω. For low cost
applications, the Sanyo MV-GX capacitor series can be
used with acceptable performance.
Feedback Loop Compensation
The LTC1530 voltage feedback loop is compensated at the
COMP pin, which is the output node of the g
m
error
amplifier. The feedback loop is generally compensated
with an RC + C network from COMP to GND as shown in
Figure 8a.
Loop stability is affected by the values of the inductor, the
output capacitor, the output capacitor ESR, the error
amplifier transconductance and the error amplifier com-
pensation network. The inductor and the output capacitor
create a double pole at the frequency:
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
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