RT8058A
11
DS8058A-02 April 2011 www.richtek.com
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OUT
LOUT
8fC
1
ESR ΔIΔV
The selection of C
OUT
is determined by the Effective Series
Resistance (ESR) that is required to minimize voltage ripple
and load step transients, as well as the amount of bulk
capacitance that is necessary to ensure that the control
loop is stable. Loop stability can be checked by viewing
the load transient response as described in a later section.
The output ripple, ΔV
OUT
, is determined by :
The output ripple is highest at maximum input voltage
since ΔI
L
increases with input voltage. Multiple capacitors
placed in parallel may be needed to meet the ESR and
RMS current handling requirements. Dry tantalum, special
polymer, aluminum electrolytic and ceramic capacitors are
all available in surface mount packages. Special polymer
capacitors offer very low ESR but have lower capacitance
density than other types. Tantalum capacitors have the
highest capacitance density but it is important to only
use types that have been surge tested for use in switching
power supplies. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors have
significantly higher ESR but can be used in cost-sensitive
applications provided that consideration is given to ripple
current ratings and long term reliability. Ceramic capacitors
have excellent low ESR characteristics but can have a
high voltage coefficient and audible piezoelectric effects.
The high Q of ceramic capacitors with trace inductance
can also lead to significant ringing.
Using Ceramic Input and Output Capacitors
Higher values, lower cost ceramic capacitors are now
becoming available in smaller case sizes. Their high ripple
current, high voltage rating and low ESR make them ideal
for switching regulator applications. However, care must
be taken when these capacitors are used at the input and
output. When a ceramic capacitor is used at the input
and the power is supplied by a wall adapter through long
wires, a load step at the output can induce ringing at the
input, V
IN
. At best, this ringing can couple to the output
and be mistaken as loop instability. At worst, a sudden
inrush of current through the long wires can potentially
cause a voltage spike at V
IN
large enough to damage the
part.
Checking Transient Response
The regulator loop response can be checked by looking
at the load transient response. Switching regulators take
several cycles to respond to a step in load current. When
a load step occurs, V
OUT
immediately shifts by an amount
equal to ΔI
LOAD(ESR)
, where ESR is the effective series
resistance of C
OUT
. ΔI
LOAD
also begins to charge or
discharge C
OUT
generating a feedback error signal used
by the regulator to return V
OUT
to its steady-state value.
During this recovery time, V
OUT
can be monitored for
overshoot or ringing that would indicate a stability problem.
Thermal Considerations
For continuous operation, do not exceed absolute
maximum operation junction temperature. The maximum
power dissipation depends on the thermal resistance of
IC package, PCB layout, the rate of surroundings airflow
and temperature difference between junction to ambient.
The maximum power dissipation can be calculated by
following formula :
P
D(MAX)
= ( T
J(MAX)
− T
A
) / θ
JA
Where T
J(MAX)
is the maximum operation junction
temperature, T
A
is the ambient temperature and the θ
JA
is
the junction to ambient thermal resistance.
For recommended operating conditions specification of
RT8058A, The maximum junction temperature is 125°C.
The junction to ambient thermal resistance θ
JA
is layout
dependent. For WDFN-10L 3x3 packages, the thermal
resistance θ
JA
is 70°C/W on the standard JEDEC 51-7
four layers thermal test board. The maximum power
dissipation at T
A
= 25°C can be calculated by following
formula :
P
D(MAX)
= (125°C − 25°C) / (70°C/W) = 1.429W for
WDFN-10L 3x3 packages
The maximum power dissipation depends on operating
ambient temperature for fixed T
J(MAX)
and thermal
resistance θ
JA
. For RT8058A packages, the Figure 2 of
derating curves allows the designer to see the effect of
rising ambient temperature on the maximum power
allowed.
