ADP1147-3.3/ADP1147-5
T he Schottky diode is in conduction during the MOSFET off-
time. A short circuit of VOUT = 0 is the most demanding situa-
tion on for the diode. During this time it must be capable of
delivering ISC(PK) for duty cycles approaching 100%. T he equa-
tion below is used to calculate the average current conducted by
the diode under normal load conditions.
Chemicon, Nichicon and Sprague are three manufacturers of
high grade capacitors. Sprague offers a capacitor that uses an
OS-CON semiconductor dielectric. T his style capacitor pro-
vides the lowest amount of ESR for its size, but at a higher cost.
Most capacitors that meet the ESR requirements for IP-P ripple
will usually meet or exceed the rms current requirements. The
specifications for the selected capacitor should be consulted.
VIN –VOUT
Surface mount applications may require the use of multiple
capacitors in parallel to meet the ESR or rms current require-
ments. If dry tantalum capacitors are used it is critical that they
be surge tested and recommended by the manufacturer for use
in switching power supplies such as T ype 593D from Sprague.
AVX offers the T PS series of capacitors with various heights
from 2 mm to 4 mm. T he manufacturer should be consulted
for the latest information, specifications and recommendations
concerning specific capacitors. When operating with low supply
voltages, a minimum output capacitance will be required to
prevent the device from operating in a low frequency mode (see
Figure 5). T he output ripple also increases at low frequencies if
COUT is too small.
ID1
=
× ILOAD
VIN +VD
T o guard against increased power dissipation due to undesired
ringing, it is extremely important to adhere to the following:
1. Use proper grounding techniques.
2. Keep all track lengths as short as possible, especially connec-
tions made to the diode (refer to PCB Layout Considerations
section).
T he allowable forward voltage drop of the diode is determined
by the maximum short circuit current and power dissipation.
T he equation below is used to calculate VF:
VF = PD/ISC(PK)
Tr ansient Response
where PD is the maximum allowable power dissipation and is
determined by the system efficiency and thermal requirements
(refer to Efficiency Section).
T he response of the regulator loop can be verified by monitoring
the transient load response. Several cycles may be required for a
switching regulator circuit to respond to a step change in the dc
load current (resistive load). When a step in the load current
takes place a change in VOUT occurs. T he amount of the change
in VOUT is equal to the delta of ILOAD × ESR of COUT . T he delta
of ILOAD charges or discharges the output voltage on capacitor
CIN Consider ations
During the continuous mode of operation the current drawn
from the source is a square wave with a duty cycle equal to
VOUT /VIN. T o reduce or prevent large voltage transients an input
capacitor with a low ESR value and capable of handling the
maximum rms current should be selected. T he formula below
is used to determine the required maximum rms capacitor
current:
COUT . T his continues until the regulator loop responds to the
change in load and is able to restore VOUT to its original value.
VOUT should be monitored during the step change in load for
overshoot, undershoot or ringing, which may indicate a stability
problem. T he circuit shown in Figure 1 contains external com-
ponents that should provide sufficient compensation for most
applications. T he most demanding form of a transient that can
be placed on a switching regulator is the hot switching in of
loads that contain bypass or other sources of capacitance greater
than 1 µF. When a discharged capacitor is placed on the load it
is effectively placed in parallel with the output cap COUT , and
results in a rapid drop in the output voltage VOUT . Switching
regulators are not capable of supplying enough instantaneous
current to prevent this from occurring. T herefore, the inrush
current to the load capacitors should be held below the current
limit of the design.
CIN IRMS = [VOUT (VIN–VOUT)]0.5 × IMAX/VIN
T he maximum for this formula is reached when VIN = 2 VOUT
,
where IRMS = IOUT /2. It is best to use this worst case scenario for
design margin. Manufacturers of capacitors typically base the
current ratings of their caps on a 2000-hour life. T his requires a
prudent designer to use capacitors that are derated or rated at a
higher temperature. T he use of multiple capacitors in parallel
may also be used to meet design requirements. T he capacitor
manufacturer should be consulted for questions regarding spe-
cific capacitor selection.
In addition, for high frequency decoupling a 0.1 µF to 1.0 µF
ceramic capacitor should be placed and connected as close to
the VIN pin as possible.
Efficiency
Efficiency is one of the most important reasons for choosing a
switching regulator. T he percentile efficiency of a regulator can
be determined by dividing the output power of the device by the
input power and then multiplying the results by 100. Efficiency
losses can occur at any point in a circuit and it is important to
analyze the individual losses to determine changes that would
yield the most improvement. T he efficiency of a circuit can be
expressed as:
C O UT Consider ations
T he minimum required ESR value is the primary consideration
when selecting COUT . For proper circuit operation the ESR
value of COUT must be less than two times the value selected for
RSENSE (see equation below):
COUT Minimum Required ESR < 2 RSENSE
When selecting a capacitor for COUT , the minimum required
ESR is the primary concern. Proper circuit operation mandates
that the ESR value of COUT must be less than two times the
% efficiency = 100% – (% L1 + % L2 + % L3 . . . etc.)
L1, L2, L3, etc., are the individual losses as a percentage of the
input power. In high efficiency circuits small errors result when
expressing losses as a percentage of the output power.
value of RSENSE
.
A capacitor with an ESR value equal to RSENSE will provide the
best overall efficiency. If the ESR value of COUT increases to
two times RSENSE a 1% decrease in efficiency results. United
REV. 0
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