SC1214
High Speed, Combi-SenseTM
Two-Phase, Synchronous MOSFET Driver
POWER MANAGEMENT
Description
Features
ꢀ High efficiency
ꢀ +12V gate drive voltage
ꢀ High peak drive current
ꢀ Adaptive non-overlapping gate drives provide
shoot-through protection
ꢀ Support Combi-SenseTM and VID-on-fly operations
ꢀ Fast rise and fall times (15ns typical with 3000pf
load)
ꢀ Ultra-low (<30ns) propagation delay (BG going low)
ꢀ Floating top gate drive
ꢀ Crowbar function for over voltage protection
ꢀ High frequency (to 1.5 MHz) operation allows use
of small inductors and low cost ceramic capacitors
ꢀ Under-voltage-lockout
The SC1214 is a high speed, Combi-SenseTM, two-phase
driver designed to drive high-side and low-side MOSFETs
in two synchronous Buck converters. The driver com-
bined with Combi-Sense PWM controllers, such as
Semtech SC2643VX or SC2643, provides a cost effec-
tive two-phase voltage regulator for advanced micro-
processors
The Combi-SenseTM is a technique to sense the inductor
current for peak current mode control of voltage regula-
tor without using sensing resistor. It provides the follow-
ing advantages:
- No costly precision sensing resistor
- Lossless current sensing
- High level noise free signal
- Fast response
ꢀ Low quiescent current
- Suitable for wide range of duty cycle
The detailed explanation of the technique can be found
in the Applications Information section.
A 30ns max propagation delay from input transition to
the gate of the power FET’s guarantees operation at high
switching frequencies. Internal overlap protection circuit
prevents shoot-through from Vin to PGND in the main
and synchronous MOSFETs. The adaptive overlap pro-
tection circuit ensures the bottom FET does not turn on
until the top FET source has reached 1V, to prevent cross-
conduction.
Applications
ꢀ Intel Pentium® processor power supplies
ꢀ AMD AthlonTM and AMD-K8TM processor power
supplies
ꢀ High current low voltage DC-DC converters
High current drive capability allows fast switching, thus
reducing switching losses at high (up to 1.5MHz) frequen-
cies without causing thermal stress on the driver.
Under-voltage-lockout and over-temperature shutdown
features are included for proper and safe operation.
Timed latches and improved robustness are built into
the housekeeping functions such as the Under Voltage
Lockout and adaptive Shoot-through protection circuitry
to prevent false triggering and to assure safe operation.
The SC1214 is offered in a TSSOP-20 package.
1
www.semtech.com
May 9, 2005