Application information VIPer11
30/35 DS11873 Rev 3
5.3 Layout guidelines and design recommendations
A proper printed circuit board layout ensures the correct operation of any switch-mode
converter and this is true for the VIPer as well. The main reasons to have a proper PCB
layout are:
•Providing clean signals to the IC, ensuring good immunity against external and
switching noises.
•Reducing the electromagnetic interferences, both radiated and conducted, to pass the
EMC tests more easily.
If the VIPer is used to design a SMPS, the following basic rules should be considered:
•Separating signal from power tracks. Generally, traces carrying signal currents
should run far from others carrying pulsed currents or with fast swinging voltages.
Signal ground traces should be connected to the IC signal ground, GND, using a single
“star point”, placed close to the IC. Power ground traces should be connected to the IC
power ground, GND. The compensation network should be connected to the COMP,
maintaining the trace to GND as short as possible. In case of two-layer PCB, it is a
good practice to route signal traces on one PCB side and power traces on the other
side.
•Filtering sensitive pins. Some crucial points of the circuit need or may need filtering.
A small high-frequency bypass capacitor to GND might be useful to get a clean bias
voltage for the signal part of the IC and protect the IC itself during EFT/ESD tests. A low
ESL ceramic capacitor (a few hundreds pF up to 0.1 μF) should be connected across
VCC and GND, placed as close as possible to the IC. With flyback topologies, when
the auxiliary winding is used, it is suggested to connect the VCC capacitor on the
auxiliary return and then to the main GND using a single track.
•Keeping power loops as confined as possible. The area circumscribed by current
loops where high pulsed current flow should be minimized to reduce its parasitic self-
inductance and the radiated electromagnetic field. As a consequence, the
electromagnetic interferences produced by the power supply during the switching are
highly reduced. In a flyback converter the most critical loops are: the one including the
input bulk capacitor, the power switch, the power transformer, the one including the
snubber, the one including the secondary winding, the output rectifier and the output
capacitor. In a buck converter the most critical loop is the one including the input bulk
capacitor, the power switch, the power inductor, the output capacitor and the free-
wheeling diode.
•Reducing line lengths. Any wire acts as an antenna. With the very short rise times
exhibited by EFT pulses, any antenna can receive high voltage spikes. By reducing line
lengths, the level of received radiated energy is reduced, and the resulting spikes from
electrostatic discharges are lower. This also keeps both resistive and inductive effects
to a minimum. In particular, all traces carrying high currents, especially if pulsed (tracks
of the power loops) should be as short and wide as possible.
•Optimizing track routing. As levels of pickup from static discharges are likely greater
near the edges of the board, it is wise to keep any sensitive lines away from these
areas. Input and output lines often need to reach the PCB edge at some stage, but they
can be routed away from the edge as soon as possible where applicable. Since vias
are to be considered inductive elements, it is recommended to minimize their number
in the signal path and avoid them in the power path.
•Improving thermal dissipation. An adequate copper area has to be provided under
the DRAIN pins as heatsink, while it is not recommended to place large copper areas
on the GND.