RT8290
9
DS8290-02 March 2011 www.richtek.com
Ferrite core material saturates “hard”, which mea ns that
inductance collapses abruptly when the peak design
current is exceeded. The previous situation results in a n
abrupt increa se in inductor ripple current and consequent
output voltage ripple.
Do not allow the core to saturate!
Different core materi als and sha pes will cha nge the size/
current and price/current relationship of a n inductor .
T oroid or shielded pot cores in ferrite or permalloy materials
are small and do not radiate energy. However, they are
usually more expensive than the similar powdered iron
inductors. The rule for inductor choice mainly depends
on the price vs. size requirement and any radiated field/
EMI requirements.
CIN and COUT Selection
The input capacitance, CIN, is needed to filter the
tra pezoidal current at the source of the high side MOSFET .
To prevent large ripple current, a low ESR input ca pacitor
sized for the maximum RMS current should be used. The
RMS current is given by :
This formula has a maximum at VIN = 2VOUT, where
IRMS = IOUT/2. This simple worst-case condition is
commonly used for design because even significant
deviations do not offer much relief.
Choose a capacitor rated at a higher temperature than
required. Several capacitors may also be paralleled to
meet size or height requirements in the design.
For the input capacitor, a 10μF x 2 low ESR ceramic
capacitor is recommended. For the recommended
ca p a citor , plea se refer to ta ble 3 for more detail.
The selection of COUT is determined by the required ESR
to minimize voltage ripple.
Moreover, the amount of bulk capacitance is also a key
for COUT selection 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, ΔVOUT , is determined by :
OUT IN
RMS OUT(MAX) IN OUT
VV
I = I 1
VV
−
OUT L OUT
1
VIESR
8fC
⎡⎤
Δ≤Δ +
⎢⎥
⎣⎦
The output ripple will be highest at the maximum input
voltage since ΔIL increases with input voltage. Multiple
capacitors placed in parallel may be needed to meet the
ESR and RMS current handling requirement. Dry tantalum,
special polymer, aluminum electrolytic and ceramic
capacitors are all available in surface mount packages.
Special polymer capacitors offer very low ESR value.
However, it provides lower ca pacitance density than other
types. Although Tantalum capacitors have the highest
ca p a cita nce density, it is importa nt to only use types that
pass the surge test for use in switching power supplies.
Aluminum electrolytic ca pacitors have significantly higher
ESR. However, it can be used in cost-sensitive applications
for ripple current rating and long term reliability
considerations. Ceramic capacitors have excellent low
ESR characteristics but can have a high voltage coefficient
and audible piezoelectric effects. The high Q of ceramic
ca pacitors with trace inductance can also lead to significant
ringing.
Higher values, lower cost ceramic capacitors are now
becoming available in smaller ca se 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 input and
output. When a ceramic capacitor is used at the input
a nd the power is supplied by a wall ada pter through long
wires, a load step at the output can induce ringing at the
input, VIN. 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 VIN large enough to damage the
part.
Checking Transient Response
The regulator loop response can be checked by looking
at the load tra nsient response. Switching regulators ta ke
several cycles to respond to a step in load current. When
a load step occurs, VOUT immediately shifts by an a mount
equal to ΔILOAD (ESR) and COUT also begins to be charged
or discharged to generate a feedba ck error signal for the
regulator to return VOUT to its steady-state value. During
this recovery time, VOUT can be monitored for overshoot or
ringing that would indicate a stability problem.