© 2015 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation www.fairchildsemi.com
FAN23SV20MAMPX • Rev. 1.1 12
FAN23SV20MAMPX — 20 A Synchronous Buck Regulator
To reduce VOUT ripple and achieve a smoother ramp of
the output voltage, tON is modulated during soft-start. tON
starts at 50% of the steady-state on-time (PWM Mode)
and ramps up to 100% gradually.
During normal operation, the SS voltage is clamped to
400 mV above the FB voltage. The clamp voltage drops
to 40 mV during an overload condition to allow the
converter to recover using the soft-start ramp once the
overload condition is removed. On-time modulation
during SS is disabled when an overload condition exists.
To maintain a monotonic soft-start ramp, the regulator is
forced into PFM Mode during soft-start.
The nominal startup time is programmable through an
internal current source charging the external soft-start
capacitor CSS:
where:
External soft-start programming capacitor;
Internal soft-start charging current source,
10 µA;
For example; for 1 ms startup time, CSS=15 nF.
The soft-start option can be used for ratiometric tracking.
When EN is LOW, the soft-start capacitor is discharged.
Startup on Pre-Bias
FAN23SV20MA allows the regulator to start on a pre-
bias output, VOUT, and ensures VOUT is not discharged
during the soft-start operation.
To guarantee no glitches on VOUT at the beginning of the
soft-start ramp, the LS is disabled until the first positive-
going edge of the PWM signal. The regulator is also
forced into PFM Mode during soft-start to ensure the
inductor current remains positive, reducing the
possibility of discharging the output voltage.
Internal Linear Regulator
The FAN23SV20MA includes a linear regulator to
facilitate single-supply operation for self-biased
applications. PVCC is the linear regulator output and
supplies power to the internal gate drivers. The PVCC
pin should be bypassed with a 2.2 µF ceramic capacitor.
The device can operate from a 5 V rail if the VIN, PVIN,
and PVCC pins are connected together to bypass the
internal linear regulator.
VCC Bias Supply and UVLO
The VCC rail supplies power to the controller. It is
generally connected to the PVCC rail through a low-
pass filter of a 10 resistor and 0.1 µF capacitor to
minimize any noise sources from the driver supply.
An Under-Voltage Lockout (UVLO) circuit monitors the
VCC voltage to ensure proper operation. Once the VCC
voltage is above the UVLO threshold, the part begins
operation after an initialization routine of 50 µs. There is
no UVLO circuitry on either the PVCC or VIN rails.
Pulse Frequency Modulation (PFM)
One of the key benefits of using a constant on-time
modulation scheme is the seamless transitions in and
out of Pulse Frequency Modulation (PFM) Mode. The
PWM signal is not slave to a fixed oscillator and,
therefore, can operate at any frequency below the target
steady-state frequency. By reducing the frequency
during light-load conditions, the efficiency can be
significantly improved.
The FAN23SV20MA provides a Zero-Crossing Detector
(ZCD) circuit to identify when the current in the inductor
reverses direction. To improve efficiency at light load,
the LS MOSFET is turned off around the zero crossing
to eliminate negative current in the inductor. For
predictable operation entering PFM mode the controller
waits for nine consecutive zero crossings before
allowing the LS MOSFET to turn off.
In PFM Mode, fSW varies or modulates proportionally to
the load; as load decreases, fSW also decreases. The
switching frequency, while the regulator is operating in
PFM, can be expressed as:
where L is inductance and IOUT is output load current.
Protection Features
The converter output is monitored and protected against
over-current, over-voltage, under-voltage, and high-
temperature conditions.
Over-Current Protection (OCP)
The FAN23SV20MA uses current information through
the LS to implement valley-current limiting. While an OC
event is detected, the HS is prevented from turning on
and the LS is kept on until the current falls below the
user-defined set point. Once the current is below the set
point, the HS is allowed to turn on.
During an OC event, the output voltage may droop if the
load current is greater than the current the converter is
providing. If the output voltage drops below the UV
threshold, an overload condition is triggered. During an
overload condition, the SS clamp voltage is reduced to
40 mV and the on-time is fixed at the steady-state
duration. By nature of the control method; as VOUT drops,
the switching frequency is lower due to the reduced rate
of inductor current decay during the off-time.
The ILIM pin has an open-detection circuit to provide
protection against operation without a current limit.
Under-Voltage Protection (UVP)
If VFB is below the under-voltage threshold of -11% VREF
(534 mV), the part enters UVP and PGOOD pulls LOW.
Over-Voltage Protection (OVP)
There are two levels of OV protection: +11% and +22%.
During an OV event, PGOOD pulls LOW.
When VFB is > +11% of VREF (666 mV), both HS and LS
turn off. By turning off the LS during an OV event, VOUT
overshoot can be reduced when there is positive
inductor current by increasing the rate of discharge.