LM25119
LM25119 Wide Input Range Dual Synchronous Buck Controller
Literature Number: SNVS680D
LM25119
September 28, 2010
Wide Input Range Dual Synchronous Buck Controller
General Description
The LM25119 is a dual synchronous buck controller intended
for step-down regulator applications from a high voltage or
widely varying input supply. The control method is based up-
on current mode control utilizing an emulated current ramp.
Current mode control provides inherent line feed-forward, cy-
cle-by-cycle current limiting and ease of loop compensation.
The use of an emulated control ramp reduces noise sensitivity
of the pulse-width modulation circuit, allowing reliable control
of very small duty cycles necessary in high input voltage ap-
plications. The switching frequency is programmable from
50kHz to 750kHz. The LM25119 drives external high-side and
low-side NMOS power switches with adaptive dead-time con-
trol. A user-selectable diode emulation mode enables discon-
tinuous mode operation for improved efficiency at light load
conditions. A high voltage bias regulator with automatic
switch-over to external bias further improves efficiency. Ad-
ditional features include thermal shutdown, frequency syn-
chronization, cycle-by-cycle and hiccup mode current limit
and adjustable line under-voltage lockout. The device is avail-
able in a power enhanced leadless LLP-32 package featuring
an exposed die attach pad to aid thermal dissipation.
Features
Emulated peak current mode control
Wide operating range from 4.5V to 42V
Easily configurable for dual outputs or interleaved single
output
Robust 3.3A peak gate drive
Switching frequency programmable to 750kHz
Optional diode emulation mode
Programmable output from 0.8V
Precision 1.5% voltage reference
Programmable current limit
Hiccup mode overload protection
Programmable soft-start
Programmable line under-voltage lockout
Automatic switch-over to external bias supply
Channel2 enable logic input
Thermal Shutdown
Leadless LLP32 (5mm x 5mm) package
Typical Application
30126201
© 2010 National Semiconductor Corporation 301262 www.national.com
LM25119 Wide Input Range Dual Synchronous Buck Controller
Connection Diagram
30126202
Top View
32–Lead LLP
Order Number Package Type NSC Package
Drawing
Supplied As
LM25119PSQ LLP-32 SQA32A 1000 Units on
Tape and Reel
LM25119PSQX LLP-32 SQA32A 4500 Units on
Tape and Reel
LM25119PSQE LLP-32 SQA32A 250 Units on Tape
and Reel
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LM25119
Pin Descriptions
Pin Name Description
1 VCC1 Bias supply pin. Locally decouple to PGND1 using a low ESR/ESL capacitor located as close to
controller as possible.
2 LO1 Low side MOSFET gate drive output. Connect to the gate of the channel1 low-side synchronous
MOSFET through a short, low inductance path.
3 PGND1 Power ground return pin for low side MOSFET gate driver. Connect directly to the low side of the
channel1 current sense resistor.
4 CSG1 Kelvin ground connection to the external current sense resistor. Connect directly to the low side of
the channel1 current sense resistor.
5 CS1 Current sense amplifier input. Connect to the high side of the channel1 current sense resistor.
6 RAMP1 PWM ramp signal. An external resistor and capacitor connected between the SW1 pin, the RAMP1
pin and the AGND pin sets the channel1 PWM ramp slope. Proper selection of component values
produces a RAMP1 signal that emulates the current in the buck inductor.
7 SS1 An external capacitor and an internal 10µA current source set the ramp rate of the channel1 error
amp reference. The SS1 pin is held low when VCC1 or VCC2 < 4V, UVLO < 1.25V or during thermal
shutdown.
8 VCCDIS Optional input that disables the internal VCC regulators when external biasing is supplied. If VCCDIS
>1.25V, the internal VCC regulators are disabled. The externally supplied bias should be coupled to
the VCC pins through a diode. VCCDIS has a 500k pull-down resistor to ground to enable the VCC
regulators when the pin is left floating. The pull-down resistor can be overridden by pulling VCCDIS
above 1.25V with a resistor divider connected to the external bias supply.
9 FB1 Feedback input and inverting input of the channel1 internal error amplifier. A resistor divider from the
channel1 output to this pin sets the output voltage level. The regulation threshold at the FB1 pin is
0.8V.
10 COMP1 Output of the channel1 internal error amplifier. The loop compensation network should be connected
between this pin and the FB1 pin.
11 EN2 If the EN2 pin is low, channel2 will be disabled. Channel1 and all other functions remain active. The
EN2 has a 50k pull-up resistor to enable channel2 when the pin is left floating.
12 AGND Analog ground. Return for the internal 0.8V voltage reference and analog circuits.
13 RT The internal oscillator is set with a single resistor between RT and AGND. The recommended
maximum oscillator frequency is 1.5MHz which corresponds to a maximum switching frequency of
750kHz for either channel. The internal oscillator can be synchronized to an external clock by
coupling a positive pulse into RT through a small coupling capacitor.
14 RES The restart timer pin for an external capacitor that configures the hiccup mode current limiting. A
capacitor on the RES pin determines the time the controller will remain off before automatically
restarting in hiccup mode. The two regulator channels operate independently. One channel may
operate in normal mode while the other is in hiccup mode overload protection. The hiccup mode
commences when either channel experiences 256 consecutive PWM cycles with cycle-by-cycle
current limiting. After this occurs, a 10µA current source charges the RES pin capacitor to the 1.25V
threshold which restarts the overloaded channel.
15 COMP2 Output of the channel2 internal error amplifier. The loop compensation network should be connected
between this pin and the FB2 pin.
16 FB2 Feedback input and inverting input of the channel2 internal error amplifier. A resistor divider from the
channel2 output to this pin sets the output voltage level. The regulation threshold at the FB2 pin is
0.8V.
17 DEMB Logic input that enables diode emulation when in the low state. In diode emulation mode, the low
side MOSFET is latched off for the remainder of the PWM cycle when the buck inductor current
reverses direction (current flow from output to ground). When DEMB is high, diode emulation is
disabled allowing current to flow in either direction through the low side MOSFET. A 50k pull-down
resistor internal to the LM25119 holds DEMB pin low and enables diode emulation if the pin is left
floating.
18 SS2 An external capacitor and an internal 10µA current source set the ramp rate of the channel2 error
amp reference. The SS2 pin is held low when VCC1 or VCC2 < 4V, UVLO < 1.25V or during thermal
shutdown.
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LM25119
Pin Name Description
19 RAMP2 PWM ramp signal. An external resistor and capacitor connected between the SW2 pin, the RAMP2
pin and the AGND pin sets the channel2 PWM ramp slope. Proper selection of component values
produces a RAMP2 signal that emulates the current in the buck inductor.
20 CS2 Current sense amplifier input. Connect to the high side of the channel2 current sense resistor.
21 CSG2 Kelvin ground connection to the external current sense resistor. Connect directly to the low side of
the channel2 current sense resistor.
22 PGND2 Power ground return pin for low side MOSFET gate driver. Connect directly to the low side of the
channel2 current sense resistor.
23 LO2 Low side MOSFET gate drive output. Connect to the gate of the channel2 low-side synchronous
MOSFET through a short, low inductance path.
24 VCC2 Bias supply pin. Locally decouple to PGND2 using a low ESR/ESL capacitor located as close to
controller as possible.
25 SW2 Switching node of the buck regulator. Connect to channel2 bootstrap capacitor, the source terminal
of the high-side MOSFET and the drain terminal of the low-side MOSFET.
26 HO2 High side MOSFET gate drive output. Connect to the gate of the channel2 high-side MOSFET
through a short, low inductance path.
27 HB2 High-side driver supply for bootstrap gate drive. Connect to the cathode of the channel2 external
bootstrap diode and to the bootstrap capacitor. The bootstrap capacitor supplies current to charge
the high side MOSFET gate and should be placed as close to the controller as possible.
28 UVLO Under-voltage lockout programming pin. If the UVLO pin is below 0.4V, the regulator will be in the
shutdown mode with all function disabled. If the UVLO pin is greater than 0.4V and below 1.25V, the
regulator will be in standby mode with the VCC regulators operational, the SS pins grounded and no
switching at the HO and LO outputs. If the UVLO pin voltage is above 1.25V, the SS pins are allowed
to ramp and pulse width modulated gate drive signals are delivered at the LO and HO pins. A 20µA
current source is enabled when UVLO exceeds 1.25V and flows through the external UVLO resistors
to provide hysteresis.
29 VIN Supply voltage input source for the VCC regulators.
30 HB1 High-side driver supply for bootstrap gate drive. Connect to the cathode of the channel1 external
bootstrap diode and to the bootstrap capacitor. The bootstrap capacitor supplies current to charge
the high side MOSFET gate and should be placed as close to controller as possible.
31 HO1 High side MOSFET gate drive output. Connect to the gate of the channel1 high-side MOSFET
through a short, low inductance path.
32 SW1 Switching node of the buck regulator. Connect to channel1 bootstrap capacitor, the source terminal
of the high-side MOSFET and the drain terminal of the low-side MOSFET.
EP EP Exposed pad of LLP package. No internal electrical connections. Solder to the ground plane to reduce
thermal resistance.
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LM25119
Absolute Maximum Ratings (Note 1)
If Military/Aerospace specified devices are required,
please contact the National Semiconductor Sales Office/
Distributors for availability and specifications.
VIN to AGND -0.3 to 45V
SW1, SW2 to AGND -3.0 to 45V
HB1 to SW1, HB2 to SW2 -0.3 to 15V
VCC1, VCC2 to AGND
(Note 2)
-0.3 to 15V
FB1, FB2, DEMB, RES,
VCCDIS, UVLO to AGND
-0.3 to 15V
HO1 to SW1, HO2 to SW2 -0.3 to HB+0.3V
LO1, LO2 to AGND -0.3 to VCC+0.3V
SS1, SS2 to AGND -0.3 to 7V
EN2, RT to AGND -0.3 to 7V
CS1, CS2, CSG1, CSG2 to
AGND
-0.3V to 0.3V
PGND to AGND -0.3V to 0.3V
ESD Rating HBM (Note 3) 2kV
Storage Temperature -55°C to +150°C
Junction Temperature +150°C
Operating Ratings (Note 1)
VIN 4.5V to 42V
VCC 4.5V to 14V
HB to SW 4.5V to 14V
Junction Temperature -40°C to +125°C
Note: COMP1, COMP2, RAMP1, and RAMP2 are output pins. As such they
are not specified to have an external voltage applied.
Electrical Characteristics Limits in standard type are for TJ = 25°C only; limits in boldface type apply over the
junction temperature range of -40°C to +125°C. Unless otherwise specified, the following conditions apply: VIN = 12V, VCC = 8V,
VCCDIS = 0V, EN2 = 5V, RT = 25k, no load on LO and HO. Electrical characteristics are per channel where applicable. See
(Note 4) and (Note 5).
Symbol Parameter Conditions Min Typ Max Units
VIN Supply
IBIAS VIN Operating Current SS1 = SS2 = 0V 6 7.3 mA
VCCDIS = 2V, SS1 = SS2 = 0V 340 500 µA
IVCC VCC1 Operating Current VCCDIS = 2V, SS1 = SS2 = 0V 3.9 4.5 mA
VCC2 Operating Current VCCDIS = 2V, SS1 = SS2 = 0V 1.4 2.0 mA
ISHUTDOWN VIN Shutdown Current UVLO = 0V, SS1 = SS2 = 0V 15 33 µA
VCC Regulator (Note 6)
VCC(REG) VCC Regulation 6.77 7.6 8.34 V
VCC Regulation VIN = 4.5V, No external load 4.4 4.46 V
VCC Sourcing Current Limit VCC = 0V 25 40 mA
VCCDIS Switch Threshold VCCDIS Rising 1.19 1.25 1.29 V
VCCDIS Switch Hysteresis 0.07 V
VCCDIS Input Current VCCDIS = 0V -20 nA
VCC Under-voltage Threshold Positive going VCC 3.8 4.0 4.2 V
VCC Under-voltage Hysteresis 0.2 V
EN2 Input
VIL EN2 Input Low Threshold 2.0 1.5 V
VIH EN2 Input High Threshold 2.9 2.5 V
EN2 Input pull-up resistor 50 k
UVLO
UVLO Threshold UVLO Rising 1.20 1.25 1.29 V
UVLO Hysterisis Current UVLO = 1.4V 15 20 25 µA
UVLO Shutdown Threshold 0.4 V
UVLO Shutdown Hysterisis Voltage 0.1 V
Soft Start
SS Current Source SS = 0V 710 13 µA
SS Pull Down RDSON 10
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LM25119
Symbol Parameter Conditions Min Typ Max Units
Error Amplifier
VREF FB Reference Voltage Measured at FB pin, FB = COMP 0.788 0.8 0.812 V
FB Input Bias Current FB = 0.8V 1 nA
FB Disable Threshold Interleaved Threshold 2.5 V
COMP VOH Isource = 3mA 2.8 V
COMP VOL Isink = 3mA 0.31 V
AOL DC Gain 80 dB
fBW Unity Gain Bandwidth 3 MHz
PWM Comparators
tHO(OFF) Forced HO Off-time 220 320 430 ns
tON(min) Minimum HO On-time CRAMP = 50pF 100 ns
Oscillator
fSW1 Frequency 1 RT = 25k180 200 220 kHz
fSW2 Frequency 2 RT = 10k430 480 530 kHz
RT Output Voltage 1.25 V
RT Sync Positive Threshold 2.5 3.2 4V
Sync Pulse Minimum Width 100 ns
Current Limit
VCS(TH) Cycle-by-cycle Sense Voltage
Threshold (CS - CSG)
RAMP = 0 106 120 134 mV
CS Bias Current CS = 0V -70 -95 µA
Hiccup Mode Fault Timer 256 Cycles
RES
IRES RES current Source 9.7 µA
VRES RES threshold CRES Charging 1.20 1.25 1.30 V
Diode Emulation
VIL DEMB Input Low Threshold 2.0 1.65 V
VIH DEMB Input High Threshold 2.9 2.6 V
DEMB Input Pull-Down Resistance 50 k
SW Zero Cross Threshold -5 mV
LO Gate Driver
VOLL LO Low-state Output Voltage ILO = 100mA 0.1 0.18 V
VOHL LO High-state Output Voltage ILO = -100mA, VOHL = VCC - VLO 0.17 0.26 V
LO Rise Time C-load = 1000pF 6 ns
LO Fall Time C-load = 1000pF 5 ns
IOHL Peak LO Source Current VLO = 0V 2.5 A
IOLL Peak LO Sink Current VLO = VCC 3.3 A
HO Gate Driver
VOLH HO Low-state Output Voltage IHO = 100mA 0.11 0.19 V
VOHH HO High-state Output Voltage IHO = -100mA, VOHH = VHB - VHO 0.18 0.27 V
HO Rise Time C-load = 1000pF 6 ns
HO Fall Time C-load = 1000pF 5 ns
IOHH Peak HO Source Current VHO = 0V, SW = 0, HB = 8V 2.2 A
IOLH Peak HO Sink Current VHO = VHB = 8V 3.3 A
HB to SW Under-voltage 3 V
HB DC Bias Current HB - SW = 8V 70 100 µA
SWITCHING CHARACTERISTICS
LO Fall to HO Rise Delay No load 70 ns
HO Fall to LO Rise Delay No load 60 ns
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LM25119
Symbol Parameter Conditions Min Typ Max Units
THERMAL
TSD Thermal Shutdown Rising 165 °C
Thermal Shutdown Hysteresis 25 °C
θJA Junction to Ambient 40 °C/W
θJC Junction to Case 4 °C/W
Note 1: Absolute Maximum Ratings are limits beyond which damage to the device may occur. Operating Ratings indicate conditions for which the device is
intended to be functional, but does not guarantee specific performance limits. For guaranteed specifications and test conditions see the Electrical Characteristics
Table.
Note 2: These pins must not exceed VIN.
Note 3: The human body model is a 100pF capacitor discharged through a 1.5k resistor into each pin.
Note 4: All limits are guaranteed. All electrical characteristics having room temperature limits are tested during production at TA = 25°C. All hot and cold limits
are guaranteed by correlating the electrical characteristics to process and temperature variations and applying statistical process control.
Note 5: Typical specifications represent the most likely parametric normal at 25°C operation.
Note 6: Per VCC Regulator
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LM25119
Typical Performance Characteristics
HO Peak Driver Current vs Output Voltage
30126203
LO Peak Driver Current vs Output Voltage
30126204
Driver Dead Time vs VCC
30126205
Driver Dead Time vs Temperature
30126206
VCC vs IVCC
30126207
Switching Frequency vs RT
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LM25119
Error Amp Gain and Phase vs Frequency
30126209
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LM25119
Block Diagram
30126210
FIGURE 1. Block Diagram
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LM25119
Detailed Operating Description
The LM25119 high voltage switching regulator features all of
the functions necessary to implement an efficient dual chan-
nel buck regulator that operates over a very wide input voltage
range. The LM25119 may be configured as two independent
regulators or as a single high current regulator with two inter-
leaved channels. This easy to use regulator integrates high-
side and low-side MOSFET drivers capable of supplying peak
currents of 2.5 Amps (VCC=8V). The regulator control
method is based on current mode control utilizing an emulat-
ed current ramp. Emulated peak current mode control pro-
vides inherent line feed-forward, cycle-by-cycle current
limiting and ease of loop compensation. The use of an emu-
lated control ramp reduces noise sensitivity of the pulse-width
modulation circuit, allowing reliable processing of the very
small duty cycles necessary in high input voltage applications.
The switching frequency is user programmable from 50kHz
to 750kHz. An oscillator/synchronization pin allows the oper-
ating frequency to be set by a single resistor or synchronized
to an external clock. An under-voltage lockout and channel2
enable pin allows either both regulators to be disabled or
channel2 to be disabled with full operation of channel1. Fault
protection features include current limiting, thermal shutdown
and remote shutdown capability. The under-voltage lockout
input enables both channels when the input voltage reaches
a user selected threshold and provides a very low quiescent
shutdown current when pulled low. The LLP32 package fea-
tures an exposed pad to aid in thermal dissipation.
High Voltage Start-Up Regulator
The LM25119 contains two internal high voltage bias regula-
tors, VCC1 and VCC2, that provide the bias supply for the
PWM controllers and gate drive for the MOSFETs of each
regulator channel. The input pin (VIN) can be connected di-
rectly to an input voltage source as high as 42 volts. The
outputs of the VCC regulators are set to 7.6V. When the input
voltage is below the VCC set-point level, the VCC output will
track the VIN with a small dropout voltage. If VCC1 is in an
under voltage condition, channel2 will be disabled. This in-
terdependence is necessary to prevent channel2 from run-
ning open loop in the single output interleaved mode when
the channel2 error amplifier is disabled (if either VCC is in UV,
both channels are disabled).
The outputs of the VCC regulators are current limited at 25mA
(minimum) output capability. Upon power-up, the regulators
source current into the capacitors connected to the VCC pins.
When the voltage at the VCC pins exceed 4.0V and the UVLO
pin is greater than 1.25V, both channels are enabled and a
soft-start sequence begins. Both channels remain enabled
until either VCC pin falls below 3.8V, the UVLO pin falls below
1.25V or the die temperature exceeds the thermal limit thresh-
old.
When operating at higher input voltages the bias power dis-
sipation within the controller can be excessive. An output
voltage derived bias supply can be applied to a VCC pins to
reduce the IC power dissipation. The VCCDIS input can be
used to disable the internal VCC regulators when external bi-
asing is supplied. If VCCDIS >1.25V, the internal VCC regu-
lators are disabled. The externally supplied bias should be
coupled to the VCC pins through a diode, preferably a Schot-
tky (low forward voltage). VCCDIS has a 500k internal pull-
down resistance to ground for normal operation with no
external bias. The internal pull-down resistance can be over-
ridden by pulling VCCDIS above 1.25V through a resistor
divider connected to an external bias supply.
The VCC regulator series pass transistor includes a diode
between VCC and VIN that should not be forward biased in
normal operation.
If the external bias winding can supply VCC greater than VIN,
an external blocking diode is required from the input power
supply to the VIN pin to prevent the external bias supply from
passing current to the input supply through the VCC pins. For
VOUT between 5V and 14.5V, VOUT can be connected di-
rectly to VCC through a diode. For VOUT < 5V, a bias winding
on the output inductor can be added as shown in Figure 2.
30126211
FIGURE 2. VCC Bias Supply with Additional Inductor
Winding
In high voltage applications extra care should be taken to en-
sure the VIN pin does not exceed the absolute maximum
voltage rating of 45V. During line or load transients, voltage
ringing on the VIN line that exceeds the Absolute Maximum
Rating can damage the IC. Both careful PC board layout and
the use of quality bypass capacitors located close to the VIN
and AGND pins are essential.
UVLO
The LM25119 contains a dual level under-voltage lockout
(UVLO) circuit. When the UVLO pin is less than 0.4V, the
LM25119 is in shutdown mode. The shutdown comparator
provides 100mV of hysteresis to avoid chatter during transi-
tions. When the UVLO pin voltage is greater than 0.4V but
less than 1.25V, the controller is in standby mode. In the
standby mode the VCC bias regulators are active but the
controller outputs are disabled. This feature allows the UVLO
pin to be used as a remote enable/disable function. When the
VCC outputs exceed their respective under-voltage thresh-
olds (4V) and the UVLO pin voltage is greater than 1.25V, the
outputs are enabled and normal operation begins.
An external set-point voltage divider from the VIN to GND is
used to set the minimum VIN operating voltage of the regu-
lator. The divider must be designed such that the voltage at
the UVLO pin will be greater than 1.25V when the input volt-
age is in the desired operating range. UVLO hysteresis is
accomplished with an internal 20μA current source that is
switched on or off into the impedance of the set-point divider.
When the UVLO pin voltage exceeds 1.25V threshold, the
current source is activated to quickly raise the voltage at the
UVLO pin. When the UVLO pin voltage falls below the 1.25V
threshold, the current source is turned off causing the voltage
at the UVLO pin to quickly fall. The UVLO pin should not be
left floating.
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LM25119
Enable 2
The LM25119 contains an enable function allowing shutdown
control of channel2, independent of channel1. If the EN2 pin
is pulled below 2.0V, channel2 enters shutdown mode. If the
EN2 input is greater than 2.5V, channel2 returns to normal
operation. An internal 50k pull-up resistor on the EN2 pin
allows this pin to be left floating for normal operation. The EN2
input can be used in conjunction with the UVLO pin to se-
quence the two regulator channels. If EN2 is held low as the
UVLO pin increases to a voltage greater than the 1.25V UVLO
threshold, channel1 will begin operation while channel2 re-
mains off. Both channels become operational when the UV-
LO, EN2, VCC1, and VCC2 pins are above their respective
operating thresholds. Either channel of the LM25119 can also
be disabled independently by pulling the corresponding SS
pin to AGND.
Oscillator and Sync Capability
The LM25119 switching frequency is set by a single external
resistor connected between the RT pin and the AGND pin
(RT). The resistor should be located very close to the device
and connected directly to the pins of the IC (RT and AGND).
To set a desired switching frequency (fSW) of each channel,
the resistor can be calculated from the following equation:
(1)
Where RT is in ohms and fSW is in Hertz. The frequency fSW
is the output switching frequency of each channel. The inter-
nal oscillator runs at twice the switching frequency and an
internal frequency divider interleaves the two channels with
180° phase shift between PWM pulses at the HO pins.
The RT pin can be used to synchronize the internal oscillator
to an external clock. The internal oscillator can be synchro-
nized by AC coupling a positive edge into the RT pin. The
voltage at the RT pin is nominally 1.25V and the voltage at
the RT pin must exceed 4V to trip the internal synchronization
pulse detector. A 5V amplitude signal and 100pF coupling
capacitor are recommended. Synchronizing at greater than
twice the free-running frequency may result in abnormal be-
havior of the pulse width modulator. Also, note that the output
switching frequency of each channel will be one-half the ap-
plied synchronization frequency.
Error Amplifiers and PWM
Comparators
Each of the two internal high-gain error amplifiers generates
an error signal proportional to the difference between the reg-
ulated output voltage and an internal precision reference
(0.8V). The output of each error amplifier is connected to the
COMP pin allowing the user to provide loop compensation
components. Generally a Type II network is recommended.
This network creates a pole at 0Hz, a mid-band zero, and a
noise reducing high frequency pole. The PWM comparator
compares the emulated current sense signal from the RAMP
generator to the error amplifier output voltage at the COMP
pin. Only one error amplifier is required when configuring the
controller as a two channel, single output interleaved regula-
tor. For these applications, the channel1 error amplifier (FB1,
COMP1) is configured as the master error amplifier. The
channel2 error amplifier must be disabled by connecting the
FB2 pin to the VCC2 pin. When configured in this manner the
output of the channel2 error amplifier (COMP2) will be dis-
abled and have a high output impedance. To complete the
interleaved configuration the COMP1 and the COMP2 pins
should be connected together to facilitate PWM control of
channel2 and current sharing between channels.
Ramp Generator
The ramp signal used in the pulse width modulator for current
mode control is typically derived directly from the buck switch
current. This switch current corresponds to the positive slope
portion of the inductor current. Using this signal for the PWM
ramp simplifies the control loop transfer function to a single
pole response and provides inherent input voltage feed-for-
ward compensation. The disadvantage of using the buck
switch current signal for PWM control is the large leading
edge spike due to circuit parasitics that must be filtered or
blanked. Also, the current measurement may introduce sig-
nificant propagation delays. The filtering, blanking time and
propagation delay limit the minimum achievable pulse width.
In applications where the input voltage may be relatively large
in comparison to the output voltage, controlling small pulse
widths and duty cycles are necessary for regulation. The
LM25119 utilizes a unique ramp generator which does not
actually measure the buck switch current but rather recon-
structs the signal. Representing or emulating the inductor
current provides a ramp signal to the PWM comparator that
is free of leading edge spikes and measurement or filtering
delays. The current reconstruction is comprised of two ele-
ments; a sample-and-hold DC level and the emulated induc-
tor current ramp as shown in Figure 3.
30126212
FIGURE 3. Composition of Current Sense Signal
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LM25119
The sample-and-hold DC level is derived from a measure-
ment of the recirculating current flowing through the current
sense resistor. The voltage across the sense resistor is sam-
pled and held just prior to the onset of the next conduction
interval of the buck switch. The current sensing and sample-
and-hold provide the DC level of the reconstructed current
signal. The positive slope inductor current ramp is emulated
by an external capacitor connected from RAMP pin to AGND
and a series resistor connected between SW and RAMP. The
ramp resistor should not be connected to VIN directly be-
cause the RAMP pin voltage rating could be exceeded under
high VIN conditions. The ramp created by the external resistor
and capacitor will have a slope proportional to the rising in-
ductor current plus some additional slope required for slope
compensation. Connecting the RAMP pin resistor to SW pro-
vides optimum slope compensation with a RAMP capacitor
slope that is proportional to VIN. This “adaptive slope com-
pensation” eliminates the requirement for additional slope
compensation circuitry with high output voltage set points and
frees the user from additional concerns in this area. The em-
ulated ramp signal is approximately linear and the ramp slope
is given by:
(2)
The factor of 10 in equation (2) corresponds to the internal
current sense amplifier gain of the LM25119. The K factor is
a constant which adds additional slope for robust pulse-width
modulation control at lower input voltages. In practice this
constant can be varied from 1 to 3. RS is the external sense
resistor value.
The voltage on the ramp capacitor is given by:
(3)
(4)
The approximation is the first order term in a Taylor Series
expansion of the exponential and is valid since tPERIOD is small
relative to the RAMP pin R-C time constant.
Multiplying (2) by tPERIOD to convert the slope to a peak volt-
age, and then equating (2) with (4) allows us to solve for
CRAMP:
(5)
Choose either CRAMP or RRAMP and use (5) to calculate the
other component.
The difference between the average inductor current and the
DC value of the sampled inductor current can cause instability
for certain operating conditions. This instability is known as
sub-harmonic oscillation, which occurs when the inductor rip-
ple current does not return to its initial value by the start of
next switching cycle. Sub-harmonic oscillation is normally
characterized by alternating wide and narrow pulses at the
switch node. The ramp equation above contains the optimum
amount of slope compensation, however extra slope com-
pensation is easily added by selecting a lower value for
RRAMP or CRAMP.
Current Limit
The LM25119 contains a current limit monitoring scheme to
protect the regulator from possible over-current conditions.
When set correctly, the emulated current signal is proportion-
al to the buck switch current with a scale factor determined by
the current limit sense resistor, RS, and current sense ampli-
fier gain. The emulated signal is applied to the current limit
comparator. If the emulated ramp signal exceeds 1.2V, the
present cycle is terminated (cycle-by-cycle current limiting).
Shown in Figure 4 is the current limit comparator and a sim-
plified current measurement schematic. In applications with
small output inductance and high input voltage, the switch
current may overshoot due to the propagation delay of the
current limit comparator. If an overshoot should occur, the
sample-and-hold circuit will detect the excess recirculating
current before the buck switch is turned on again. If the sam-
ple-and-hold DC level exceeds the internal current limit
threshold, the buck switch will be disabled and skip pulses
until the current has decayed below the current limit threshold.
This approach prevents current runaway conditions due to
propagation delays or inductor saturation since the inductor
current is forced to decay to a controlled level following any
current overshoot.
30126213
FIGURE 4. Current Limit and Ramp Circuit
13 www.national.com
LM25119
Hiccup Mode Current Limiting
To further protect the regulator during prolonged current limit
conditions, an internal counter counts the PWM clock cycles
during which cycle-by-cycle current limiting occurs. When the
counter detects 256 consecutive cycles of current limiting, the
regulator enters a low power dissipation hiccup mode with the
HO and LO outputs disabled. The restart timer pin, RES, and
an external capacitor configure the hiccup mode current lim-
iting. A capacitor on the RES pin (CRES) determines the time
the controller will remain in low power standby mode before
automatically restarting. A 10µA current source charges the
RES pin capacitor to the 1.25V threshold which restarts the
overloaded channel. The two regulator channels operate in-
dependently. One channel may operate normally while the
other is in the hiccup mode overload protection. The hiccup
mode commences when either channel experiences 256 con-
secutive PWM cycles with cycle-by-cycle current limiting. If
that occurs, the overloaded channel will turn off and remain
off for the duration of the RES pin timer.
The hiccup mode current limiting function can be disabled.
The RES configuration is latched during initial power-up when
UVLO is above 1.25V and VCC1 and VCC2 are above their
UV thresholds, determining hiccup or non-hiccup current lim-
iting. If the RES pin is tied to VCC at initial power-on, hiccup
current limit is disabled.
Soft-Start
The soft-start feature allows the regulator to gradually reach
the steady state operating point, thus reducing start-up
stresses and surges. The LM25119 will regulate the FB pin to
the SS pin voltage or the internal 0.8V reference, whichever
is lower. At the beginning of the soft-start sequence when SS
= 0V, the internal 10µA soft-start current source gradually in-
creases the voltage on an external soft-start capacitor (CSS)
connected to the SS pin resulting in a gradual rise of the FB
and output voltages.
Either regulator channel of the LM25119 can be disabled by
pulling the corresponding SS pin to AGND.
Diode Emulation
A fully synchronous buck regulator implemented with a free-
wheel MOSFET rather than a diode has the capability to sink
current from the output in certain conditions such as light load,
over-voltage or pre-bias startup. The LM25119 provides a
diode emulation feature that can be enabled to prevent re-
verse (drain to source) current flow in the low side free-wheel
MOSFET. When configured for diode emulation, the low side
MOSFET is disabled when reverse current flow is detected.
The benefit of this configuration is lower power loss at no load
or light load conditions and the ability to turn on into a pre-
biased output without discharging the output. The diode em-
ulation mode allows for start-up into pre-biased loads, since
it prevents reverse current flow as the soft-start capacitor
charges to the regulation level during startup. The negative
effect of diode emulation is degraded light load transient re-
sponse times. Enabling the diode emulation feature is rec-
ommended and allows discontinuous conduction operation.
The diode emulation feature is configured with the DEMB pin.
To enable diode emulation, connect the DEMB pin to ground
or leave the pin floating. If continuous conduction operation is
desired, the DEMB pin should be tied to either VCC1 or VCC2.
HO and LO Output Drivers
The LM25119 contains a high current, high-side driver and
associated high voltage level shift to drive the buck switch of
each regulator channel. This gate driver circuit works in con-
junction with an external diode and bootstrap capacitor. A
0.1µF or larger ceramic capacitor, connected with short traces
between the HB pin and SW pin, is recommended. During the
off-time of the high-side MOSFET, the SW pin voltage is ap-
proximately 0V and the bootstrap capacitor charges from
VCC through the external bootstrap diode. When operating
with a high PWM duty cycle, the buck switch will be forced off
each cycle for 320ns to ensure that the bootstrap capacitor is
recharged.
The LO and HO outputs are controlled with an adaptive dead-
time methodology which insures that both outputs are never
enabled at the same time. When the controller commands HO
to be enabled, the adaptive dead-time logic first disables LO
and waits for the LO voltage to drop. HO is then enabled after
a small delay. Similarly, the LO turn-on is disabled until the
HO voltage has discharged. This methodology insures ade-
quate dead-time for any size MOSFET.
Care should be exercised in selecting an output MOSFET
with the appropriate threshold voltage, especially if VCC is
supplied from the regulator output. During startup at low input
voltages the MOSFET threshold should be lower than the 4V
VCC under-voltage lockout threshold. Otherwise, there may
be insufficient VCC voltage to completely turn on the MOS-
FET as VCC under-voltage lockout is released during startup.
If the buck switch MOSFET gate drive is not sufficient, the
regulator may not start or it may hang up momentarily in a
high power dissipation state. This condition can be avoided
by selecting a MOSFET with a lower threshold voltage or if
VCC is supplied from an external source higher than the out-
put voltage. If the minimum input voltage programmed by the
UVLO pin resistor divider is above the VCC regulation level,
this precaution is of no concern.
Maximum Duty Cycle
When operating with a high PWM duty cycle, the buck switch
will be forced off each cycle for 320ns to ensure the boot-strap
capacitor is recharged and to allow time to sample and hold
the current in the low side MOSFET. This forced off-time limits
the maximum duty cycle of the controller. When designing a
regulator with high switching frequency and high duty cycle
requirements, a check should be made of the required maxi-
mum duty cycle (including losses) against the graph shown
in Figure 5.
The actual maximum duty cycle will vary with the operating
frequency as follows:
(6)
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LM25119
30126214
FIGURE 5. Maximum Duty Cycle vs Switching Frequency
Thermal Protection
Internal thermal shutdown circuitry is provided to protect the
integrated circuit in the event the maximum junction temper-
ature is exceeded. When activated, typically at 165°C, the
controller is forced into a low power reset state, disabling the
output driver and the VCC bias regulators. This feature is de-
signed to prevent catastrophic failures from overheating and
destroying the device.
Application Information
EXTERNAL COMPONENTS
The procedure for calculating the external components is il-
lustrated with the following design example. Only the values
for the 3.3V output are calculated since the procedure is the
same for the 1.8V output. The circuit shown in Figure 14 is
configured for the following specifications:
CH1 output voltage, VOUT1 = 3.3V
CH2 output voltage, VOUT2 = 1.8V
CH1 maximum load current, IOUT1 = 8A
CH2 maximum load current, IOUT2 = 8A
Minimum input voltage, VIN(MIN) = 6V
Maximum input voltage, VIN(MAX) = 36V
Switching frequency, fSW = 230kHz
Some component values were chosen as a compromise be-
tween the 3.3V and 1.8V outputs to allow identical compo-
nents to be used on both outputs. This design can be
reconfigured in a dual-channel interleaved configuration with
a single 3.3V output which requires identical power channels.
TIMING RESISTOR
RT sets the switching frequency of each regulator channel.
Generally, higher frequency applications are smaller but have
higher losses. Operation at 230kHz was selected for this ex-
ample as a reasonable compromise between small size and
high efficiency. The value of RT for 230kHz switching fre-
quency can be calculated as follows:
(7)
A standard value or 22.1k was chosen for RT. The internal
oscillator frequency is twice the switching frequency and is
about 460kHz.
OUTPUT INDUCTOR
The inductor value is determined based on the operating fre-
quency, load current, ripple current and the input and output
voltages.
30126215
FIGURE 6. Inductor Current
Knowing the switching frequency, maximum ripple current
(IPP), maximum input voltage and the nominal output voltage
(VOUT), the inductor value can be calculated:
(8)
The maximum ripple current occurs at the maximum input
voltage. Typically, IPP is 20% to 40% of the full load current.
When operating in the diode emulation mode configuration,
the maximum ripple current should be less than twice the
minimum load current. For full synchronous operation, higher
ripple current is acceptable. Higher ripple current allows for a
smaller inductor size, but places more of a burden on the out-
put capacitor to smooth the ripple current. For this example,
a ripple current of 25% of 8A was chosen as a compromise
for the 1.8V output.
(9)
The nearest standard value of 6.8μH was chosen for L. Using
the value of 6.8µH for L, calculate IPP again. This step is nec-
essary if the chosen value of L differs significantly from the
calculated value.
(10)
(11)
CURRENT SENSE RESISTOR
Before determining the value of current sense resistor (RS), it
is valuable to understand the K factor, which is the ramp slope
multiple chosen for slope compensation. The K factor can be
varied from 1 to 3 in practice and is defined as:
15 www.national.com
LM25119
(12)
The performance of the converter will vary depending on the
selected K value (See Table 1). For this example, 3 was cho-
sen as the K factor to minimize the power loss in sense
resistor RS and the cross-talk between channels. Crosstalk
between the two regulators under certain conditions may be
observed on the output as switch jitter.
The maximum output current capability (IOUT(MAX)) should be
20~50% higher than the required output current, (8A at
VOUT1) to account for tolerances and ripple current. For this
example, 130% of 8A was chosen (10.4A). The current sense
resistor value can be calculated as:
(13)
(14)
Where VCS(TH) is the current limit threshold voltage (120mV).
A value of 8m was chosen for RS. The sense resistor must
be rated to handle the power dissipation at maximum input
voltage when current flows through the free-wheel MOSFET
for the majority of the PWM cycle. The maximum power dis-
sipation of RS can be calculated:
(15)
(16)
During output short condition, the worst case peak inductor
current is limited to:
(17)
(18)
Where tON(MIN) is the minimum HO on-time which is nominally
100ns. The chosen inductor must be evaluated for this con-
dition, especially at elevated temperature where the satura-
tion current rating of the inductor may drop significantly. At the
maximum input voltage with a shorted output, the valley cur-
rent must fall below VCS(TH) / RS before the high-side MOSFET
is allowed to turn on.
RAMP RESISTOR AND RAMP CAPACITOR
The value of ramp capacitor (CRAMP) should be less than 2nF
to allow full discharge between cycles by the discharge switch
internal to the LM25119. A good quality, thermally stable ce-
ramic capacitor with 5% or less tolerance is recommended.
For this design the value of CRAMP was set at the standard
capacitor value of 820pF. With the inductor, sense resistor
and the K factor selected, the value of the ramp resistor
(RRAMP) can be calculated as:
(19)
(20)
The standard value of 34k was selected.
OUTPUT CAPACITORS
The output capacitors smooth the inductor ripple current and
provide a source of charge during transient loading condi-
tions. For this design example, a 680µF electrolytic capacitor
with 10m ESR was selected as the main output capacitor.
The fundamental component of the output ripple voltage is
approximated as:
(21)
(22)
(23)
Two 22µF low ERS / ESL ceramic capacitors are placed in
parallel with the 680µF electrolytic capacitor, to further reduce
the output voltage ripple and spikes.
TABLE 1. Performance Variation by K Factor
K < 1 1 <— K —> 3 K > 3
Cross Talk
Sub-harmonic
oscillation may occur
Higher Lower
Introduces
additional pole near
cross-over
frequency
Peak Inductor Current with Short Output
Condition
Lower Higher
Inductor Size Smaller Larger
Power Dissipation of Rs Higher Lower
Efficiency Lower Higher
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LM25119
INPUT CAPACITORS
The regulator input supply voltage typically has high source
impedance at the switching frequency. Good quality input ca-
pacitors are necessary to limit the ripple voltage at the VIN
pin while supplying most of the switch current during the on-
time. When the buck switch turns on, the current into the buck
switch steps to the valley of the inductor current waveform,
ramps up to the peak value, and then drops to the zero at turn-
off. The input capacitance should be selected for RMS current
rating and minimum ripple voltage. A good approximation for
the required ripple current rating necessary is IRMS > IOUT / 2.
Seven 2.2μF ceramic capacitors were used for each channel.
With ceramic capacitors, the input ripple voltage will be trian-
gular. The input ripple voltage with one channel operating is
approximately:
(24)
(25)
The ripple voltage of the input capacitors will be reduced sig-
nificantly with dual channel operation since each channel
operates 180 degrees out of phase from the other. Capacitors
connected in parallel should be evaluated for RMS current
rating. The current will split between the input capacitors
based on the relative impedance of the capacitors at the
switching frequency.
When the converter is connected to an input power source, a
resonant circuit is formed by the line inductance and the input
capacitors. To minimize overshoot make CIN > 10 x LIN. The
characteristic source impedance (ZS) and resonant frequency
(fS) are:
(26)
(27)
Where LIN is the inductance of the input wire. The converter
exhibits negative input impedance which is lowest at the min-
imum input voltage:
(28)
The damping factor for the input filter is given by:
(29)
Where RIN is the input wiring resistance and ESR is the equiv-
alent series resistance of the input capacitors. When δ = 1,
the input filter is critically damped. This may be difficult to
achieve with practical component values. With δ < 0.2, the
input filter will exhibit significant ringing. If δ is zero or nega-
tive, there is not enough resistance in the circuit and the input
filter will sustain an oscillation. When operating near the min-
imum input voltage, a bulk aluminum electrolytic capacitor
across CIN may be needed to damp the input for a typical
bench test setup.
VCC CAPACITOR
The primary purpose of the VCC capacitor (CVCC) is to supply
the peak transient currents of the LO driver and bootstrap
diode as well as provide stability for the VCC regulator. These
peak currents can be several amperes. The recommended
value of CVCC should be no smaller than 0.47µF, and should
be a good quality, low ESR, ceramic capacitor located at the
pins of the IC to minimize potentially damaging voltage tran-
sients caused by trace inductance. A value of 1μF was se-
lected for this design.
BOOTSTRAP CAPACITOR
The bootstrap capacitor between the HB and SW pins sup-
plies the gate current to charge the high-side MOSFET gate
at each cycle’s turn-on and recovery charge for the bootstrap
diode. These current peaks can be several amperes. The
recommended value of the bootstrap capacitor is at least
0.1μF, and should be a good quality, low ESR, ceramic ca-
pacitor located at the pins of the IC to minimize potentially
damaging voltage transients caused by trace inductance. The
absolute minimum value for the bootstrap capacitor is calcu-
lated as:
(30)
Qg is the high-side MOSFET gate charge and ΔVHB is the
tolerable voltage droop on CHB, which is typically less than
5% of VCC. A value of 0.47μF was selected for this design.
SOFT START CAPACITOR
The capacitor at the SS pin (CSS) determines the soft-start
time (tSS), which is the time for the output voltage to reach the
final regulated value. The value of CSS for a given time is de-
termined from:
(31)
For this application, a value of 0.047μF was chosen for a soft-
start time of 3.8ms.
RESTART CAPACITOR
The restart pin sources 10µA into the external restart capac-
itor (CRES). The value of the restart capacitor is given by:
(32)
Where tRES is the time the LM25119 remains off before a
restart attempt in hiccup mode current limiting. For this appli-
cation, a value of 0.47µF was chosen for a restart time of
59ms.
OUTPUT VOLTAGE DIVIDER
RFB1 and RFB2 set the output voltage level, the ratio of these
resistors is calculated from:
(33)
2.21k was chosen for RFB1 in this design which results in a
RFB2 value of 6.98k for VOUT1 of 3.3V. A reasonable guide
is to select the value of RFB1 in the range between 500 and
10k. The value of RFB1 should be large enough to keep the
total divider power dissipation small.
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LM25119
30126259
FIGURE 7. Feedback Configuration
UVLO DIVIDER
The UVLO threshold is internally set to 1.25V at the UVLO
pin. The LM25119 is enabled when the system input voltage
VIN causes the UVLO pin to exceed the threshold voltage of
1.25V. When the UVLO pin voltage is below the threshold, the
internal 20μA current source is disabled. When the UVLO pin
voltage exceeds the 1.25V threshold, the 20μA current source
is enabled causing the UVLO pin voltage to increase, provid-
ing hysteresis. The values of RUV1 and RUV2 can be deter-
mined from the following equation:
(34)
(35)
VHYS is the desired UVLO hysteresis at VIN, and VIN in the
second equation is the desired UVLO release (turn-on) volt-
age. For example, if it is desired for the LM25119 to be
enabled when VIN reaches 5.6V, and the desired hysteresis
is 1.05V, then RUV2 should be set to 52.5k and RUV1 should
be set to 15.1k. For this application RUV2 was selected to be
52.3k, RUV1was selected to be 15k. The LM25119 can be
remotely shutdown by taking the UVLO pin below 0.4V with
an external open collector or open drain device. The outputs
and the VCC regulator are disabled in shutdown mode. Ca-
pacitor CFT provides filtering for the divider. A value of 100pF
was chosen for CFT. The voltage at the UVLO pin should nev-
er exceed 15V when using the external set-point divider. It
may be necessary to clamp the UVLO pin at high input volt-
ages.
30126257
FIGURE 8. UVLO Configuration
MOSFET SELECTION
Selection of the power MOSFETs is governed by the same
tradeoffs as switching frequency. Breaking down the losses
in the high-side and low-side MOSFETs is one way to com-
pare the relative efficiencies of different devices. When using
discrete SO-8 MOSFETs, generally the output current capa-
bility range is 2A to 10A. Losses in the power MOSFETs can
be broken down into conduction loss, gate charging loss, and
switching loss. Conduction loss PDC is approximately:
(36)
(37)
Where, D is the duty cycle and the factor of 1.3 accounts for
the increase in MOSFET on-resistance due to heating. Alter-
natively, the factor of 1.3 can be eliminated and the high
temperature on-resistance of the MOSFET can be estimated
using the RDS(ON) vs Temperature curves in the MOSFET
datasheet. Gate charging loss, PGC, results from the current
driving the gate capacitance of the power MOSFETs and is
approximated as:
(38)
Where Qg refers to the total gate charge of an individual
MOSFET, and ‘n’ is the number of MOSFETs. Gate charge
loss differs from conduction and switching losses in that the
actual dissipation occurs in the LM25119 and not in the MOS-
FET itself. Further loss in the LM25119 is incurred if the gate
driving current is supplied by the internal linear regulator.
Switching loss occurs during the brief transition period as the
MOSFET turns on and off. During the transition period both
current and voltage are present in the channel of the MOS-
FET. The switching loss can be approximated as:
(39)
Where tR and tF are the rise and fall times of the MOSFET.
The rise and fall times are usually mentioned in the MOSFET
datasheet or can be empirically observed with an oscillo-
scope. Switching loss is calculated for the high-side MOSFET
only. Switching loss in the low-side MOSFET is negligible be-
cause the body diode of the low-side MOSFET turns on
before the MOSFET itself, minimizing the voltage from drain
to source before turn-on. For this example, the maximum
drain-to-source voltage applied to either MOSFET is 36V.The
selected MOSFETs must be able to withstand 36V plus any
ringing from drain to source, and be able to handle at least
the VCC voltage plus any ringing from gate to source. A good
choice of MOSFET for the 36V input design example is the
SI7884. It has an RDS(ON) of 7.5m and total gate charge of
21nC. In applications where a high step-down ratio is main-
tained in normal operation, efficiency may be optimized by
choosing a high-side MOSFET with lower Qg, and low-side
MOSFET with lower RDS(ON).
MOSFET SNUBBER
A resistor-capacitor snubber network across the low-side
MOSFET reduces ringing and spikes at the switching node.
Excessive ringing and spikes can cause erratic operation and
couple noise to the output. Selecting the values for the snub-
ber is best accomplished through empirical methods. First,
make sure the lead lengths for the snubber connections are
very short. Start with a resistor value between 5 and 50.
Increasing the value of the snubber capacitor results in more
damping, but higher snubber losses. Select a minimum value
for the snubber capacitor that provides adequate damping of
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LM25119
the spikes on the switch waveform at high load. A snubber
may not be necessary with an optimized layout.
ERROR AMPLIFIER COMPENSATION
RCOMP, CCOMP and CHF configure the error amplifier gain
characteristics to accomplish a stable voltage loop gain. One
advantage of current mode control is the ability to close the
loop with only two feedback components, RCOMP and CCOMP.
The voltage loop gain is the product of the modulator gain and
the error amplifier gain. For the 3.3V output design example,
the modulator is treated as an ideal voltage-to-current con-
verter. The DC modulator gain of the LM25119 can be mod-
eled as:
(40)
Note that A is the gain of the current sense amplifier which is
10 in the LM25119. The dominant low frequency pole of the
modulator is determined by the load resistance (RLOAD) and
output capacitance (COUT). The corner frequency of this pole
is:
(41)
For RLOAD = 3.3V / 8A = 0.413 and COUT = 724μF (effective)
then fP(MOD) = 532Hz
DC Gain(MOD) = 0.413Ω / (10 x 8m) = 5.16 = 14.2dB
For the 3.3V design example, the modulator gain vs. frequen-
cy characteristic is shown in Figure 9.
30126216
FIGURE 9. Modulator Gain and Phase
Components RCOMP and CCOMP configure the error amplifier
as a Type II configuration. The DC gain of the amplifier is
80dB with a pole at 0Hz and a zero at fZEA = 1 / (2π x
RCOMP x CCOMP). The error amplifier zero cancels the modu-
lator pole leaving a single pole response at the crossover
frequency of the voltage loop. A single pole response at the
crossover frequency yields a very stable loop with 90 degrees
of phase margin. For the design example, a conservative tar-
get loop bandwidth (crossover frequency) of 11kHz was se-
lected. The compensation network zero (fZEA) should be
selected at least an order of magnitude less than the target
crossover frequency. This constrains the product of RCOMP
and CCOMP for a desired compensation network zero 1 / (2π
x RCOMP x CCOMP) to be about 1.1kHz. Increasing RCOMP,
while proportionally decreasing CCOMP, increases the error
amp gain. Conversely, decreasing RCOMP while proportionally
increasing CCOMP, decreases the error amp gain. For the de-
sign example CCOMP was selected as 6800pF and RCOMP was
selected as 36.5k. These values configure the compensa-
tion network zero at 640Hz. The error amp gain at frequencies
greater than fZEA is: RCOMP / RFB2, which is approximately 5.22
(14.3dB).
30126217
FIGURE 10. Error Amplifier Gain and Phase
The overall voltage loop gain can be predicted as the sum (in
dB) of the modulator gain and the error amp gain.
30126218
FIGURE 11. Overall Voltage Loop Gain and Phase
If a network analyzer is available, the modulator gain can be
measured and the error amplifier gain can be configured for
the desired loop transfer function. If the K factor is between 2
and 3, the stability should be checked with the network ana-
lyzer. If a network analyzer is not available, the error amplifier
compensation components can be designed with the guide-
lines given. Step load transient tests can be performed to
verify acceptable performance. The step load goal is mini-
mum overshoot with a damped response. CHF can be added
to the compensation network to decrease noise susceptibility
of the error amplifier. The value of CHF must be sufficiently
small since the addition of this capacitor adds a pole in the
19 www.national.com
LM25119
error amplifier transfer function. This pole must be well be-
yond the loop crossover frequency. A good approximation of
the location of the pole added by CHF is: fP2 = fZEA x CCOMP /
CHF. The value of CHF was selected as 100pF for the design
example.
Miscellaneous Functions
EN2 is left floating which allows channel2 to always remain
enabled. If EN2 is pulled below 2V, channel2 is disabled.
The DEMB pin is left floating since this design uses diode
emulation. For fully synchronous (continuous conduction) op-
eration, connect the DEMB to a voltage greater than 2.6V.
VCCDIS is left floating to enable the internal VCC regulators.
To disable the internal VCC regulators, connect this pin to a
voltage greater than 1.25V.
Interleaved Operation
Interleaved operation can offer many advantages in single
output, high current applications. The output power path is
split between two identical channels reducing the current in
each channel by one-half. Ripple current reduction in the out-
put capacitors is reduced significantly since each channel
operates 180 degrees out of phase from the other. Ripple re-
duction is greatest at 50% duty cycle and decreases as the
duty cycle varies away from 50%.
Refer to Figure 12 to estimate the ripple current reduction.
Also, the effective ripple in the input and output capacitors
occurs at twice the frequency of a single channel design due
to the combining of the two channels. All of these factors are
advantageous in managing the higher currents and their ef-
fects in a high power design.
30126219
FIGURE 12. Cancellation Factor vs. Duty Cycle for Output
Capacitor
To begin an interleaved design, use the previous equations
in this datasheet to first calculate the required value of com-
ponents using one-half the current in the output power path.
The Attenuation Factor in Figure 12 is the ratio of the output
capacitor ripple to the inductor ripple vs. duty cycle. The in-
ductor ripple used in this calculation is the ripple in either
inductor in a two phase design, not the ripple calculated for a
single phase design of the same output power. It can be ob-
served that operation around 50% duty cycle results in almost
complete ripple attenuation in the output capacitor. Figure
12 can be used to calculate the amount of ripple attenuation
in the output capacitors.
30126220
FIGURE 13. Normalized Input Capacitor RMS Ripple
Current vs. Duty Cycle
Figure 13 illustrates the ripple current reduction in the input
capacitors due to interleaving. As with the output capacitors,
there is near perfect ripple reduction near 50% duty cycle.
This plot can be used to calculate the ripple in the input ca-
pacitors at any duty cycle. In designs with large duty cycle
swings, use the worst case ripple reduction for the design.
To configure the LM25119 for interleaved operation, connect
COMP1 and COMP2 pins together at the IC. Connecting the
FB2 pin to VCC2 pin will disable the channel2 error amplifier
with a high output impedance at COMP2. Connect the com-
pensation network between FB1 and the common COMP
pins. Connect the two power stages together at the output
capacitors. Finally use the plots in Figure 12 and Figure 13
along with the duty cycle range to determine the amount of
output and input capacitor ripple reduction. Frequently more
capacitance than necessary is used in a design just to meet
ESR requirements. Reducing the capacitance based solely
on ripple reduction graphs alone may violate this requirement.
In the LM25119 evaluation board (schematic shown in Figure
14) interleaved operation can be enabled by shorting both
outputs together (with identical components in the power
train), and using zero ohm resistors for R22 and R21. This
shorts VCC2 to FB2 and COMP2 to COMP1 respectively. Al-
so the channel2 feedback network C14, R6, and C15 should
be removed. The easy re-configuration between two channel
and single channel operation will allow insight into the benefits
of interleaved operation.
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LM25119
30126221
FIGURE 14. 3.3V 8A, 1.8V 8A Typical Application Schematic
21 www.national.com
LM25119
PCB Board Layout
Recommendations
The LM25119 consists of two integrated regulators operating
almost independently. Crosstalk between the two regulators
under certain conditions may be observed as switch jitter.
This effect is common for any dual channel regulator. Cross-
talk effects are usually most severe when one channel is
operating around 50% duty cycle. Careful layout practices
help to minimize this effect. The following board layout guide-
lines apply specifically to the LM25119 and should be fol-
lowed for best performance.
1. Keep the Loop1 and Loop2, shown in Figure 15, as small
as possible
2. Keep the signal and power grounds separate
3. Place VCC capacitors (C6, C7) and VIN capacitor (C9)
as closes as possible to the LM25119
4. Route CS and CSG traces together with Kelvin
connection to the sense resistor
5. Connect AGND and PGND directly to the underside
exposed pad
6. Ensure there are no high current paths beneath the
underside exposed pad
Switching Jitter Root Causes and Solutions
1. Noise coupling of the high frequency switching between
two channels through the input power rail
A. Keep the high current path as short as possible
B. Choose a FET with minimum lead inductance
C. Place local bypass capacitors (CIN1, CIN2) as close
as possible to the high-side FETs to isolate one
channel from the high frequency noise of the other
channel
D. Slow down the SW switching speed by increasing
gate resistors R29 and R30
E. Minimize the effective ESR/ESL of the input
capacitor by paralleling input capacitors
2. High frequency AC noise on FB, CS, CSG and COMP
A. Use the star ground PCB layout technique and
minimize the length of the high current path
B. Keep the signal traces away from the SW, HO, HB
traces and the inductor
C. Add an R-C filter between the CS and CSG pins
D. Place CS filter capacitor (C30, C31) next to the
LM25119 and on the same PCB layer as the
LM25119
3. Ground offset at the switching frequency
A. Use the star ground PCB layout technique and
minimize the length between the grounds of CIN1and
CIN2
30126222
FIGURE 15. Recommended PCB Layout
www.national.com 22
LM25119
Physical Dimensions inches (millimeters) unless otherwise noted
32 Pin LLP
NS Package Number SQA32A
23 www.national.com
LM25119
Notes
LM25119 Wide Input Range Dual Synchronous Buck Controller
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