RT8271
10 DS8271-02 March 2011www.richtek.com
Ferrite core material saturates “hard”, which means 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 materials 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 a nd a ny ra diated f ield/
EMI requirements.
Diode Selection
When the power switch turns off, the path for the current
is through the diode connected between the switch output
and ground. This forward biased diode must have a
minimum voltage drop a nd recovery times. Schottky diode
is recommended and it should be able to handle those
current. The reverse voltage rating of the diode should be
greater than the maximum input voltage, a nd current rating
should be greater than the maximum load current. For
more detail plea se refer to Table 4.
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 ca pacitor , a 10μF low ESR cera mic capacitor
is recommended. For the recommended ca pacitor, plea se
refer to table 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
respon se as described in a later section.
The output ripple, ΔVOUT , is determined by :
The output ripple will be highest at the maximum input
voltage since ΔIL increases with input voltage. Multiple
ca pa citors pla ced 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 capacitance density than other
types. Although Tantalum capacitors have the highest
ca pa citance density , it is i mportant to only use type s that
pass the surge test for use in switching power supplie s.
Aluminum electrolytic ca pacitors have significantly higher
ESR. However, it can be used in cost-sensitive a pplications
for ripple current rating and long term reliability
considerations. Ceramic capacitors have excellent low
ESR characteristics but can have a high voltage coefficient
a nd audible piezoelectric ef fects. The high Q of ceramic
ca pacitors with tra ce 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
and the power is supplied by a wall ada pter through long
wires, a loa d step at the output ca n 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 da mage the
part.
OUT IN
RMS OUT(MAX) IN OUT
VV
I = I 1
VV
−
OUT L OUT
1
VIESR
8fC
⎡⎤
Δ≤Δ +
⎢⎥
⎣⎦