LTC3897-2
18
Rev. A
For more information www.analog.com
OPERATION
Boost Controller Operation When VIN>Regulated VOUT
When the input voltage to the boost channel rises above
the regulated V
OUT
voltage, the boost controller can behave
differently depending on the mode, inductor current and
VIN voltage. In forced continuous mode, the loop works
to keep the top MOSFET on continuously once VIN rises
above VOUT. The internal charge pump delivers current to
the boost capacitor to maintain a sufficiently high TG volt-
age. The amount of current the charge pump can deliver
is characterized by two curves in the Typical Performance
Characteristics section.
In pulse-skipping mode, if VIN is greater than the regulated
V
OUT
voltage, TG turns on if the inductor current rises
above a certain threshold and turns off if the inductor
current falls below this threshold. This threshold current
is set to approximately 6%, 4% or 3% of the maximum
ILIM current when the ILIM pin is grounded, floating or tied
to INTVCC, respectively. If the controller is programmed
to Burst Mode operation under this same VIN condition,
then TG remains off regardless of the inductor current.
Operation at Low SENSE Pin Common Mode Voltage
The current comparator in the LTC3897-2 is powered
directly from the SENSE+ pin. This enables the common
mode voltage of the SENSE+ and SENSE– pins to operate
at as low as 2.3V, which is below the UVLO threshold. The
figure on the first page shows a typical application in which
the controller’s VBIAS is powered from VOUT while the VIN
supply can go as low as 2.3V. If the voltage on SENSE+
drops below 2.3V, the SS pin will be held low. When the
SENSE voltage returns to the normal operating range, the
SS pin will be released, initiating a new soft-start cycle.
BOOST Supply Refresh and Internal Charge Pump
Each top MOSFET driver is biased from the floating
bootstrap capacitor, C
B
, which normally recharges
during each cycle through an internal switch when the
bottom MOSFET turns on. There are two considerations
for keeping the BOOST supply at the required bias level.
During start-up, if the bottom MOSFET is not turned on
within 100µs after UVLO goes low, the bottom MOSFET
will be forced to turn on for ~400ns. This forced refresh
generates enough BOOST-SW voltage to allow the top
MOSFET ready to be fully enhanced instead of waiting for
the initial few cycles to charge up. There is also an internal
charge pump that keeps the required bias on BOOST. The
charge pump always operates in both forced continuous
mode and pulse-skipping mode. In Burst Mode operation,
the charge pump is turned off during sleep and enabled
when the chip wakes up. The internal charge pump can
normally supply a charging current of 30µA.
Surge Stopper and Ideal Diode Controllers
The LTC3897-2 includes input/output protections that are
designed to suppress high voltage surges and limit the
input voltage of the boost controller and ensure normal
operation in high availability power systems. The LTC3897-2
drives an N-channel MOSFET MSG at the SG pin to limit
the voltage and current to the boost controller during
supply transients or overcurrent events. The LTC3897-2
also drives a second N-channel MOSFET MDG at the DG
pin as an ideal diode to protect the boost controller from
damage during reverse polarity input conditions, and to
block reverse current flow in the event the input collapses.
The LTC3897-2 operates from a wide range of VIN supply
voltage, from 4.2V to 75V. With a clamp limiting the VIN
supply, the input voltage may be higher than 75V. The
input supply can also be pulled below ground potential
by up to 40V without damaging the LTC3897-2. The low
power supply requirement of 4.2V allows it to operate even
during cold cranking conditions in automotive applications.
Normally, the pass device M
SG
is fully on, supplying current
to the load with very little power loss. If the input voltage
surges too high, the voltage amplifier (VA) controls the
gate of M
SG
and regulates the voltage at the IS
–
pin to
a level that is set by an external resistive divider (SFPB
pin) from the IS– pin to ground and the internal 1.235V
reference. The LTC3897-2 also detects an overcurrent
condition by monitoring the voltage across an external
sense resistor placed between the IS
+
and IS
–
pins. An
active current limit circuit (IA) controls the gate of MSG to
limit the sense voltage to 50mV if IS– is above 2.5V. In the
case of a severe output overcurrent that brings IS– below
1.5V, the sense voltage is reduced to 27mV to reduce the
stress on MSG.