8
ICL7660, ICL7660A
Typical Applications
Simple Negative Voltage Converter
The majority of applications will undoubtedly utilize the
ICL7660 and ICL7660A for generation of negative supply volt-
ages. Figure 13 shows typical connections to provide a nega-
tive supply negative (GND) for supply voltages below 3.5V.
The output characteristics of the circuit in Figure 13A can be
approximated by an ideal voltage source in series with a
resistance as shown in Figure 13B. The voltage source has
a value of -V+. The output impedance (RO) is a function of
the ON resistance of the internal MOS switches (shown in
Figure 12), the switching frequency, the value of C1 and C2,
and the ESR (equivalent series resistance) of C1 and C2. A
good first order approximation for RO is:
RSW, the total switch resistance, is a function of supply volt-
age and temperature (See the Output Source Resistance
graphs), typically 23Ω at +25oC and 5V. Careful selection of
C1 and C2 will reduce the remaining terms, minimizing the
output impedance. High value capacitors will reduce the
1/(fPUMP • C
1
) component, and low ESR capacitors will
lower the ESR term. Increasing the oscillator frequency will
reduce the 1/(fPUMP •C1) term, but may have the side effect
of a net increase in output impedance when C1 > 10µF and
there is no longer enough time to fully charge the capacitors
every cycle. In a typical application where fOSC = 10kHz and
C = C1 = C2 = 10µF:
RO≅ 46 + 20 + 5 (ESRC)
Since the ESRs of the capacitors are reflected in the output
impedance multiplied by a factor of 5, a high value could
potentially swamp out a low 1/(fPUMP • C1) term, rendering
an increase in switching frequency or filter capacitance inef-
fective. Typical electrolytic capacitors may have ESRs as
high as 10Ω.
RO/ ≅ 46 + 20 + 5 (ESRC)
Since the ESRs of the capacitors are reflected in the output
impedance multiplied by a factor of 5, a high value could
RO≅2(RSW1 + RSW3 + ESRC1) +
2(RSW2 + RSW4 + ESRC1) +
1+ ESRC2
(fPUMP) (C1)
(fPUMP = fOSC , RSWX = MOSFET switch resistance)
2
Combining the four RSWX terms as RSW, we see that:
RO≅2 (RSW) + 1+ 4 (ESRC1) + ESRC2
(fPUMP) (C1)
RO≅2 (23) + 1+ 4 (ESRC1) + ESRC2
(5 • 103) (10-5)
RO≅2 (23) + 1+ 4 (ESRC1) + ESRC2
(5 • 103) (10-5)
potentially swamp out a low 1/(fPUMP • C1) term, rendering
an increase in switching frequency or filter capacitance inef-
fective. Typical electrolytic capacitors may have ESRs as
high as 10Ω.
Output Ripple
ESR also affects the ripple voltage seen at the output. The
total ripple is determined by 2 voltages, A and B, as shown in
Figure 14. Segment A is the voltage drop across the ESR of
C2 at the instant it goes from being charged by C1 (current
flow into C2) to being discharged through the load (current
flowing out of C2). The magnitude of this current change is
2• IOUT, hence the total drop is 2• IOUT • eSRC2V. Segment B
is the voltage change across C2 during time t2, the half of the
cycle when C2 supplies current to the load. The drop at B is
lOUT • t2/C2V. The peak-to-peak ripple voltage is the sum of
these voltage drops:
Again, a low ESR capacitor will reset in a higher perfor-
mance output.
Paralleling Devices
Any number of ICL7660 and ICL7660A voltage converters
may be paralleled to reduce output resistance. The reservoir
capacitor, C2, serves all devices while each device requires
its own pump capacitor, C1. The resultant output resistance
would be approximately:
Cascading Devices
The ICL7660 and ICL7660A may be cascaded as shown to
produced larger negative multiplication of the initial supply
voltage. However, due to the finite efficiency of each device,
the practical limit is 10 devices for light loads. The output
voltage is defined by:
VOUT = -n (VIN),
where n is an integer representing the number of devices
cascaded. The resulting output resistance would be approxi-
mately the weighted sum of the individual ICL7660 and
ICL7660A ROUT values.
Changing the ICL7660/ICL7660A Oscillator Frequency
It may be desirable in some applications, due to noise or
other considerations, to increase the oscillator frequency.
This is achieved by overdriving the oscillator from an exter-
nal clock, as shown in Figure 17. In order to prevent possible
device latchup, a 1kΩ resistor must be used in series with
the clock output. In a situation where the designer has gen-
erated the external clock frequency using TTL logic, the
addition of a 10kΩ pullup resistor to V+ supply is required.
Note that the pump frequency with external clocking, as with
internal clocking, will be 1/2 of the clock frequency. Output
transitions occur on the positive-going edge of the clock.
VRIPPLE ≅[1+ 2 (ESRC2)]IOUT
2 (fPUMP) (C2)
ROUT = ROUT (of ICL7660/ICL7660A)
n (number of devices)