SLVS638D January 2006 – June 2022
PRODUCTION DATA
Proper inductor selection is key to the performance-switching power-supply designs. One important factor to consider is whether the regulator is used in continuous mode (inductor current flows continuously and never drops to zero) or in discontinuous mode (inductor current goes to zero during the normal switching cycle). Each mode has distinctively different operating characteristics and, therefore, can affect the regulator performance and requirements. In many applications, the continuous mode is the preferred mode of operation, since it offers greater output power with lower peak currents, and also can result in lower output ripple voltage. The advantages of continuous mode of operation come at the expense of a larger inductor required to keep inductor current continuous, especially at low output currents and/or high input voltages.
The TL2575 and TL2575HV devices can operate in either continuous or discontinuous mode. With heavy load currents, the inductor current flows continuously and the regulator operates in continuous mode. Under light load, the inductor fully discharges and the regulator is forced into the discontinuous mode of operation. For light loads (approximately 200 mA or less), this discontinuous mode of operation is perfectly acceptable and may be desirable solely to keep the inductor value and size small. Any buck regulator eventually operates in discontinuous mode when the load current is light enough.
The type of inductor chosen can have advantages and disadvantages. If high performance or high quality is a concern, then more-expensive toroid core inductors are the best choice, as the magnetic flux is contained completely within the core, resulting in less EMI and noise in nearby sensitive circuits. Inexpensive bobbin core inductors, however, generate more EMI as the open core does not confine the flux within the core. Multiple switching regulators located in proximity to each other are particularly susceptible to mutual coupling of magnetic fluxes from each other’s open cores. In these situations, closed magnetic structures (such as a toroid, pot core, or E-core) are more appropriate.
Regardless of the type and value of inductor used, the inductor never should carry more than its rated current. Doing so may cause the inductor to saturate, in which case the inductance quickly drops, and the inductor looks like a low-value resistor (from the dc resistance of the windings). As a result, switching current rises dramatically (until limited by the current-by-current limiting feature of the TL2575 and TL2575HV devices) and can result in overheating of the inductor and the IC itself.
Different types of inductors have different saturation characteristics.