SLUSB69B May   2014  – July 2016 TPS544B20 , TPS544C20

PRODUCTION DATA.  

  1. Features
  2. Applications
  3. Description
  4. Revision History
  5. Device Comparison Table
  6. Pin Configuration and Functions
  7. Specifications
    1. 7.1 Absolute Maximum Ratings
    2. 7.2 ESD Ratings
    3. 7.3 Recommended Operating Conditions
    4. 7.4 Thermal Information
    5. 7.5 Electrical Characteristics
    6. 7.6 Switching Characteristics
    7. 7.7 Typical Characteristics
  8. Detailed Description
    1. 8.1 Overview
    2. 8.2 Functional Block Diagram
    3. 8.3 Feature Description
      1. 8.3.1  Turn-On and Turn-Off Delay and Sequencing
      2. 8.3.2  Pre-Biased Output Start-Up
      3. 8.3.3  Voltage Reference
      4. 8.3.4  Differential Remote Sense and Output Voltage Setting
      5. 8.3.5  PMBus Output Voltage Adjustment
      6. 8.3.6  Switching Frequency
      7. 8.3.7  Soft-Start
      8. 8.3.8  Linear Regulators BP3 and BP6
      9. 8.3.9  External Bypass (BPEXT)
      10. 8.3.10 Current Monitoring and Low-Side MOSFET Overcurrent Protection
      11. 8.3.11 High-Side MOSFET Short-Circuit Protection
      12. 8.3.12 Over-Temperature Protection
      13. 8.3.13 Input Undervoltage Lockout (UVLO)
      14. 8.3.14 Output Overvoltage and Undervoltage Protection
      15. 8.3.15 Fault Protection Responses
      16. 8.3.16 PMBus General Description
      17. 8.3.17 PMBus Address
      18. 8.3.18 PMBus Connections
      19. 8.3.19 Auto ARA (Alert Response Address) Response
    4. 8.4 Device Functional Modes
      1. 8.4.1 Continuous Conduction Mode
      2. 8.4.2 Operation with Internal BP6 Regulator
      3. 8.4.3 Operation with BP External
      4. 8.4.4 Operation with CNTL Signal Control
      5. 8.4.5 Operation with OPERATION Control
      6. 8.4.6 Operation with CNTL and OPERATION Control
      7. 8.4.7 Operation with Output Margining
    5. 8.5 Programming
      1. 8.5.1 Supported PMBus Commands
    6. 8.6 Register Maps
      1. 8.6.1  OPERATION (01h)
        1. 8.6.1.1 On
        2. 8.6.1.2 Margin
      2. 8.6.2  ON_OFF_CONFIG (02h)
        1. 8.6.2.1 pu
        2. 8.6.2.2 cmd
        3. 8.6.2.3 cpr
        4. 8.6.2.4 pol
        5. 8.6.2.5 cpa
      3. 8.6.3  CLEAR_FAULTS (03h)
      4. 8.6.4  WRITE_PROTECT (10h)
        1. 8.6.4.1 bit5
        2. 8.6.4.2 bit6
        3. 8.6.4.3 bit7
      5. 8.6.5  STORE_USER_ALL (15h)
      6. 8.6.6  RESTORE_USER_ALL (16h)
      7. 8.6.7  CAPABILITY (19h)
      8. 8.6.8  VOUT_MODE (20h)
        1. 8.6.8.1 Mode:
        2. 8.6.8.2 Exponent
      9. 8.6.9  VIN_ON (35h)
        1. 8.6.9.1 Exponent
        2. 8.6.9.2 Mantissa
      10. 8.6.10 VIN_OFF (36h)
        1. 8.6.10.1 Exponent
        2. 8.6.10.2 Mantissa
      11. 8.6.11 IOUT_CAL_OFFSET (39h)
        1. 8.6.11.1 Exponent
        2. 8.6.11.2 Mantissa
      12. 8.6.12 IOUT_OC_FAULT_LIMIT (46h)
        1. 8.6.12.1 Exponent
        2. 8.6.12.2 Mantissa
      13. 8.6.13 IOUT_OC_FAULT_RESPONSE (47h)
        1. 8.6.13.1 RS[2:0]
      14. 8.6.14 IOUT_OC_WARN_LIMIT (4Ah)
        1. 8.6.14.1 Exponent
        2. 8.6.14.2 Mantissa
      15. 8.6.15 OT_FAULT_LIMIT (4Fh)
        1. 8.6.15.1 Exponent
        2. 8.6.15.2 Mantissa
      16. 8.6.16 OT_WARN_LIMIT (51h)
        1. 8.6.16.1 Exponent
        2. 8.6.16.2 Mantissa
      17. 8.6.17 TON_RISE (61h)
        1. 8.6.17.1 Exponent
        2. 8.6.17.2 Mantissa
      18. 8.6.18 STATUS_BYTE (78h)
      19. 8.6.19 STATUS_WORD (79h)
      20. 8.6.20 STATUS_VOUT (7Ah)
      21. 8.6.21 STATUS_IOUT (7Bh)
      22. 8.6.22 STATUS_TEMPERATURE (7Dh)
      23. 8.6.23 STATUS_CML (7Eh)
      24. 8.6.24 STATUS_MFR_SPECIFIC (80h)
      25. 8.6.25 READ_VOUT (8Bh)
      26. 8.6.26 READ_IOUT (8Ch)
        1. 8.6.26.1 Exponent
        2. 8.6.26.2 Mantissa
      27. 8.6.27 READ_TEMPERATURE_2 (8Eh)
        1. 8.6.27.1 Exponent
        2. 8.6.27.2 Mantissa
      28. 8.6.28 PMBUS_REVISION (98h)
      29. 8.6.29 MFR_SPECIFIC_00 (D0h)
      30. 8.6.30 VREF_TRIM (MFR_SPECIFIC_04) (D4h)
      31. 8.6.31 STEP_VREF_MARGIN_HIGH (MFR_SPECIFIC_05) (D5h)
      32. 8.6.32 STEP_VREF_MARGIN_LOW (MFR_SPECIFIC_06) (D6h)
      33. 8.6.33 PCT_VOUT_FAULT_PG_LIMIT (MFR_SPECIFIC_07) (D7h)
      34. 8.6.34 SEQUENCE_TON_TOFF_DELAY (MFR_SPECIFIC_08) (D8h)
      35. 8.6.35 OPTIONS (MFR_SPECIFIC_21) (E5h)
      36. 8.6.36 MASK_SMBALERT (MFR_SPECIFIC_23) (E7h)
        1. 8.6.36.1  mOTFI
        2. 8.6.36.2  mPRTCL
        3. 8.6.36.3  mSMBTO
        4. 8.6.36.4  mIVC
        5. 8.6.36.5  mIVD
        6. 8.6.36.6  mPEC
        7. 8.6.36.7  mMEM
        8. 8.6.36.8  Auto_ARA
        9. 8.6.36.9  mOTF
        10. 8.6.36.10 mOTW
        11. 8.6.36.11 mOCF
        12. 8.6.36.12 mOCW
        13. 8.6.36.13 mOVF
        14. 8.6.36.14 mUVF
        15. 8.6.36.15 mPGOOD
        16. 8.6.36.16 mVIN_UV
      37. 8.6.37 DEVICE_CODE (MFR_SPECIFIC_44) (FCh)
  9. Applications and Implementation
    1. 9.1 Application Information
    2. 9.2 Typical Application
      1. 9.2.1 Design Requirements
      2. 9.2.2 Detailed Design Procedure
        1. 9.2.2.1  Switching Frequency Selection
        2. 9.2.2.2  Inductor Selection
        3. 9.2.2.3  Output Capacitor Selection
          1. 9.2.2.3.1 Response to a Load Transition
          2. 9.2.2.3.2 Output Voltage Ripple
        4. 9.2.2.4  D-CAP Mode and D-CAP2 Mode Stability
        5. 9.2.2.5  Input Capacitor Selection
        6. 9.2.2.6  Bootstrap Capacitor and Resistor Selection
        7. 9.2.2.7  BP6, BP3 and BPEXT
        8. 9.2.2.8  R-C Snubber and VIN Pin High-Frequency Bypass
        9. 9.2.2.9  Temperature Sensor
        10. 9.2.2.10 Key PMBus Parameter Selection
          1. 9.2.2.10.1 Enable, UVLO and Sequencing
          2. 9.2.2.10.2 Soft-Start Time
          3. 9.2.2.10.3 Overcurrent Threshold and Response
          4. 9.2.2.10.4 Power Good, Output Overvoltage and Undervoltage Protection
        11. 9.2.2.11 Output Voltage Setting and Frequency Compensation Selection
      3. 9.2.3 Application Curves
  10. 10Power Supply Recommendations
  11. 11Layout
    1. 11.1 Layout Guidelines
    2. 11.2 Layout Example
      1. 11.2.1 Mounting and Thermal Profile Recommendation
  12. 12Device and Documentation Support
    1. 12.1 Device Support
      1. 12.1.1 Development Support
        1. 12.1.1.1 Texas Instruments Fusion Digital Power Designer
      2. 12.1.2 Device Nomenclature
    2. 12.2 Related Links
    3. 12.3 Trademarks
    4. 12.4 Receiving Notification of Documentation Updates
    5. 12.5 Community Resources
    6. 12.6 Electrostatic Discharge Caution
    7. 12.7 Glossary
  13. 13Mechanical, Packaging, and Orderable Information

Package Options

Mechanical Data (Package|Pins)
Thermal pad, mechanical data (Package|Pins)
Orderable Information

Applications and Implementation

Application Information

The TPS544B20 and TPS544C20 devices are highly-integrated synchronous step-down DC-DC converters. These devices are used to convert a higher DC input voltage to a lower DC output voltage, with a maximum output current of 20 A and 30 A respectively.

Typical Application

Use the following design procedure to select key component values for this family of devices, and set the appropriate behavioral options according to the PMBus protocol.

TPS544B20 TPS544C20 ai_sch_SLUS69B_APPS_SCHEMATIC.gif Figure 32. TPS544C20 4.5-V to 18-V Input, 1.8-V Output, 30-A Converter

Design Requirements

For this design example, use the following input parameters.

Table 10. Design Example Specifications

PARAMETER TEST CONDITION MIN TYP MAX UNIT
VI Input voltage 4.5 12.0 18.0 V
VI(ripple) Input ripple voltage IOUT = 30 A 0.4 V
VO Output voltage 1.8 V
Line regulation 4.5 V ≤ VI ≤ 18 V 0.5%
Load regulation 0 V ≤ IO ≤ 30 A 0.5%
V(PP) Output ripple voltage IO = 30 A 18 mV
V(OVER) Transient response overshoot I(STEP) = 10 A 36 mV
V(UNDER) Transient response undershoot I(STEP) = 10 A -36 mV
IO Output current 5 V ≤ VI ≤ 18 V 0 20 30 A
tSS Soft-start time VI = 12 V 2.7 ms
IOC Overcurrent trip point 40 A
η Efficiency IO = 20 A, VI = 12 V 90%
fSW Switching frequency 500 kHz

Detailed Design Procedure

Switching Frequency Selection

There is a trade-off between higher and lower switching frequencies. Higher switching frequencies may produce smaller a solution size using lower valued inductors and smaller output capacitors compared to a power supply that switches at a lower frequency. However, the higher switching frequency produce higher switch losses, which decrease efficiency and impact thermal performance. In this design, a moderate switching frequency of 500 kHz achieves both a balance between a small solution size and high-efficiency operation. With the frequency selected, use Table 2 to select the timing resistor. For a frequency of 500 kHz RRT is 38.2 kΩ.

Inductor Selection

To calculate the value of the output inductor, use Equation 12. The coefficient KIND represents the amount of peak-to-peak inductor ripple current relative to the maximum output current. The output capacitor filters the inductor ripple current; therefore, choosing a high inductor ripple current impacts the selection of the output capacitor because the output capacitor must have a ripple current rating equal to or greater than the inductor ripple current. To achieve balanced performance, maintain a KIND coefficient between 0.3 and 0.4. Using this target ripple current, the required inductor size can be calculated as shown in Equation 12.

Equation 12. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_L1.gif

Selecting KIND = 0.3, the target inductance L1 = 360 nH. Using the next standard value, the 320 nH Pulse (brand) PG077.321NL is chosen in this application for its high current rating, low DCR, and small size. The inductor ripple current, RMS current, and peak current can be calculated using Equation 13, Equation 14 and Equation 15. These values should be used to select an inductor with approximately the target inductance value, and current ratings that allow normal operation with some margin.

Equation 13. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_Irip.gif
Equation 14. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_ilrms.gif
Equation 15. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_ilpk.gif

The Pulse PG077.321NL is rated for 45 A RMS current, and 48-A saturation. Using this inductor, the ripple current IRIPPLE= 10.1 A, the RMS inductor current IL(rms)= 30.14 A, and peak inductor current IL(peak)= 35 A.

Output Capacitor Selection

There are three primary considerations for selecting the value of the output capacitor. The output capacitor affects three criteria:

  • how the regulator responds to a load transition
  • the output voltage ripple
  • the minimum output capacitance needed to maintain stable D-CAP2 mode control

The output capacitance needs to be selected based on the most stringent of these three criteria.

Response to a Load Transition

The desired response to a load transition is the first criterion. The output capacitor must supply the load with the required current when not immediately provided by the regulator. When the output capacitor supplies load current, the impedance of the capacitor greatly affects the magnitude of voltage deviation during the transient.

These devices use Adaptive Constant On-Time (COT) control. During a transient, the ON-time remains unchanged from normal operation, but the off-time shortens to allow a rapid increase in the inductor current in order to meet the demands of the load transition. To estimate the time required to respond to a load increase, calculate the number of switching cycles required to change the inductor current using Equation 16.

Equation 16. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_Ncycles.gif

And estimate the time needed to produce that number of cycles during a transient as Equation 17:

Equation 17. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_Ttrans.gif

The output capacitor must support the full change in output current for half of the time, so the minimum output capacitance can be estimated by Equation 18:

Equation 18. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_CVunder.gif

The output capacitor must also absorb the full change in output current for half of the time needed to remove the excess current from the inductor during a rapid load decrease. This minimum output capacitance can be estimated using Equation 19:

Equation 19. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_CVover.gif

In order to meet the transient response requirements, the output capacitance must be greater than the larger of Cundershoot and Covershoot.

In this case, the highest minimum output capacitance (COUT(min)) to meet the response to a load transition is the overshoot requirement, which dictates the minimum output capacitance. Therefore, using Equation 19, the minimum output capacitance required to meet the transient requirement is 494 µF.

Output Voltage Ripple

The output voltage ripple is the second criterion. Equation 20 calculates the minimum output capacitance required to meet the output voltage ripple specification. This criterion is the requirement when the impedance of the output capacitance is dominated by ESR.

Equation 20. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_cominripple.gif

In this case, the maximum output voltage ripple is 18 mV. Under this requirement, the minimum output capacitance for ripple (as calculated in Equation 20) yields 140 μF. Because this capacitance value is smaller than the output capacitance required to meet the transient response, select the output capacitance value based on the transient requirement. For this application, two 220-µF, low-ESR polymer bulk capacitors, three 47-µF capacitors and three 22-µF ceramic capacitors are selected to meet the transient specification with at least 80% margin. Therefore COUT equals 647 µF.

With the target output capacitance value chosen, Equation 21 calculates the maximum ESR the output capacitor bank can have to meet the output voltage ripple specification. Equation 21 indicates the ESR should be less than 1.4 mΩ. The six ceramic capacitors each contribute approximately 2 mΩ, making the effective ESR of the output capacitor bank approximately 0.33 mΩ, meeting the specification with sufficient margin.

Equation 21. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_esromax.gif

Additional capacitance de-ratings for aging, temperature and DC bias should be factored in, which increases the minimum required capacitance value. Capacitors generally have limits to the amount of ripple current they can handle without failing or producing excess heat. An output capacitor that can support the inductor ripple current must be specified. Some capacitor data sheets specify the RMS (root mean square) value of the maximum ripple current. Equation 22 can be used to calculate the RMS ripple current the output capacitor needs to support. For this application, Equation 22 yields 2.28 A.

Equation 22. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_icorms.gif

D-CAP Mode and D-CAP2 Mode Stability

D-CAP mode control requires that the ESR ripple at the FB pin be at least 15 mV (or 2.5%) of the output voltage and the ESR-zero frequency of the output capacitor is less than 1/4 the switching frequency. Because this design requires output voltage ripple less than 2.5% of the output voltage and uses low-ESR, specialty polymer, and ceramic output capacitors, this design uses D-CAP2 mode control. Because D-CAP2 mode control uses an internally generated ramp to emulate the ESR of the output capacitor, D-CAP2 mode requires sufficient output capacitance to maintain an effective ESR-zero frequency less than 1/4 of the nominal switching frequency with this emulated ESR. The minimum capacitance for stability can be calculated in Equation 23 using τIem from Table 11:

Equation 23. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_Cstable.gif

Table 11. D-CAP2 Mode Current Emulation Time Constants

NOMINAL FREQUENCY (kHz) τIem(µs)
250 104
300 98
400 87
500 76
650 60
750 52
850 44
1000 33

Input Capacitor Selection

The TPS544B20 and TPS544C20 devices require a capacitor with these features:

  • high-quality
  • ceramic
  • type X5R or X7R
  • input decoupling feature
  • a value of 0.1 μF to 1.0 μF of effective capacitance on the VDD pin, relative to GND

The power stage input decoupling capacitance (effective capacitance at the VIN and GND pins) must be sufficient to supply the high switching currents demanded when the high-side MOSFET switches on, while providing minimal input voltage ripple as a result. This effective capacitance includes any DC bias effects. The voltage rating of the input capacitor must be greater than the maximum input voltage. The capacitor must also have a ripple current rating greater than the maximum input current ripple to the device during full load. The input ripple current can be calculated using Equation 24.

Equation 24. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_icinrms.gif

The minimum input capacitance and ESR values for a given input voltage ripple specification, VIN(ripple), are shown in Equation 25 and Equation 26. The input ripple is composed of a capacitive portion, VRIPPLE(cap), and a resistive portion, VRIPPLE(esr).

Equation 25. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_cinmin.gif
Equation 26. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_esrcinmax.gif

The value of a ceramic capacitor varies significantly with temperature and the amount of DC bias applied to the capacitor. The capacitance variations due to temperature can be minimized by selecting a dielectric material that is stable over temperature. X5R and X7R ceramic dielectric capacitors are usually selected for power regulator capacitors because they have a high capacitance-to-volume ratio and are fairly stable during temperature changes. The input capacitor must also be selected with the DC bias taken into account. To support the maximum input voltage, this design requires a ceramic capacitor with a rating of at least 25 V. Allow 0.1-V input ripple for VRIPPLE(cap), and 0.3-V input ripple for VRIPPLE(esr). Using Equation 25 and Equation 26, the minimum input capacitance for this design is 60 µF, and the maximum ESR is 2.8 mΩ. Four 22-μF, 25-V ceramic capacitors and two additional 100-μF, 25-V low-ESR polymer capacitors in parallel were selected for the power stage. For the VDD pin, one 1.0-μF, 25-V ceramic capacitor was selected. The input voltage (VIN) and power input voltage (PVIN) pins must be tied together. The input capacitance value determines the input ripple voltage of the regulator. Using the design example values, IOUT(max) = 30 A, CIN = 288 μF, fSW = 500 kHz, yields a maximum RMS input ripple current of 14.7 Arms.

Bootstrap Capacitor and Resistor Selection

A ceramic capacitor with a value of 0.1 μF must be connected between the BOOT and SW pins for proper operation. It is recommended to use a ceramic capacitor with X5R or better grade dielectric. The capacitor should have voltage rating of 25 V or higher. To reduce the dV/dt of the rising edge of the SW node, reduce ringing and EMI, a resistor RBOOT up to 5 Ω can be placed in series with the bootstrap capacitor.

BP6, BP3 and BPEXT

This design does not include an auxiliary 5-V supply, so BPEXT is terminated to GND. According to the recommendations in , BP3 is bypassed to AGND with 100 nF of capacitance, and BP6 is bypassed to GND with 4.7-µF of capacitance. In order for the regulator to function properly, it is important that these capacitors be located close to the TPS544C20, with low-impedance return paths to AGND or GND as appropriate. See Figure 45 for more information.

R-C Snubber and VIN Pin High-Frequency Bypass

Although it is possible to operate the TPS544C20 within absolute maximum ratings without including any ringing reduction techniques, some designs may require external components to further reduce ringing levels. This example uses two approaches:

  • a high frequency power stage bypass capacitor on the VIN pins
  • an R-C snubber between the SW and GND

Including a high-frequency bypass capacitor is a lossless ringing reduction technique which helps minimizes the outboard parasitic inductances in the power stage. These capacitors store energy during the low-side MOSFET on-time, and discharge once the high-side MOSFET is turned on. For this example a 4.7-nF, 25-V, 0402 sized high-frequency capacitor is selected. The placement of this capacitor (shown in Figure 46) is critical to its effectiveness.

Additionally, an R-C snubber circuit is added to this example. To balance efficiency and spike levels, a 1-nF capacitor and a 3-Ω resistor are chosen. In this example an 0805 resistor is chosen, which is rated for 0.125 W, nearly twice the estimated power dissipation. Figure 33 and Figure 34 show the effect of the R-C snubber on the rising edge of the SW pin. See SLUP100 for more information about snubber circuits.

TPS544B20 TPS544C20 app_no_snubber.gif
VIN = 12 V IOUT = 20 A Snubber = 1nF + 3Ω
Figure 33. SW Rising Edge
TPS544B20 TPS544C20 app_snubber.gif
VIN = 12 V IOUT = 20 A Snubber = Open
Figure 34. SW Rising Edge

Temperature Sensor

This application design uses a surface-mount MMBT3904SL for the temperature sensor, QT. In this example, the sensor monitors the PCB temperature where it is generally the highest, next to the power inductor. Placement of the temperature sensor and routing back to the TSNS pin are critical design features to reduce noise its temperature measurements. In this example, the temperature sensor is placed on the VOUT side of the power inductor to avoid switching noise from the SW plane, and routed back to the TSNS and AGND pin. Additionally, a 330-pF capacitor, CT, is placed from TSNS to AGND near the TSNS pin.

Disable external temperature sensing by terminating TSNS to AGND with a 0-Ω resistor. This termination forces the temperature readings to –40 °C, and prevents external over-temperature fault trips.

Key PMBus Parameter Selection

Several of the key design parameters for the TPS544B20 and TPS544C20 device can be configured according to the PMBus protocol, and stored to its non-volatile memory (NVM) for future use.

Enable, UVLO and Sequencing

Use the ON_OFF_CONFIG (02h) command to select the turn-on behavior of the converter. For this example, the CNTL pin was used to enable or disable the converter, regardless of the state of OPERATION (01h), as long as input voltage is present, and above the UVLO threshold.

The minimum input voltage, VIN(min) , for this example is 4.5 V. The VIN_ON command was set to 4.25 V, and the VIN_OFF command was set to 4.0 V, giving 250 mV of hysteresis. If VIN falls below VIN_OFF, power conversion stops, until it is raised above VIN_ON.

This example lacks specific turn-on or turn-off delay requirements, so SEQUENCE_TON_TOFF_DELAY was used to set both the turn-on and turn-off delays to 0 × the soft-start time, the delay between enabling power conversion, and the rise of the output voltage is approximately 400 µs. See the Soft-Start section for more information.

Soft-Start Time

The TON_RISE command sets the soft-start time. When selecting the soft-start time, consider the charging current for the output capacitors. In some applications (for example those with large amounts of output capacitance) this current can lead to problems with nuisance tripping of the overcurrent protection circuitry. To avoid nuisance tripping, the output capacitor charging current should be included when choosing a soft-start time, and overcurrent threshold. The capacitor charging current can be calculated using Equation 27.

Equation 27. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_icap.gif

After calculating the charging current, the overcurrent threshold can then be calibrated to the sum of the maximum load current and the output capacitor charging current plus some margin.

In this example, the soft-start time is arbitrarily selected to be the default value, 2.7 ms. In this case, the charging current, ICAP = 337 mA.

Overcurrent Threshold and Response

The IOUT_OC_FAULT_LIMIT command sets the overcurrent threshold. The current limit should be set to the maximum load current, plus the output capacitor charging current during start-up, plus some margin for load transitions and component variation. The amount of margin required depends on the individual application, but a suggested starting point is 30%. More or less may be required. For this application, the maximum load current is 30 A, the output capacitor charging current is 337 mA. This design uses the factory default overcurrent threshold of 39 A.

The IOUT_OC_FAULT_RESPONSE command sets the desired response to an overcurrent event. In this example, the converter is configured to latch-off in the event of an overcurrent. TPS544C20 device can also be configured to hiccup, (continuously restart waiting for a 7 x soft-start time-out between re-trials. )

Power Good, Output Overvoltage and Undervoltage Protection

The PCT_VOUT_FAULT_PG_LIMIT command configures the PGOOD, and regulation windows. This example includes a moderate threshold setting. The resulting power good window is ±12.5%, and the resulting overvoltage and undervoltage window is ±16.8%. More or less aggressive protection levels can be selected according to the PMBus protocol.

Output Voltage Setting and Frequency Compensation Selection

A feedback divider from DIFFO to AGND sets the output voltage. This design arbitrarily selects an R1 value of 20 kΩ. Using R1 and the desired output voltage, and calculate RBIAS using Equation 28 to be 10 kΩ.

Equation 28. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLVSCC5_vout_des.gif

The TPS544B20 and TPS544C20 devices use D-CAP2 mode control with a transconductance error amplifier to eliminate the output voltage error introduced by valley voltage regulation. To stabilize the error amplifer, TI recommends a 10-nF capacitor from COMP to AGND. To improve transient response and increase phase margin, a series resistor, RCOMP, can be added. When using RCOMP, add a 1.0-nF capacitor from COMP to AGND to limit the error amplifier gain at high frequency. Use Equation 29 to calculate the value of RCOMP.

Equation 29. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLUSB69_Rcomp.gif

Alternatively, for output voltages 1.2 V and higher, a feedforward capacitor, C1, can be added in parallel with R1 from DIFFO to FB to provide similar improvement to transient response and phase margin. Use Equation 30 to calculate the value of C1.

Equation 30. TPS544B20 TPS544C20 eq_SLUSB69_C1.gif

The resulting design example frequency compensation values are:

  • R1 = 20 kΩ
  • RBIAS = 10 kΩ
  • C1 = 420 pF

Application Curves

TPS544B20 TPS544C20 Efficiency_5vin.png
VIN = 5 V fSW = 500 kHz TA = 25 °C
L = 410 nH Snubber = Open RBOOT = 0 Ω
RDCR = 0.3 mΩ
Figure 35. Power Efficiency vs. Load Current
TPS544B20 TPS544C20 SLUSB69_LoadReg.png
VIN = 12 V
Figure 37. Load Regulation
TPS544B20 TPS544C20 typ_app_EN_Stop.gif
VIN = 12 V IOUT = 20 A
Figure 39. Shutdown from CNTL
TPS544B20 TPS544C20 typ_app_load_release.gif
VIN = 12 V IOUT = 20 A tFALL = 2.0 µs
Figure 41. Load Transition 20-A to 10-A
TPS544B20 TPS544C20 typ_app_pre-bias.gif
VIN = 12 V IOUT = 0 A VPRE-BIAS= 900 mV
Figure 43. 50% Pre-Biased Start-Up
TPS544B20 TPS544C20 Efficiency_12vin.png
VIN = 12 V fSW = 500 kHz TA = 25 °C
L = 410 nH Snubber = Open RBOOT = 0 Ω
RDCR = 0.3 mΩ
Figure 36. Power Efficiency, VIN = 12 V
TPS544B20 TPS544C20 typ_app_EN_Start.gif
VIN = 12 V IOUT = 20 A
Figure 38. Startup from CNTL
TPS544B20 TPS544C20 typ_app_load_step.gif
VIN = 12 V IOUT = 20 A tRISE = 2.0 µs
Figure 40. Load Transition 10-A to 20-A
TPS544B20 TPS544C20 typ_app_DC_Ripple.gif
VIN = 12 V IOUT = 20 A
Figure 42. DC Ripple
TPS544B20 TPS544C20 typ_app_thermal.gif
Natural Convection
VIN = 12 V IOUT = 20 A fSW = 500 kHz
Figure 44. Thermal Image