SNVSCS6 March 2026 TPS7H1301-SP
ADVMIX
CFLY is the charge pump capacitor that transfers charge from the input to the charge pump output (CPOUT pin).
For typical high-current applications, TI recommends a nominally rated 1μF or two in parallel 0.680μF ceramic output capacitors for stable operation. Polarized capacitors (tantalum, aluminum, electrolytic, and so forth) must not be used for the flying capacitor, as polarized capacitors can become reverse-biased during operation.
If CFLY is sized too small, the charge pump is unable to support high current applications; conversely if CFLY is too large, the charge pump can overwhelm CIN and CCPOUT capacitors, resulting in increased input and output voltage ripple.
Dropout Current is reliant on the charge pump resistance and voltage droop, which is directly affected by the choice of CFLY; selecting a capacitor that is too small or too high ESR increases charge pump output resistance, such that the resulting voltage droop lowers the available headroom for the integrated LDO.
Consideration of CFLY capacitor characteristics, such as DC bias, temperature coefficient are essential in assessing the contribution of the capacitor to charge pump resistance; Equation 8 calculates the fly capacitors contribution to the overall charge pump output resistance and VDROOP. Note, that the min switching frequency (fSW) from the Electrical Characteristics table is the more conservative esitimation parameter; as min fSW results in a higher charge pump resistance..
As Equation 8 shows, a typical reduction in output capacitance due to DC Bias and temperature typically reduces overall CFLY capacitance by 15% to 25% and thus increases charge pump output resistance.
To calculate CFLY(min) consult the capacitor manufacturer data and apply the overall tolerance, DC Bias, and temperature derating: For example, a 25V 1μF X7R capacitor with the following parameters:
Table 10-2 is an example tradeoff for selecting either a solitary 1μF (nom.) capacitor or two 0.68μF (nom) capacitors; the overall contribution of CFLY to the resistance of the charge pump is compared against component count (additional board area).
| Attribute | 1μF | 2x 0.68μF |
|---|---|---|
| QTY | 1 | 2 (parallel) |
| Case Size | 0805 | 0805 |
| Voltage Rating | 25V | 25V |
| Dielectric | X7R | X7R |
| Derating Parameters | ||
| Tolerance | -5% | -5% |
| DC Bias @ 5V | -4.56% | -2.6% |
| Tempco. @ 125ºC | -14.56% | -13.47% |
| Results | ||
| Effective Capacitance | 0.775μF | 1.073μF |
| ESR | 10mΩ | 6.9mΩ (effective res.) |
| RCFLY | 3.45Ω | 2.55Ω |
To calculate the minimum capacitance for CFLY use :
Applying Equation 9 for the 1μF (nom.) capacitor:
The worst case contribution of CFLY is calculated by applying Equation 8 (1μF (nom.) example)
Table 10-2 shows that the additional component count of the two 0.68μF capacitors offers a significant reduction in the contribution of CFLY to overall charge pump output resistance. Applications at higher operating temperatures, operating currents, or lower VIN benefit from more from overall lower charge pump output resistance. This design examples uses a VIN of 5V and a ILOAD of 250mA is sufficiently served by the 1μF CFLY capacitor.