Bypass Caps An1325
Bypass Caps An1325
Bypass Caps An1325
Motivation
Its far too common (and quite distressing) to breadboard a circuit in an ideal configuration; only to find that it doesnt work well or it doesnt work at all (Figure 1). Noise may have coupled into the circuit from the power supply, internal IC circuitry, or nearby IC. Wires and board connections act like antennas and power supply levels change with current draw. Taking a look at the power supply pin on the oscilloscope shows the following result (Figure 2).
5V GND RF RG IN + OUT
As one can see, there is a lot of high frequency noise displacing the DC level (approximately 10mVP-P). Then, far more pronounced, there are regular spikes in excess of 50mV. Since power supplies are assumed to be stable (constant DC voltage), any perturbations will couple directly into the circuit and get to the output depending on the PSRR. The first line of defense against unwanted perturbations on the power supply is the bypass capacitor. A bypass capacitor eliminates voltage droops on the power supply by storing electric charge to be released when a voltage spike occurs. It also provides this service at a wide range of frequencies by creating a low-impedance path to ground for the power supply. We have four questions to answer before grabbing the closest capacitor: 1. What size bypass capacitor do we need? 2. Where do we place the bypass capacitor for maximum effect?
RF
OUT
3. What type of bypass capacitor will work best/adequately in our circuit/system? 4. And a hidden fourth questionwhat type of package do I need to choose for my bypass capacitor? (which will depend on the size needed, the board area available, and type of capacitor chosen) The simplest question to answer is #2, placement. A bypass capacitor should be placed as close as possible to the power supply pin of each chip. Any extra distance translates into additional series inductance, which lowers the self-resonant frequency (useful bandwidth) of the bypass capacitor.
RG IN
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Capacitor Basics
The classic definition of a capacitor is two conductive plates separated by a dielectric material. As charge collects on the plates, an electric field builds across the dielectric. The amount of charge needed to create a certain potential between the plates is referred to as capacitance and is measured in Farads. The capacitance can also be measured by the dimensions of the plates and quality of the dielectric (Figure 5, Equation 1). Capacitance increases as the area of the plates increases since more charge can be stored as the potential is created. The distance between the plates dictates the attraction between charges stored on them. As the distance increases, the interaction is decreased, and therefore so is the capacitance. This discussion also relates the relationship shown in Figure 5, Equation 2. The last of the basic equations involves current. By definition, current is the movement of charge (Figure 5, Equation 3). Therefore, there can only be movement of charge when the voltage (potential between the plates) is changing. In other words, if the voltage is constant, the charge forming it must also be constant; so no current is flowing. In summary, the size of a capacitor has a direct effect on its ability to store charge. The second determining factor of capacitance is the quality of the dielectric.
Dielectrics
The dielectric is the material between the two conductors forming a capacitor. It has a high impedance and does not allow significant DC current to flow from one plate to the other. Different materials used as a dielectric have varying amounts of temperature stability, breakdown voltages and loss coefficients. The materials in Table 1 are accompanied by their dielectric constant (), which is the coefficient that directly relates to the capacitance of a structure through Equation 1 in Figure 5.
FIGURE 4. OUTPUT OF NON-INVERTING AMPLIFIER SHOWN IN FIGURE 3 WITHOUT BYPASSING (TOP) AND WITH BYPASSING (BOTTOM).
(EQ. (1)
1)
TOP PLATE
(EQ. (2)
2)
BY DEFINITION:
I=
DQ CURRENT DT I=C
3)
TABLE 1. EXAMPLES OF DIELECTRIC MATERIALS AND THEIR DIELECTRIC CONSTANTS DIELECTRIC CONSTANT OF MATERIALS Air Alsimag 196 Bakelite Cellulose Fiber Formica Glass Mica Mycalex Paper Plexiglass Polyethylene Polystyrene Porcelain Pyrex Quartz 1.00 5.70 4.90 3.70 6.00 1.75 7.75 5.10 7.10 3.00 2.80 2.30 2.60 5.57 4.00 3.80 5.80 2.10
ESL
RLEAK
RLEAK
Steatite Teflon
pF to nF
Low
High
few Fs
Medium
Medium
High
Varies
Tantalum
Fs
Low
Lowest
OSCON
Fs
Low
Low
Aluminum Electrolytic
High Fs
Medium
Low
For Low to Med. Frequencies Inexpensive Hold Charge for Long Time Not for Production Test
Since ceramic capacitors are the most widely used bypass capacitors, it is useful to look at the options available in purchasing. As expected, ceramic caps are available in a wide range of values and in a wide variety of packages. Within these parameters, there are further choices which will determine the final price. An example is set forth in Table 3. In a recent bill of materials, the capacitors were labeled as X7R. The X and 7 set the widest temperature range. The final letter R reports the tolerance of that capacitor over the temperature range. In this case, there would only be a 15% change in capacitor vs temperature. A wider temperature range and tighter tolerance earn higher price tags.
TABLE 4. SURFACE MOUNT PACKAGES AND THEIR EQUIVALENT SERIES INDUCTANCES PACKAGE 0201 0402 0603 0805 1206 0612 ESL (pH) 400 550 700 800 1250 63
FREQUENCY
0402 RED, GREEN, AND BLUE LINES ARE 3 SEPARATE CAPACITORS. YELLOW IS THEIR PARALLEL COMBINATION. FREQUENCY
OSC COMPENSATION 32.768kHz IRQ/FOUT SCL SDA X1 X2 OSCILLATOR TIME TIMER FREQUENCY CALENDAR KEEPING DIVIDER REGISTERS LOGIC (SRAM) COMPARE MASK ALARM REGS (EEPROM) 4K EEPROM ARRAY BATTERY SWITCH CIRCUITRY VDD VBAT
ALARM
Secondly, crystal (X1) needs to be placed as close to the device as possible to eliminate high frequency coupling. If these traces are not minimized, additional bypass capacitors will be needed on the supply to remove any coupled signals.
MINIMIZE
ISL60002 GND 0.001F TO 0.01F REF IN ENABLE SCK SDAT 12-BIT TO 24-BIT A/D CONVERTER
SERIAL BUS
VIN VOUT ISL60002 GND LOAD CIN = 1000pF 0.001F TO 0.01F 10F 2k
PWM
P6 P
of the system. Note that ESR and ESL are not only generated by the bypass capacitors, they also appear in traces as well as via construction. As shown in Example 2, it is common to use at least 2 bypass capacitors in parallel. Two capacitors reside on the positive and negative supply. The smaller value capacitor appears in a smaller package and is placed closer to the device. Figure 20 presents the bypass capacitors C1 through C4 of the ISL1557. When the circuit operates at especially high frequencies, a third capacitor (smaller than the other two in size and value) may also be added. The smallest capacitor should be placed closest to the supply pin to minimize parasitics. As the sizes of the capacitors increase, their respective distances from the supply pins can also increase. Many designers like to add a series resistance to bypass capacitors to lower the quality factor (Q) of the bypass network. The effect is graphed in Figures 21 and 22 using a simple, 2-capacitor bypass network. Adding a series resistance does indeed flatten the impedance vs frequency of the bypass network, but does not lower the overall impedance at any frequency. It is not recommended unless an especially flat frequency response is needed.
The output voltage will exhibit a ripple proportional to the amount of parasitic resistance (ESR) and parasitic inductance (ESL) associated with the capacitor, Co. The information in Table 2 allows the designer to choose the best capacitor for the performance of their DC/DC converter. Of course, this circuit also needs bypassing at both the input and output as in the voltage regulator example. Layout is critical and multiple devices are commonly crowded around both supply terminals.
Q4 L1 VIN D1 VOUT
IL
ESR
JC
ESL
CO
FIGURE 20. LAYOUT OF HIGH SPEED AMPLIFIER HIGHLIGHTING PLACEMENT OF BYPASS CAPACITORS
IMPEDANCE
C1
C2
FREQUENCY
FIGURE 21. FREQUENCY RESPONSE OF TWO SCALED CAPACITORS IN PARALLEL (FOR REFERENCE)
IMPEDANCE
C1 RSERIES
C2
FREQUENCY
FIGURE 22. FREQUENCY RESPONSE OF TWO SCALED CAPACITORS IN PARALLEL. ONE CAPACITOR HAS BEEN DEQUED BY AN ADDITIONAL SERIES RESISTANCE
Summary
An introduction and overview of bypass capacitor and bypass techniques has been presented. Two main issues have been identified: high currents and high frequencies. Bypass capacitors must by chosen properly to handle the size and speed of transients. Parasitics need to be minimized. Many new specialized products are available for this very function (OSCON or X2Y). The most common solutions, however, use multi layer ceramic chips caps. No matter which capacitor is chosen, layout is critical for quality bypassing. Bypass capacitors must be placed as close to the pins on the IC as possible to minimize additional ESR and ESL. Finally, a number of applications examples are discussed. Their specifics provide insight into practical situations. One last resource is also provided (Table 6) which organizes other common circuits into our current/frequency matrix. Please use this guide to identify major issues and confidently design better bypass networks.
TABLE 6. OTHER APPLICATION CIRCUITS WITH SIMILAR CURRENT AND FREQUENCY ISSUES LOW FREQUENCY LOW CURRENT Precision Amp Light Sensors Real-time Clock/Calendar with EEPROM HIGH FREQUENCY High Speed Amplifier RF Amplifiers High Speed DAC/ADC
HIGH CURRENT
Switching Regulator Sample and Hold DC Restore Amplifier RF Amplifiers Precision DAC/ADC DC/DC Converter DSL Drivers/Receivers High Speed Digital Clock
Intersil Corporation reserves the right to make changes in circuit design, software and/or specifications at any time without notice. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned to verify that the Application Note or Technical Brief is current before proceeding. For information regarding Intersil Corporation and its products, see www.intersil.com
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