1

LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
PolyPhase, High Efficiency,
Synchronous Step-Down Switching Regulators
, LTC and LT are registered trademarks of Linear Technology Corporation.
OPTI-LOOP and PolyPhase are trademarks of Linear Technology Corporation.
The LTC

1629/LTC1629-PG are multiple phase, dual,

synchronous step-down current mode switching regula-
tor controllers that drive N-channel external power MOSFET
stages in a phase-lockable fixed frequency architecture.
The PolyPhase
TM
controller drives its two output stages
out of phase at frequencies up to 300kHz to minimize the
RMS ripple currents in both input and output capacitors.
The output clock signal allows expansion for up to 12
evenly phased controllers for systems requiring 15A to
200A of output current. The multiple phase technique
effectively multiplies the fundamental frequency by the
number of channels used, improving transient response
while operating each channel at an optimum frequency for
efficiency. Thermal design is also simplified.
An internal differential amplifier provides true remote
sensing of the regulated supplys positive and negative
output terminals as required for high current applications.
A RUN/SS pin provides both soft-start and optional timed,
short-circuit shutdown. Current foldback limits MOSFET
dissipation during short-circuit conditions when the
overcurrent latchoff is disabled. OPTI-LOOP compensa-
tion allows the transient response to be optimized over a
wide range of output capacitance and ESR values. The
LTC1629-PG includes a power good output pin that re-
places the AMPMD control pin of the LTC1629.
Figure 1. High Current Dual Phase Step-Down Converter
s
Desktop Computers
s
Internet Servers
s
Large Memory Arrays
s
DC Power Distribution Systems
s
Dual Controller Operates from One to Twelve Phases
s
Reduces Required Input Capacitance and Power
Supply Induced Noise
s
Current Mode Control Ensures Current Sharing
s
Phase-Lockable Fixed Frequency: 150kHz to 300kHz
s
1.8MHz Effective Switching Frequency
s
True Remote Sensing Differential Amplifier
s
OPTI-LOOP
TM
Compensation Reduces C
OUT
s
t1% Output Voltage Accuracy
s
Power Good Output Voltage Monitor (LTC1629-PG)
s
Wide V
IN
Range: 4V to 36V Operation
s
Very Low Dropout Operation: 99% Duty Cycle
s
Adjustable Soft-Start Current Ramping
s
Internal Current Foldback Plus Shutdown Timer
s
Overvoltage Soft-Latch Eliminates Nuisance Trips
s
Micropower Shutdown
s
Available in 28-Lead SSOP Package
1629 TA01
TG1
BOOST1
SW1
BG1
PGND
SENSE1
+
SENSE1

TG2
BOOST2
SW2
BG2
INTV
CC
SENSE2
+
SENSE2

V
IN
RUN/SS
EAIN
I
TH
V
DIFFOUT
V
OS

V
OS
+
LTC1629-PG
SGND
0.1F
PGOOD
0.1F
16k
1000pF
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
10
3.3k
16k
+
10F 4
35V
CERAMIC
+ C
OUT
1000F 2
4V
L1, L2: CEPH149-IROMC C
OUT
: T510E108K004AS
D1, D2: UP5840
M1, M3: IRF7811
M2, M4: IRF7809
V
OUT
1.6V/40A
L1
1H
0.003
V
IN
5V TO 28V
L2
1H
D2
D1
M1
M2
2
M3
M4
2
0.47F
S
0.47F
10F
0.003
APPLICATIO S
U
FEATURES
TYPICAL APPLICATIO
U
DESCRIPTIO
U
2
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
ORDER PART
NUMBER
LTC1629CG
LTC1629IG
LTC1629CG-PG
LTC1629IG-PG
ABSOLUTE AXI U RATI GS
WW WU
PACKAGE/ORDER I FOR ATIO
U U W
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
TOP VIEW
G PACKAGE
28-LEAD PLASTIC SSOP
*PGOOD ON LTC1629-PG
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
RUN/SS
SENSE1
+
SENSE1

EAIN
PLLFLTR
PLLIN
PHASMD
I
TH
SGND
V
DIFFOUT
V
OS

V
OS
+
SENSE2

SENSE2
+
CLKOUT
TG1
SW1
BOOST1
V
IN
BG1
EXTV
CC
INTV
CC
PGND
BG2
BOOST2
SW2
TG2
AMPMD*
T
JMAX
= 125C,
JA
= 95C/W
Consult factory for Military grade parts.
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS The q denotes the specifications which apply over the full operating
temperature range, otherwise specifications are at T
A
= 25C. V
IN
= 15V, V
RUN/SS
= 5V unless otherwise noted.
(Note 1)
Input Supply Voltage (V
IN
)......................... 36V to 0.3V
Topside Driver Voltages (BOOST1,2) ......... 42V to 0.3V
Switch Voltage (SW1, 2) ............................. 36V to 5 V
SENSE1
+
, SENSE2
+
, SENSE1

,
SENSE2

Voltages........................ (1.1)INTV
CC
to 0.3V
EAIN, V
OS
+
, V
OS

, EXTV
CC
, INTV
CC
,
RUN/SS, AMPMD, PGOOD Voltages............ 7V to 0.3V
Boosted Driver Voltage (BOOST-SW) .......... 7V to 0.3V
PLLFLTR, PLLIN, CLKOUT, PHASMD,
V
DIFFOUT
Voltages ................................ INTV
CC
to 0.3V
I
TH
Voltage ................................................ 2.7V to 0.3V
Peak Output Current <1s(TGL1,2, BG1,2) ................ 5A
INTV
CC
RMS Output Current ................................ 50mA
Operating Ambient Temperature Range
LTC1629C/LTC1629C-PG .......................... 0C to 85C
LTC1629I/LTC1629I-PG ....................... 40C to 85C
Junction Temperature (Note 2) ............................. 125C
Storage Temperature Range ................. 65C to 150C
Lead Temperature (Soldering, 10 sec).................. 300C
SYMBOL PARAMETER CONDITIONS MIN TYP MAX UNITS
Main Control Loop
V
EAIN
Regulated Feedback Voltage (Note 3); I
TH
Voltage = 1.2V q 0.792 0.800 0.808 V
V
SENSEMAX
Maximum Current Sense Threshold V
SENSE

= 5V q 62 75 88 mV
V
SENSE1, 2
= 5V; LTC1629 Only 65 75 85 mV
I
INEAIN
Feedback Current (Note 3) 5 50 nA
V
LOADREG
Output Voltage Load Regulation (Note 3)
Measured in Servo Loop; I
TH
Voltage = 0.7V q 0.1 0.5 %
Measured in Servo Loop; I
TH
Voltage = 2V q 0.1 0.5 %
V
REFLNREG
Reference Voltage Line Regulation V
IN
= 3.6V to 30V (Note 3) 0.002 0.02 %/V
V
OVL
Output Overvoltage Threshold Measured at V
EAIN
q 0.84 0.86 0.88 V
UVLO Undervoltage Lockout V
IN
Ramping Down 3 3.5 4 V
g
m
Transconductance Amplifier g
m
I
TH
= 1.2V; Sink/Source 5A; (Note 3) 3 mmho
g
mOL
Transconductance Amplifier Gain I
TH
= 1.2V; (g
m
xZ
L
; No Ext Load); (Note 3) 1.5 V/mV
I
Q
Input DC Supply Current (Note 4)
Normal Mode EXTV
CC
Tied to V
OUT
; V
OUT
= 5V 470 A
Shutdown V
RUN/SS
= 0V 20 40 A
I
RUN/SS
Soft-Start Charge Current V
RUN/SS
= 1.9V 0.5 1.2 A
V
RUN/SS
RUN/SS Pin ON Threshold V
RUN/SS
Rising 1.0 1.5 1.9 V
V
RUN/SSLO
RUN/SS Pin Latchoff Arming V
RUN/SS
Rising from 3V 4.1 4.5 V
I
SCL
RUN/SS Discharge Current Soft Short Condition V
EAIN
= 0.5V; V
RUN/SS
= 4.5V 0.5 2 4 A
I
SDLDO
Shutdown Latch Disable Current V
EAIN
= 0.5V 1.6 5 A
3
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
SYMBOL PARAMETER CONDITIONS MIN TYP MAX UNITS
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS The q denotes the specifications which apply over the full operating
temperature range, otherwise specifications are at T
A
= 25C. V
IN
= 15V, V
RUN/SS
= 5V unless otherwise noted.
I
SENSE
Total Sense Pins Source Current Each Channel; V
SENSE1

, 2
= V
SENSE1
+
, 2
+ = 0V 85 60 A
DF
MAX
Maximum Duty Factor In Dropout 98 99.5 %
Top Gate Transition Time:
TG1, 2 t
r
Rise Time C
LOAD
= 3300pF 30 90 ns
TG1, 2 t
f
Fall Time C
LOAD
= 3300pF 40 90 ns
Bottom Gate Transition Time:
BG1, 2 t
r
Rise Time C
LOAD
= 3300pF 30 90 ns
BG1, 2 t
f
Fall Time C
LOAD
= 3300pF 20 90 ns
TG/BG t
1D
Top Gate Off to Bottom Gate On Delay
Synchronous Switch-On Delay Time C
LOAD
= 3300pF Each Driver 90 ns
BG/TG t
2D
Bottom Gate Off to Top Gate On Delay
Top Switch-On Delay Time C
LOAD
= 3300pF Each Driver 90 ns
t
ON(MIN)
Minimum On-Time Tested with a Square Wave (Note 6) 180 ns
Internal V
CC
Regulator
V
INTVCC
Internal V
CC
Voltage 6V < V
IN
< 30V; V
EXTVCC
= 4V 4.8 5.0 5.2 V
V
LDO
INT INTV
CC
Load Regulation I
CC
= 0 to 20mA; V
EXTVCC
= 4V 0.2 1.0 %
V
LDO
EXT EXTV
CC
Voltage Drop I
CC
= 20mA; V
EXTVCC
= 5V; LTC1629 120 240 mV
I
CC
= 20mA; V
EXTVCC
= 5V; LTC1629-PG 80 160 mV
V
EXTVCC
EXTV
CC
Switchover Voltage I
CC
= 20mA, EXTV
CC
Ramping Positive q 4.5 4.7 V
V
LDOHYS
EXTV
CC
Switchover Hysteresis I
CC
= 20mA, EXTV
CC
Ramping Negative 0.2 V
Oscillator and Phase-Locked Loop
f
NOM
Nominal Frequency V
PLLFLTR
= 1.2V 190 220 250 kHz
f
LOW
Lowest Frequency V
PLLFLTR
= 0V 120 140 160 kHz
f
HIGH
Highest Frequency V
PLLFLTR
2.4V 280 310 360 kHz
R
PLLIN
PLLIN

Input Resistance 50 k
I
PLLFLTR
Phase Detector Output Current
Sinking Capability f
PLLIN
< f
OSC
15 A
Sourcing Capability f
PLLIN
> f
OSC
15 A
R
RELPHS
Controller 2-Controller 1 Phase V
PHASMD
= 0V, Open 180 Deg
V
PHASMD
= 5V 240 Deg
CLKOUT Phase (Relative to Controller 1) V
PHASMD
= 0V 60 Deg
V
PHASMD
= Open 90 Deg
V
PHASMD
= 5V 120 Deg
CLK
HIGH
Clock High Output Voltage 4 V
CLK
LOW
Clock Low Output Voltage 0.2 V
PGOOD Output (LTC1629-PG Only)
V
PGL
PGOOD Voltage Low I
PGOOD
= 2mA 0.1 0.3 V
I
PGOOD
PGOOD Leakage Current V
PGOOD
= 5V t1 A
V
PG
PGOOD Trip Level, Either Controller V
EAIN
with Respect to Set Output Voltage
V
EAIN
Ramping Negative 6 7.5 9.5 %
V
EAIN
Ramping Positive 6 7.5 9.5 %
Differential Amplifier/Op Amp Gain Block (Note 5)
A
DA
Gain Differential Amp Mode 0.995 1 1.005 V/V
CMRR
DA
Common Mode Rejection Ratio Differential Amp Mode; 0V < V
CM
< 5V 46 55 dB
R
IN
Input Resistance Differential Amp Mode; Measured at V
OS
+ Input 80 k
4
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS The q denotes the specifications which apply over the full operating
temperature range, otherwise specifications are at T
A
= 25C. V
IN
= 15V, V
RUN/SS1, 2
= 5V unless otherwise noted.
SYMBOL PARAMETER CONDITIONS MIN TYP MAX UNITS
Note 4: Dynamic supply current is higher due to the gate charge being
delivered at the switching frequency. See Applications Information.
Note 5: When the AMPMD pin is high, the IC pins are connected directly to
the internal op amp inputs. When the AMPMD pin is low, internal MOSFET
switches connect four 40k resistors around the op amp to create a
standard unity-gain differential amp.
Note 6: The minimum on-time condition corresponds to the on inductor
peak-to-peak ripple current 40% of I
MAX
(see Minimum On-Time
Considerations in the Applications Information section).
Note 1: Absolute Maximum Ratings are those values beyond which the
life of a device may be impaired.
Note 2: T
J
is calculated from the ambient temperature T
A
and power
dissipation P
D
according to the following formulas:
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG: T
J
= T
A
+ (P
D
95C/W)
Note 3: The LTC1629/LTC1629-PG are tested in a feedback loop that
servos V
ITH
to a specified voltage and measures the resultant V
EAIN
.
V
OS
Input Offset Voltage Op Amp Mode; V
CM
= 2.5V; LTC1629 Only 6 mV
V
DIFFOUT
= 5V; I
DIFFOUT
= 1mA
I
B
Input Bias Current Op Amp Mode; LTC1629 Only 30 200 nA
A
OL
Open Loop DC Gain Op Amp Mode; 0.7V V
DIFFOUT
< 10V; LTC1629 Only 5000 V/mV
V
CM
Common Mode Input Voltage Range Op Amp Mode; LTC1629 Only 0 3 V
CMRR
OA
Common Mode Rejection Ratio Op Amp Mode; 0V < V
CM
< 3V; LTC1629 Only 70 90 dB
PSRR
OA
Power Supply Rejection Ratio Op Amp Mode; 6V < V
IN
< 30V; LTC1629 Only 70 90 dB
I
CL
Maximum Output Current Op Amp Mode; V
DIFFOUT
= 0V; LTC1629 Only 10 35 mA
V
OMAX
Maximum Output Voltage Op Amp Mode; I
DIFFOUT
= 1mA; LTC1629 Only 10 11 V
GBW Gain-Bandwidth Product Op Amp Mode; I
DIFFOUT
= 1mA; LTC1629 Only 2 MHz
SR Slew Rate Op Amp Mode; R
L
= 2k; LTC1629 Only 5 V/s
TYPICAL PERFOR A CE CHARACTERISTICS
U W
Efficiency vs Output Current
(Figure 12)
Efficiency vs Output Current
(Figure 12)
Efficiency vs Input Voltage
(Figure 12)
OUTPUT CURRENT (A)
0.1
E
F
F
I
C
I
E
N
C
Y

(
%
)
100
80
60
40
20
0
1629 G01
1 10 100
V
OUT
= 3.3V
V
EXTVCC
= 5V
I
OUT
= 20A
V
IN
= 5V
V
IN
= 8V
V
IN
= 12V
V
IN
= 20V
OUTPUT CURRENT (A)
1
E
F
F
I
C
I
E
N
C
Y

(
%
)
70
80
1629 G02
60
50
10 100
100
90
V
EXTVCC
= 0V
V
OUT
= 3.3V
V
EXTVCC
= 5V
V
IN
(V)
5
E
F
F
I
C
I
E
N
C
Y

(
%
)
100
90
80
70
1629 G03
10 15 20
V
OUT
= 3.3V
V
EXTVCC
= 5V
I
OUT
= 20A
5
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
Internal 5V LDO Line Reg
Maximum Current Sense Threshold
vs Duty Factor
Maximum Current Sense Threshold
vs Percent of Nominal Output
Voltage (Foldback)
Maximum Current Sense Threshold
vs V
RUN/SS
(Soft-Start)
Maximum Current Sense Threshold
vs Sense Common Mode Voltage
Current Sense Threshold
vs I
TH
Voltage
INTV
CC
and EXTV
CC
Switch
Voltage vs Temperature
Supply Current vs Input Voltage
and Mode EXTV
CC
Voltage Drop
TYPICAL PERFOR A CE CHARACTERISTICS
U W
INPUT VOLTAGE (V)
0 5
0
S
U
P
P
L
Y

C
U
R
R
E
N
T

(

A
)
400
1000
10 20 25
1629 G04
200
800
600
15 30 35
ON
SHUTDOWN
CURRENT (mA)
0
E
X
T
V
C
C

V
O
L
T
A
G
E

D
R
O
P

(
m
V
)
150
200
250
40
1629 G05
100
50
0
10 20 30 50
LTC1629
LTC1629-PG
TEMPERATURE (C)
50
I
N
T
V
C
C

A
N
D

E
X
T
V
C
C

S
W
I
T
C
H

V
O
L
T
A
G
E

(
V
)
4.95
5.00
5.05
25 75
1629 G06
4.90
4.85
25 0 50 100 125
4.80
4.70
4.75
INTV
CC
VOLTAGE
EXTV
CC
SWITCHOVER THRESHOLD
INPUT VOLTAGE (V)
0
4.8
4.9
5.1
15 25
1629 G07
4.7
4.6
5 10 20 30 35
4.5
4.4
5.0
I
N
T
V
C
C

V
O
L
T
A
G
E

(
V
)
I
LOAD
= 1mA
DUTY FACTOR (%)
0
0
V
S
E
N
S
E

(
m
V
)
25
50
75
20 40 60 80
1629 G08
100
PERCENT ON NOMINAL OUTPUT VOLTAGE (%)
0
V
S
E
N
S
E

(
m
V
)
40
50
60
100
1629 G09
30
20
0
25 50 75
10
80
70
V
RUN/SS
(V)
0
0
V
S
E
N
S
E

(
m
V
)
20
40
60
80
1 2 3 4
1629 G10
5 6
V
SENSE(CM)
= 1.6V
COMMON MODE VOLTAGE (V)
0
V
S
E
N
S
E

(
m
V
)
72
76
80
4
1629 G11
68
64
60
1 2 3 5
V
ITH
(V)
0
V
S
E
N
S
E

(
m
V
)
30
50
70
90
2
1629 G12
10
10
20
40
60
80
0
20
30
0.5 1 1.5 2.5
6
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
Load Regulation V
ITH
vs V
RUN/SS
SENSE Pins Total Source Current
Maximum Current Sense
Threshold vs Temperature
Soft-Start Up (Figure 12)
V
ITH
1V/DIV
V
OUT
2V/DIV
V
RUNSS
2V/DIV
100ms/DIV 1629 G20
Load Step (Figure 12)
I
OUT
O/30A
V
ITH
1V/DIV
10s/DIV 1629 G21
RUN/SS Current vs Temperature
TYPICAL PERFOR A CE CHARACTERISTICS
U W
LOAD CURRENT (A)
0
N
O
R
M
A
L
I
Z
E
D

V
O
U
T

(
%
)
0.2
0.1
4
1629 G13
0.3
0.4
1 2 3 5
0.0
FCB = 0V
V
IN
= 15V
FIGURE 1
V
RUN/SS
(V)
0
0
V
I
T
H

(
V
)
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
1 2 3 4
1629 G14
5 6
V
OSENSE
= 0.7V
V
SENSE
COMMON MODE VOLTAGE (V)
0
I
S
E
N
S
E

(

A
)
0
1629 G15
50
100
2 4
50
100
6
TEMPERATURE (C)
50 25
70
V
S
E
N
S
E

(
m
V
)
74
80
0 50 75
1629 G17
72
78
76
25 100 125
TEMPERATURE (C)
50 25
0
R
U
N
/
S
S

C
U
R
R
E
N
T

(

A
)
0.2
0.6
0.8
1.0
75 100 50
1.8
1629 G19
0.4
0 25 125
1.2
1.4
1.6
V
OUT
200mV/DIV
7
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
RUN/SS (Pin 1): Combination of Soft-Start, Run Control
Input and Short-Circuit Detection Timer. A capacitor to
ground at this pin sets the ramp time to full current output.
Forcing this pin below 0.8V causes the IC to shut down all
internal circuitry. All functions are disabled in shutdown.
SENSE1
+
, SENSE2
+
(Pins 2,14): The (+) Input to the
Differential Current Comparators. The I
TH
pin voltage and
built-in offsets between SENSE

and SENSE
+
pins in
conjunction with R
SENSE
set the current trip threshold.
SENSE1

, SENSE2

(Pins 3, 13): The () Input to the

Differential Current Comparators.
EAIN (Pin 4): Input to the Error Amplifier that compares
the feedback voltage to the internal 0.8V reference voltage.
This pin is normally connected to a resistive divider from
the output of the differential amplifier (DIFFOUT).
PLLFLTR (Pin 5): The Phase-Locked Loops Low Pass
Filter is tied to this pin. Alternatively, this pin can be driven
with an AC or DC voltage source to vary the frequency of
the internal oscillator.
PI FU CTIO S
U U U
Current Sense Pin Input Current
vs Temperature
EXTV
CC
Switch Resistance
vs Temperature
Oscillator Frequency
vs Temperature
Undervoltage Lockout
vs Temperature
Shutdown Latch Thresholds
vs Temperature
TYPICAL PERFOR A CE CHARACTERISTICS
U W
TEMPERATURE (C)
50 25
0
S
H
U
T
D
O
W
N

L
A
T
C
H

T
H
R
E
S
H
O
L
D
S

(
V
)
0.5
1.5
2.0
2.5
75 100 50
4.5
1629 G27
1.0
0 25 125
3.0
3.5
4.0 LATCH ARMING
LATCHOFF
THRESHOLD
TEMPERATURE (C)
50
U
N
D
E
R
V
O
L
T
A
G
E

L
O
C
K
O
U
T

(
V
)
3.40
3.45
3.50
25 75
1629 G26
3.35
3.30
25 0 50 100 125
3.25
3.20
TEMPERATURE (C)
50
200
250
350
25 75
1629 G25
150
100
25 0 50 100 125
50
0
300
F
R
E
Q
U
E
N
C
Y

(
k
H
z
)
V
FREQSET
= 5V
V
FREQSET
= OPEN
V
FREQSET
= 0V
TEMPERATURE (C)
50 25
0
E
X
T
V
C
C

S
W
I
T
C
H

R
E
S
I
S
T
A
N
C
E

(

)
4
10
0 50 75
1629 G24
2
8
6
25 100 125
LTC1629
LTC1629-PG
TEMPERATURE (C)
50 25
25
C
U
R
R
E
N
T

S
E
N
S
E

I
N
P
U
T

C
U
R
R
E
N
T

(

A
)
29
35
0 50 75
1629 G23
27
33
31
25 100 125
V
OUT
= 5V
8
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
PI FU CTIO S
U U U
PLLIN (Pin 6): External Synchronization Input to Phase
Detector. This pin is internally terminated to SGND with
50k. The phase-locked loop will force the rising top gate
signal of controller 1 to be synchronized with the rising
edge of the PLLIN signal.
PHASMD (Pin 7): Control Input to Phase Selector which
determines the phase relationships between controller 1,
controller 2 and the CLKOUT signal.
I
TH
(Pin 8): Error Amplifier Output and Switching Regula-
tor Compensation Point. Both current comparators thresh-
olds increase with this control voltage. The normal voltage
range of this pin is from 0V to 2.4V.
SGND (Pin 9): Signal Ground, common to both control-
lers, must be routed separately from the input switched
current ground path to the common () terminal(s) of the
C
OUT
capacitor(s).
V
DIFFOUT
(Pin 10): Output of a Differential Amplifier that
provides true remote output voltage sensing. This pin
normally drives an external resistive divider that sets the
output voltage.
V
OS

, V
OS
+
(Pins 11, 12): Inputs to an Operational Ampli-
fier. Internal precision resistors capable of being elec-
tronically switched in or out can configure it as a differen-
tial amplifier or an uncommitted Op Amp.
AMPMD (Pin 15) (LTC1629 Only): This Logic Input pin
controls the connections of internal precision resistors
that configure the operational amplifier as a unity-gain
differential amplifier.
PGOOD (Pin 15) (LTC1629-PG Only): Open-Drain Logic
Output. PGOOD is pulled to ground when the voltage on
the EAIN pin is not within t7.5% of its set point.
TG2, TG1 (Pins 16, 27): High Current Gate Drives for Top
N-Channel MOSFETS. These are the outputs of floating
drivers with a voltage swing equal to INTV
CC
superim-
posed on the switch node voltage SW.
SW2, SW1 (Pins 17, 26): Switch Node Connections to
Inductors. Voltage swing at these pins is from a Schottky
diode (external) voltage drop below ground to V
IN
.
BOOST2, BOOST1 (Pins 18, 25): Bootstrapped Supplies
to the Topside Floating Drivers. Capacitors are connected
between the Boost and Switch pins and Schottky diodes
are tied between the Boost and INTV
CC
pins. Voltage swing
at the Boost pins is from INTV
CC
to (V
IN
+ INTV
CC
).
BG2, BG1 (Pins 19, 23): High Current Gate Drives for
Bottom Synchronous N-Channel MOSFETS. Voltage swing
at these pins is from ground to INTV
CC
.
PGND (Pin 20): Driver Power Ground. Connect to sources
of bottom N-channel MOSFETS and the () terminals of
C
IN
.
INTV
CC
(Pin 21): Output of the Internal 5V Linear Low
Dropout Regulator and the EXTV
CC
Switch. The driver and
control circuits are powered from this voltage source.
Decouple to power ground with a 1F ceramic capacitor
placed directly adjacent to the IC and minimum of 4.7F
additional tantalum or other low ESR capacitor.
EXTV
CC
(Pin 22): External Power Input to an Internal
Switch . This switch closes and supplies INTV
CC,
bypass-
ing the internal

low dropout regulator whenever EXTV
CC
is
higher than 4.7V. See EXTV
CC
Connection in the Applica-
tions Information section. Do not exceed 7V on this pin
and ensure V
EXTVCC
V
INTVCC
.
V
IN
(Pin 24): Main Supply Pin. Should be closely decoupled
to the ICs signal ground pin.
CLKOUT (Pin 28): Output Clock Signal available to
daisychain other controller ICs for additional MOSFET
driver stages/phases.
9
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
FU CTIO AL DIAGRA
U UW
SWITCH
LOGIC
0.80V
4.7V
5V
V
IN
V
IN
A1
CLK2
CLK1
+

+
V
REF
PHASE LOGIC
INTERNAL
SUPPLY
PHASMD
2A
EXTV
CC
INTV
CC
SGND
+
5V
LDO
REG
SW
SHDN
TOP
BOOST
TG
C
B
C
IN
D
B
PGND
BOT
BG
INTV
CC
INTV
CC
V
IN
+
V
OUT
1629 FBD
R1
EAIN
DROP
OUT
DET
RUN
SOFT
START
BOT FCB
FORCE BOT
S
R
Q
Q
OSCILLATOR
PLLLPF
50k
EA
0.86V
0.80V
OV
1.2A
6V
R2

+
R
C
4(V
FB
)
RST
SHDN
RUN/SS
I
TH
C
C
C
SS
4(V
FB
)
0.86V
SLOPE
COMP
+

SENSE

SENSE
+
INTV
CC
30k
45k
2.4V
45k
30k
I1
AMPMD
DIFFOUT
0V POSITION
PHASE DET
PLLIN
CLKOUT
DUPLICATE FOR SECOND
CONTROLLER CHANNEL
LTC1629
ONLY
+
R
SENSE
L
C
OUT
+
V
OS
+
V
OS

F
IN
R
LP
C
LP
0.74V
0.86V
LTC1629-PG PGOOD CONNECTION
THE AMPMD PIN ON
THE LTC1629 IS
REPLACED BY A PGOOD
PIN IN THE LTC1629-PG
A1
+

DIFFOUT
V
OS
+
V
OS

EAIN
PGOOD
10
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
OPERATIO
U
(Refer to Functional Diagram)
Main Control Loop
The LTC1629 uses a constant frequency, current mode
step-down architecture. During normal operation, the top
MOSFET is turned on each cycle when the oscillator sets
the RS latch, and turned off when the main current
comparator, I1, resets the RS latch. The peak inductor
current at which I1 resets the RS latch is controlled by the
voltage on the I
TH
pin, which is the output of the error
amplifier EA. The differential amplifier, A1, produces a
signal equal to the differential voltage sensed across the
output capacitor but re-references it to the internal signal
ground (SGND) reference. The EAIN pin receives a portion
of this voltage feedback signal at the DIFFOUT pin which
is compared to the internal reference voltage by the EA.
When the load current increases, it causes a slight de-
crease in the EAIN pin voltage

relative to the 0.8V refer-
ence, which in turn causes the I
TH
voltage to increase until
the average inductor current matches the new load cur-
rent. After the top MOSFET has turned off, the bottom
MOSFET is turned on for the rest of the period.
The top MOSFET drivers are biased from floating boot-
strap capacitor C
B
, which normally is recharged during
each off cycle through an external Schottky diode. When
V
IN
decreases to a voltage close to V
OUT
, however, the loop
may enter dropout and attempt to turn on the top MOSFET
continuously. A dropout detector detects this condition
and forces the top MOSFET to turn off for about 400ns
every 10th cycle to recharge the bootstrap capacitor.
The main control loop is shut down by pulling Pin 1 (RUN/
SS) low. Releasing RUN/SS allows an internal 1.2A
current source to charge soft-start capacitor C
SS
. When
C
SS
reaches 1.5V, the main control loop is enabled with the
I
TH
voltage clamped at approximately 30% of its maximum
value. As C
SS
continues to charge, I
TH
is gradually re-
leased allowing normal operation to resume. When the
RUN/SS pin is low, all LTC1629 functions are shut down.
If V
OUT
has not reached 70% of its nominal value when C
SS
has charged to 4.1V, an overcurrent latchoff can be
invoked as described in the Applications Information
section.
Low Current Operation
The LTC1629 operates in a continuous, PWM control
mode. The resulting operation at low output currents
optimizes transient response at the expense of substantial
negative inductor current during the latter part of the
period. The level of ripple current is determined by the
inductor value, input voltage, output voltage, and fre-
quency of operation.
Frequency Synchronization
The phase-locked loop allows the internal oscillator to be
synchronized to an external source via the PLLIN pin. The
output of the phase detector at the PLLFLTR pin is also the
DC frequency control input of the oscillator that operates
over a 140kHz to 310kHz range corresponding to a DC
voltage input from 0V to 2.4V. When locked, the PLL aligns
the turn on of the top MOSFET to the rising edge of the
synchronizing signal. When PLLIN is left open, the PLLFLTR
pin goes low, forcing the oscillator to minimum frequency.
The internal master oscillator runs at a frequency twelve
times that of each controllers frequency. The PHASMD
pin determines the relative phases between the internal
controllers as well as the CLKOUT signal as shown in
Table1. The phases tabulated are relative to zero phase
being defined as the rising edge of the top gate (TG1)
driver output of controller 1.
Table 1.
V
PHASMD
GND OPEN INTV
CC
Controller 2 180 180 240
CLKOUT 60 90 120
The CLKOUT signal can be used to synchronize additional
power stages in a multiphase power supply solution
feeding a single, high current output or separate outputs.
Input capacitance ESR requirements and efficiency losses
are substantially reduced because the peak current drawn
from the input capacitor is effectively divided by the
number of phases used and power loss is proportional to
the RMS current squared. A two stage, single output
voltage implementation can reduce input path power loss
by 75% and radically reduce the required RMS current
rating of the input capacitor(s).
11
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
OPERATIO
U
(Refer to Functional Diagram)
INTV
CC
/EXTV
CC
Power
Power for the top and bottom MOSFET drivers and most
of the IC circuitry is derived from INTV
CC
. When the
EXTV
CC
pin is left open, an internal 5V low dropout
regulator supplies INTV
CC
power. If the EXTV
CC
pin is
taken above 4.7V, the 5V regulator is turned off and an
internal switch is turned on connecting EXTV
CC
to INTV
CC
.
This allows the INTV
CC
power to be derived from a high
efficiency external source such as the output of the regu-
lator itself or a secondary winding, as described in the
Applications Information section. An external Schottky
diode can be used to minimize the voltage drop from
EXTV
CC
to INTV
CC
in applications requiring greater than
the specified INTV
CC
current. Voltages up to 7V can be
applied to EXTV
CC
for additional gate drive capability.
Differential Amplifier
This amplifier provides true differential output voltage
sensing. Sensing both V
OUT
+
and V
OUT

benefits regula-
tion in high current applications and/or applications hav-
ing electrical interconnection losses. The AMPMD pin
(available on the LTC1629 only) allows selection of inter-
nal precision feedback resistors for high common mode
rejection differencing applications, or direct access to the
actual amplifier inputs without these internal feedback
resistors for other applications. The AMPMD pin is
grounded to connect the internal precision resistors in a
unity-gain differencing application or tied to the INTV
CC
pin to bypass the internal resistors and make the amplifier
inputs directly available. The amplifier is a unity-gain
stable, 2MHz gain-bandwidth, >120dB open-loop gain
design. The amplifier has an output slew rate of 5V/s and
is capable of driving capacitive loads with an output RMS
current typically up to 25mA. The amplifier is not capable
of sinking current and therefore must be resistively loaded
to do so. The differential amplifier is configured as a unity-
gain differencing amplifier in the LTC1629-PG.
Power Good (PGOOD) (LTC1629-PG Only)
The PGOOD pin is connected to the drain of an internal
MOSFET. The MOSFET turns on when the output is not
within t7.5% of its nominal output level as determined by
the feedback divider. When the output is within t7.5% of
its nominal value, the MOSFET is turned off within 10s
and the PGOOD pin should be pulled up by an external
resistor to a source of up to 7V.
Short-Circuit Detection
The RUN/SS capacitor is used initially to limit the inrush
current from the input power source. Once the controllers
have been given time, as determined by the capacitor on
the RUN/SS pin, to charge up the output capacitors and
provide full load current, the RUN/SS capacitor is then
used as a short-circuit timeout circuit. If the output voltage
falls to less than 70% of its nominal output voltage the
RUN/SS capacitor begins discharging assuming that the
output is in a severe overcurrent and/or short-circuit
condition. If the condition lasts for a long enough period
as determined by the size of the RUN/SS capacitor, the
controller will be shut down until the RUN/SS pin voltage
is recycled. This built-in latchoff can be overidden by
providing a >5A pull-up current at a compliance of 5V to
the RUN/SS pin. This current shortens the soft-start
period but also prevents net discharge of the RUN/SS
capacitor during a severe overcurrent and/or short-circuit
condition. Foldback current limiting is activated when the
output voltage falls below 70% of its nominal level whether
or not the short-circuit latchoff circuit is enabled.
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
W UU U
The basic LTC1629 application circuit is shown in Figure1
on the first page. External component selection is driven
by the load requirement, and begins with the selection of
R
SENSE1, 2
. Once R
SENSE1, 2
are known, L1 and L2 can be
chosen. Next, the power MOSFETs and D1 and D2 are
selected. The operating frequency and the inductor are
chosen based mainly on the amount of ripple current.
Finally, C
IN
is selected for its ability to handle the input
ripple current (that PolyPhase operation minimizes) and
C
OUT
is chosen with low enough ESR to meet the output
ripple voltage and load step specifications (also minimized
with PolyPhase). The circuit shown in Figure1 can be
configured for operation up to an input voltage of 28V
(limited by the external MOSFETs).
12
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
W UU U
R
SENSE
Selection For Output Current
R
SENSE1, 2
are chosen based on the required output
current. The LTC1629 current comparator has a maxi-
mum threshold of 75mV/R
SENSE
and an input common
mode range of SGND to 1.5( INTV
CC
). The current com-
parator threshold sets the peak inductor current, yielding
a maximum average output current I
MAX
equal to the peak
value less half the peak-to-peak ripple current, I
L
.
Allowing a margin for variations in the LTC1629 and
external component values yields:
R
SENSE
= (50mV/I
MAX
)N
where N = number of stages.
When using the controller in very low dropout conditions,
the maximum output current level will be reduced due to
internal slope compensation required to meet stability
criterion for buck regulators operating at greater than 50%
duty factor. A curve is provided to estimate this reduction
in peak output current level depending upon the operating
duty factor.
Operating Frequency
The LTC1629 uses a constant frequency, phase-lockable
architecture with the frequency determined by an internal
capacitor. This capacitor is charged by a fixed current plus
an additional current which is proportional to the voltage
applied to the PLLFLTR pin. Refer to Phase-Locked Loop
and Frequency Synchronization in the Applications Infor-
mation section for additional information.
A graph for the voltage applied to the PLLFLTR pin vs
frequency is given in Figure2. As the operating frequency
is increased the gate charge losses will be higher, reducing
efficiency (see Efficiency Considerations). The maximum
switching frequency is approximately 310kHz.
Inductor Value Calculation and Output Ripple Current
The operating frequency and inductor selection are inter-
related in that higher operating frequencies allow the use
of smaller inductor and capacitor values. So why would
anyone ever choose to operate at lower frequencies with
larger components? The answer is efficiency. A higher
frequency generally results in lower efficiency because of
MOSFET gate charge and transition losses. In addition to
this basic tradeoff, the effect of inductor value on ripple
current and low current operation must also be consid-
ered. The PolyPhase approach reduces both input and
output ripple currents while optimizing individual output
stages to run at a lower fundamental frequency, enhancing
efficiency.
The inductor value has a direct effect on ripple current. The
inductor ripple current I
L
per individual section, N,
decreases with higher inductance or frequency and in-
creases with higher V
IN
or V
OUT
:
I
V
fL
V
V
L
OUT OUT
IN

_
,

1
where f is the individual output stage operating frequency.
In a PolyPhase converter, the net ripple current seen by the
output capacitor is much smaller than the individual
inductor ripple currents due to the ripple cancellation. The
details on how to calculate the net output ripple current
can be found in Application Note 77.
Figure 3 shows the net ripple current seen by the output
capacitors for the different phase configurations. The
output ripple current is plotted for a fixed output voltage as
the duty factor is varied between 10% and 90% on the
x-axis. The output ripple current is normalized against the
inductor ripple current at zero duty factor. The graph can
be used in place of tedious calculations. As shown in
Figure3, the zero output ripple current is obtained when:
Figure 2. Operating Frequency vs V
PLLFLTR
OPERATING FREQUENCY (kHz)
120 170 220 270 320
P
L
L
F
L
T
R

P
I
N

V
O
L
T
A
G
E

(
V
)
1629 F02
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
13
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
V
V
k
N
OUT
IN

where k = 1, 2, , N 1
So the number of phases used can be selected to minimize
the output ripple current and therefore the output ripple
voltage at the given input and output voltages. In applica-
tions having a highly varying input voltage, additional
phases will produce the best results.
Accepting larger values of I
L
allows the use of low
inductances, but can result in higher output voltage ripple.
A reasonable starting point for setting ripple current is I
L
= 0.4(I
OUT
)/N, where N is the number of channels and I
OUT
is the total load current. Remember, the maximum I
L
occurs at the maximum input voltage. The individual
inductor ripple currents are constant determined by the
inductor, input and output voltages.
Ferrite designs have very low core loss and are preferred
at high switching frequencies, so design goals can con-
centrate on copper loss and preventing saturation. Ferrite
core material saturates hard, which means that induc-
tance collapses abruptly when the peak design current is
exceeded. This results in an abrupt increase in inductor
ripple current and consequent output voltage ripple. Do
not allow the core to saturate!
Molypermalloy (from Magnetics, Inc.) is a very good, low
loss core material for toroids, but it is more expensive than
ferrite. A reasonable compromise from the same manu-
facturer is Kool M. Toroids are very space efficient,
especially when you can use several layers of wire. Be-
cause they lack a bobbin, mounting is more difficult.
However, designs for surface mount are available which
do not increase the height significantly.
Power MOSFET, D1 and D2 Selection
Two external power MOSFETs must be selected for each
controller with the LTC1629: One N-channel MOSFET for
the top (main) switch, and one N-channel MOSFET for the
bottom (synchronous) switch.
The peak-to-peak drive levels are set by the INTV
CC
volt-
age. This voltage is typically 5V during start-up (see
EXTV
CC
Pin Connection). Consequently, logic-level thresh-
old MOSFETs must be used in most applications. The only
exception is if low input voltage is expected (V
IN
< 5V);
then, sublogic-level threshold MOSFETs (V
GS(TH)
< 3V)
should be used. Pay close attention to the BV
DSS
specifi-
cation for the MOSFETs as well; most of the logic-level
MOSFETs are limited to 30V or less.
Selection criteria for the power MOSFETs include the ON
resistance R
DS(ON)
, reverse transfer capacitance C
RSS
,
input voltage, and maximum output current. When the
LTC1629 is operating in continuous mode the duty factors
for the top and bottom MOSFETs of each output stage are
given by:
Main SwitchDuty Cycle
V
V
OUT
IN

Synchronous SwitchDuty Cycle

V V
V
IN OUT
IN

_
,

Kool M is a registered trademark of Magnetics, Inc.

APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
W UU U
Figure 3. Normalized Peak Output Current vs
Duty Factor [I
RMS
0.3 (I
O(PP)
)]
DUTY FACTOR (V
OUT
/V
IN
)
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
1629 F03
6-PHASE
4-PHASE
3-PHASE
2-PHASE
1-PHASE

I
O
(
P
-
P
)
V
O
/
f
L
Inductor Core Selection
Once the values for L1 and L2 are known, the type of
inductor must be selected. High efficiency converters
generally cannot afford the core loss found in low cost
powdered iron cores, forcing the use of more expensive
ferrite, molypermalloy, or Kool M

cores. Actual core

loss is independent of core size for a fixed inductor value,
but it is very dependent on inductance selected. As induc-
tance increases, core losses go down. Unfortunately,
increased inductance requires more turns of wire and
therefore copper losses will increase.
14
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
The MOSFET power dissipations at maximum output
current are given by:
P
V
V
I
N
R
k V
I
N
C f
MAIN
OUT
IN
MAX
DS ON
IN
MAX
RSS

_
,

+
( )
+
( )

_
,
( )( )
2
2
1
( )
P
V V
V
I
N
R
SYNC
IN OUT
IN
MAX
DS ON

_
,

+
( )

( )
2
1
where is the temperature dependency of R
DS(ON)
, k is a
constant inversely related to the gate drive current and N
is the number of stages.
Both MOSFETs have I
2
R losses but the topside N-channel
equation includes an additional term for transition losses,
which peak at the highest input voltage. For V
IN
< 20V the
high current efficiency generally improves with larger
MOSFETs, while for V
IN
> 20V the transition losses rapidly
increase to the point that the use of a higher R
DS(ON)
device
with lower C
RSS
actual provides higher efficiency. The
synchronous MOSFET losses are greatest at high input
voltage when the top switch duty factor is low or during a
short-circuit when the synchronous switch is on close to
100% of the period.
The term (1 + ) is generally given for a MOSFET in the
form of a normalized R
DS(ON)
vs. Temperature curve, but
= 0.005/C can be used as an approximation for low
voltage MOSFETs. C
RSS
is usually specified in the MOS-
FET characteristics. The constant k = 1.7 can be used to
estimate the contributions of the two terms in the main
switch dissipation equation.
The Schottky diodes, D1 and D2 shown in Figure 1 conduct
during the dead-time between the conduction of the two
large power MOSFETs. This helps prevent the body diode
of the bottom MOSFET from turning on, storing charge
during the dead-time, and requiring a reverse recovery
period which would reduce efficiency. A 1A to 3A (depend-
ing on output current) Schottky diode is generally a good
compromise for both regions of operation due to the
relatively small average current. Larger diodes result in
additional transition losses due to their larger junction
capacitance.
C
IN
and C
OUT
Selection
In continuous mode, the source current of each top
N-channel MOSFET is a square wave of duty cycle V
OUT
/
V
IN
. A low ESR input capacitor sized for the maximum
RMS current must be used. The details of a close form
equation can be found in Application Note 77. Figure 4
shows the input capacitor ripple current for different
phase configurations with the output voltage fixed and
input voltage varied. The input ripple current is normalized
against the DC output current. The graph can be used in
place of tedious calculations. The minimum input ripple
current can be achieved when the product of phase num-
ber and output voltage, N(V
OUT
), is approximately equal to
the input voltage V
IN
or:
V
V
k
N
OUT
IN

where k = 1, 2, , N 1
So the phase number can be chosen to minimize the input
capacitor size for the given input and output voltages.
In the graph of Figure 4, the local maximum input RMS
capacitor currents are reached when:
V
V
k
N
OUT
IN

2 1
2
where k = 1, 2, , N
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
W UU U
Figure 4. Normalized Input RMS Ripple Current vs
Duty Factor for 1 to 6 Output Stages
DUTY FACTOR (V
OUT
/V
IN
)
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
1629 F04
R
M
S

I
N
P
U
T

R
I
P
P
L
E

C
U
R
R
N
E
T
D
C

L
O
A
D

C
U
R
R
E
N
T
6-PHASE
4-PHASE
3-PHASE
2-PHASE
1-PHASE
15
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
These worst-case conditions are commonly used for
design because even significant deviations do not offer
much relief. Note that capacitor manufacturers ripple
current ratings are often based on only 2000 hours of life.
This makes it advisable to further derate the capacitor, or
to choose a capacitor rated at a higher temperature than
required. Several capacitors may also be paralleled to
meet size or height requirements in the design. Always
consult the capacitor manufacturer if there is any ques-
tion.
The graph shows that the peak RMS input current is
reduced linearly, inversely proportional to the number, N
of stages used. It is important to note that the efficiency
loss is proportional to the input RMS current squared and
therefore a 2-stage implementation results in 75% less
power loss when compared to a single phase design.
Battery/input protection fuse resistance (if used), PC
board trace and connector resistance losses are also
reduced by the reduction of the input ripple current in a
PolyPhase system. The required amount of input capaci-
tance is further reduced by the factor, N, due to the
effective increase in the frequency of the current pulses.
The selection of C
OUT
is driven by the required effective
series resistance (ESR). Typically once the ESR require-
ment has been met, the RMS current rating generally far
exceeds the I
RIPPLE(P-P)
requirements. The steady state
output ripple (V
OUT
) is determined by:
V I ESR
NfC
OUT RIPPLE
OUT
+

_
,

1
8
Where f = operating frequency of each stage, N is the
number of phases, C
OUT
= output capacitance, and
I
RIPPLE
= combined inductor ripple currents.
The output ripple varies with input voltage since I
L
is a
function of input voltage. The output ripple will be less than
50mV at max V
IN
with I
L
= 0.4I
OUT(MAX)
/N assuming:
C
OUT
required ESR < 2N(R
SENSE
) and
C
OUT
> 1/(8Nf)(R
SENSE
)
The emergence of very low ESR capacitors in small,
surface mount packages makes very physically small
implementations possible. The ability to externally com-
pensate the switching regulator loop using the I
TH
pin(OPTI-
LOOP compensation) allows a much wider selection of
output capacitor types. OPTI-LOOP compensation effec-
tively removes constraints on output capacitor ESR. The
impedance characteristics of each capacitor type are sig-
nificantly different than an ideal capacitor and therefore
require accurate modeling or bench evaluation during
design.
Manufacturers such as Nichicon, United Chemicon and
Sanyo should be considered for high performance through-
hole capacitors. The OS-CON semiconductor dielectric
capacitor available from Sanyo and the Panasonic SP
surface mount types have the lowest (ESR)(size) product
of any aluminum electrolytic at a somewhat higher price.
An additional ceramic capacitor in parallel with OS-CON
type capacitors is recommended to reduce the inductance
effects.
In surface mount applications, multiple capacitors may
have to be paralleled to meet the ESR or RMS current
handling requirements of the application. Aluminum elec-
trolytic and dry tantalum capacitors are both available in
surface mount configurations. New special polymer sur-
face mount capacitors offer very low ESR also but have
much lower capacitive density per unit volume. In the case
of tantalum, it is critical that the capacitors are surge tested
for use in switching power supplies. Several excellent
choices are the AVX TPS, AVX TPSV or the KEMET T510
series of surface mount tantalums, available in case heights
ranging from 2mm to 4mm. Other capacitor types include
Sanyo OS-CON, Nichicon PL series and Sprague 595D
series. Consult the manufacturer for other specific recom-
mendations. A combination of capacitors will often result
in maximizing performance and minimizing overall cost
and size.
INTV
CC
Regulator
An internal P-channel low dropout regulator produces 5V
at the INTV
CC
pin from the V
IN
supply pin. The INTV
CC
regulator powers the drivers and internal circuitry of the
LTC1629. The INTV
CC
pin regulator can supply up to 50mA
peak and must be bypassed to power ground with a
minimum of 4.7F tantalum or electrolytic capacitor. An
additional 1F ceramic capacitor placed very close to the
IC is recommended due to the extremely high instanta-
neous currents required by the MOSFET gate drivers.
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
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16
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
High input voltage applications in which large MOSFETs
are being driven at high frequencies may cause the maxi-
mum junction temperature rating for the LTC1629 to be
exceeded. The supply current is dominated by the gate
charge supply current, in addition to the current drawn
from the differential amplifier output. The gate charge is
dependent on operating frequency as discussed in the
Efficiency Considerations section. The supply current can
either be supplied by the internal 5V regulator or via the
EXTV
CC
pin. When the voltage applied to the EXTV
CC
pin
is less than 4.7V, all of the INTV
CC
load current is supplied
by the internal 5V linear regulator. Power dissipation for
the IC is higher in this case by (I
IN
)(V
IN
INTV
CC
) and
efficiency is lowered. The junction temperature can be
estimated by using the equations given in Note 1 of the
Electrical Characteristics. For example, the LTC1629 V
IN
current is limited to less than 24mA from a 24V supply:
T
J
= 70C + (24mA)(24V)(95C/W) = 125C
Use of the EXTV
CC
pin reduces the junction temperature
to:
T
J
= 70C + (24mA)(5V)(95C/W) = 81.4C
The input supply current should be measured while the
controller is operating in continuous mode at maximum
V
IN
and the power dissipation calculated in order to pre-
vent the maximum junction temperature from being ex-
ceeded.
EXTV
CC
Connection
The LTC1629 contains an internal P-channel MOSFET
switch connected between the EXTV
CC
and INTV
CC
pins.
When the voltage applied to EXTV
CC
rises above

4.7V, the
internal regulator is turned off and the switch closes,
connecting the EXTV
CC
pin to the INTV
CC
pin thereby
supplying internal and MOSFET gate driving power. The
switch remains closed as long as the voltage applied to
EXTV
CC
remains above 4.5V. This allows the MOSFET
driver and control power to be derived from the output
during normal operation (4.7V < V
EXTVCC
< 7V) and from
the internal regulator when the output is out of regulation
(start-up, short-circuit). Do not apply greater than 7V to
the EXTV
CC
pin and ensure that EXTV
CC
< V
IN
+ 0.3V when
using the application circuits shown.

If an external voltage
source is applied to the EXTV
CC
pin when the V
IN
supply is
not present, a diode can be placed in series with the
LTC1629s V
IN
pin and a Schottky diode between the
EXTV
CC
and the V
IN
pin, to prevent current from backfeeding
V
IN
.
Significant efficiency gains can be realized by powering
INTV
CC
from the output, since the V
IN
current resulting
from the driver and control currents will be scaled by the
ratio: (Duty Factor)/(Efficiency). For 5V regulators this
means connecting the EXTV
CC
pin directly to V
OUT
. How-
ever, for 3.3V and other lower voltage regulators, addi-
tional circuitry is required to derive INTV
CC
power from the
output.
The following list summarizes the four possible connec-
tions for EXTV
CC:
1. EXTV
CC
left open (or grounded). This will cause INTV
CC
to be powered from the internal 5V regulator resulting in
a significant efficiency penalty at high input voltages.
2. EXTV
CC
connected directly to V
OUT
. This is the normal
connection for a 5V regulator and provides the highest
efficiency.
3. EXTV
CC
connected to an external supply. If an external
supply is available in the 5V to 7V range, it may be used to
power EXTV
CC
providing it is compatible with the MOSFET
gate drive requirements. V
IN
must be greater than or equal
to the voltage applied to the EXTV
CC
pin.
4. EXTV
CC
connected to an output-derived boost network.
For 3.3V and other low voltage regulators, efficiency gains
can still be realized by connecting EXTV
CC
to an output-
derived voltage which has been boosted to greater than
4.7V but less than 7V. This can be done with either the
inductive boost winding as shown in Figure 5a or the
capacitive charge pump shown in Figure 5b. The charge
pump has the advantage of simple magnetics.
Topside MOSFET Driver Supply (C
B
,D
B
) (Refer to
Functional Diagram)
External bootstrap capacitors C
B1
and C
B2
connected to
the BOOST1 and BOOST2 pins supply the gate drive
voltages for the topside MOSFETs. Capacitor C
B
in the
Functional Diagram is charged though diode D
B
from
INTV
CC
when the SW pin is low. When the topside MOSFET
turns on, the driver places the C
B
voltage across the gate-
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
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17
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
source of the desired MOSFET. This enhances the MOSFET
and turns on the topside switch. The switch node voltage,
SW, rises to V
IN
and the BOOST pin rises to V
IN
+ V
INTVCC
.
The value of the boost capacitor C
B
needs to be 30 to 100
times that of the total input capacitance of the topside
MOSFET(s). The reverse breakdown of D
B
must be greater
than V
IN(MAX).
The final arbiter when defining the best gate drive ampli-
tude level will be the input supply current. If a change is
made that decreases input current, the efficiency has
improved. If the input current does not change then the
efficiency has not changed either.
Output Voltage
The LTC1629 has a true remote voltage sense capablity.
The sensing connections should be returned from the load
back to the differential amplifiers inputs through a com-
mon, tightly coupled pair of PC traces. The differential
amplifier rejects common mode signals capacitively or
inductively radiated into the feedback PC traces as well as
ground loop disturbances. The differential amplifier out-
put signal is divided down and compared with the internal
precision 0.8V voltage reference by the error amplifier.
The differential amplifier can be used in either of two
configurations according to the voltage applied to the
AMPMD pin. The first configuration, with the connections
illustrated in the Functional Diagram, utilizes a set of
internal precision resistors to enable precision instrumen-
tation-type measurement of the output voltage. This con-
figuration is activated when the AMPMD pin is tied to
ground and is the only configuration available for the
LTC1629-PG. When the AMPMD pin is tied to INTV
CC
, the
resistors are disconnected and the amplifier inputs are
made directly available. The amplifier can then be used as
a general purpose op amp. The amplifier has a 0V to 3V
common mode input range limitation due to the internal
switching of its inputs. The output is an NPN emitter
follower without any internal pull-down current. A DC
resistive load to ground is required in order to sink current.
The output will swing from 0V to 10V. (V
IN
V
DIFFOUT
+2V.)
Soft-Start/Run Function
The RUN/SS pin provides three functions: 1) Run/Shut-
down, 2) soft-start and 3) a defeatable short-circuit latchoff
timer. Soft-start reduces the input power sources surge
currents by gradually increasing the controllers current
limit I
TH(MAX)
. The latchoff timer prevents very short,
extreme load transients from tripping the overcurrent
latch. A small pull-up current (>5A) supplied to the RUN/
SS pin will prevent the overcurrent latch from operating.
The following explanation describes how the functions
operate.
An internal 1.2A current source charges up the C
SS
capacitor
.
When the voltage on RUN/SS reaches 1.5V, the
controller is permitted to start operating. As the voltage on
RUN/SS increases from 1.5V to 3.0V, the internal current
limit is increased from 25mV/R
SENSE
to 75mV/R
SENSE
.
The output current limit ramps up slowly, taking an
additional 1.4s/F to reach full current. The output cur-
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
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Figure 5a. Secondary Output Loop and EXTV
CC
Connection Figure 5b. Capacitive Charge Pump for EXTV
CC
1629 F05a
V
IN
TG1
N-CH
1N4148
N-CH
BG1
PGND
LTC1629
SW1
EXTV
CC
OPTIONAL EXTV
CC
CONNECTION
5V < V
SEC
< 7V
T1
R
SENSE
V
SEC
6.8V
V
OUT
V
IN +
C
IN
+
1F
+
C
OUT
1629 F05b
V
IN
TG1
N-CH
N-CH
BG1
PGND
LTC1629
SW1
EXTV
CC
L1
R
SENSE
BAT85
BAT85
BAT85 0.22F
V
OUT
V
IN +
C
IN
+
C
IN
+
C
OUT
VN2222LL
18
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
rent thus ramps up slowly, reducing the starting surge
current required from the input power supply. If RUN/SS
has been pulled all the way to ground there is a delay before
starting of approximately:
t
V
A
C s F C
DELAY SS SS

( )
1 5
1 2
1 25
.
.
. /
The time for the output current to ramp up is then:
t
V V
A
C s F C
RAMP SS SS

( )
3 1 5
1 2
1 25
.
.
. /
By pulling the RUN/SS pin below 0.8V the LTC1629 is put
into low current shutdown (I
Q
< 40A). RUN/SS can be
driven directly from logic as shown in Figure 6. Diode D1
in Figure 6 reduces the start delay but allows C
SS
to ramp
up slowly providing the soft-start function. The RUN/SS
pin has an internal 6V zener clamp (see Functional Dia-
gram).
Fault Conditions: Overcurrent Latchoff
The RUN/SS pin also provides the ability to latch off the
controllers when an overcurrent condition is detected. The
RUN/SS capacitor, C
SS
, is used initially to limit the inrush
current of both controllers. After the controllers have been
started and been given adequate time to charge up the
output capacitors and provide full load current, the RUN/
SS capacitor is used for a short-circuit timer. If the output
voltage falls to less than 70% of its nominal value after C
SS
reaches 4.1V, C
SS
begins discharging on the assumption
that the output is in an overcurrent condition. If the
condition lasts for a long enough period as determined by
the size of C
SS
, the controller will be shut down until the
RUN/SS pin voltage is recycled. If the overload occurs
during start-up, the time can be approximated by:
t
LO1
(C
SS
0.6V)/(1.2A) = 5 10
5
(C
SS
)
If the overload occurs after start-up, the voltage on C
SS
will
continue charging and will provide additional time before
latching off:
t
LO2
(C
SS
3V)/(1.2A) = 2.5 10
6
(C
SS
)
This built-in overcurrent latchoff can be overridden by
providing a pull-up resistor, R
SS
, to the RUN/SS pin as
shown in Figure 6. This resistance shortens the soft-start
period and prevents the discharge of the RUN/SS capaci-
tor during a severe overcurrent and/or short-circuit con-
dition. When deriving the 5A current from V
IN
as in the
figure, current latchoff is always defeated. Diode-
connecting this pull-up resistor to INTV
CC
, as in
Figure6, eliminates any extra supply current during shut-
down while eliminating the INTV
CC
loading from prevent-
ing controller start-up.
Why should you defeat current latchoff? During the
prototyping stage of a design, there may be a problem with
noise pickup or poor layout causing the protection circuit
to latch off the controller. Defeating this feature allows
troubleshooting of the circuit and PC layout. The internal
short-circuit and foldback current limiting still remains
active, thereby protecting the power supply system from
failure. A decision can be made after the design is com-
plete whether to rely solely on foldback current limiting or
to enable the latchoff feature by removing the pull-up
resistor.
The value of the soft-start capacitor C
SS
may need to be
scaled with output voltage, output capacitance and load
current characteristics. The minimum soft-start capaci-
tance is given by:
C
SS
> (C
OUT
)(V
OUT
)(10
-4
)(R
SENSE
)
The minimum recommended soft-start capacitor of C
SS
=
0.1F will be sufficient for most applications.
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Figure 6. RUN/SS Pin Interfacing
3.3V OR 5V RUN/SS
V
IN
INTV
CC
RUN/SS
D1
D1*
C
SS
R
SS
*
C
SS
R
SS
*
1629 F06 *OPTIONAL TO DEFEAT OVERCURRENT LATCHOFF
Phase-Locked Loop and Frequency Synchronization
The LTC1629 has a phase-locked loop comprised of an
internal voltage controlled oscillator and phase detector.
This allows the top MOSFET turn-on to be locked to the
rising edge of an external source. The frequency range of
the voltage controlled oscillator is t50% around the
19
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
center frequency f
O
. A voltage applied to the PLLFLTR pin
of 1.2V corresponds to a frequency of approximately
220kHz. The nominal operating frequency range of the
LTC1629 is 140kHz to 310kHz.
The phase detector used is an edge sensitive digital type
which provides zero degrees phase shift between the
external and internal oscillators. This type of phase detec-
tor will not lock up on input frequencies close to the
harmonics of the VCO center frequency. The PLL hold-in
range, f
H
, is equal to the capture range, f
C:
f
H
= f
C
= t0.5 f
O
(150kHz-300kHz)
The output of the phase detector is a complementary pair
of current sources charging or discharging the external
filter network on the PLLFLTR pin. A simplified block
diagram is shown in Figure 7.
If the external frequency (f
PLLIN
) is greater than the oscil-
lator frequency f
0SC
, current is sourced continuously,
pulling up the PLLFLTR pin. When the external frequency
is less than f
0SC
, current is sunk continuously, pulling
down the PLLFLTR pin. If the external and internal fre-
quencies are the same but exhibit a phase difference, the
current sources turn on for an amount of time correspond-
ing to the phase difference. Thus the voltage on the
PLLFLTR pin is adjusted until the phase and frequency of
the external and internal oscillators are identical. At this
stable operating point the phase comparator output is
open and the filter capacitor C
LP
holds the voltage. The
LTC1629 PLLIN pin must be driven from a low impedance
source such as a logic gate located close to the pin. When
using multiple LTC1629s for a phase-locked system, the
PLLFLTR pin of the master oscillator should be biased at
a voltage that will guarantee the slave oscillator(s) ability
to lock onto the masters frequency. A DC voltage of 1.6V
to 1.7V applied to the master oscillators PLLFLTR pin is
recommended in order to meet this requirement. The
resultant operating frequency will be approximately 300kHz.
The loop filter components (C
LP
, R
LP
) smooth out the
current pulses from the phase detector and provide a
stable input to the voltage controlled oscillator. The filter
components C
LP
and R
LP
determine how fast the loop
acquires lock. Typically R
LP
=10k and C
LP
is 0.01F to
0.1F.
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Figure 7. Phase-Locked Loop Block Diagram
EXTERNAL
OSC
2.4V
R
LP
10k
C
LP
OSC
DIGITAL
PHASE/
FREQUENCY
DETECTOR
PHASE
DETECTOR
PLLIN
1629 F07
PLLFLTR
50k
Minimum On-Time Considerations
Minimum on-time t
ON(MIN)
is the smallest time duration
that the LTC1629 is capable of turning on the top MOSFET.
It is determined by internal timing delays and the gate
charge required to turn on the top MOSFET. Low duty cycle
applications may approach this minimum on-time limit
and care should be taken to ensure that:
t
V
V f
ON MIN
OUT
IN
( )
<
( )
If the duty cycle falls below what can be accommodated by
the minimum on-time, the LTC1629 will begin to skip
cycles resulting in nonconstant frequency operation. The
output voltage will continue to be regulated, but the ripple
current and ripple voltage will increase.
The minimum on-time for the LTC1629 is generally less
than 200ns. However, as the peak sense voltage decreases
the minimum on-time gradually increases. This is of
particular concern in forced continuous applications with
low ripple current at light loads. If the duty cycle drops
below the minimum on-time limit in this situation, a
significant amount of cycle skipping can occur with corre-
spondingly larger current and voltage ripple.
If an application can operate close to the minimum on-
time limit, an inductor must be chosen that has a low
enough inductance to provide sufficient ripple amplitude
to meet the minimum on-time requirement. As a general
rule, keep the inductor ripple current of each phase equal
to or greater than 15% of I
OUT(MAX)
/N at V
IN(MAX)
.
20
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
Efficiency Considerations
The percent efficiency of a switching regulator is equal to
the output power divided by the input power times 100%.
It is often useful to analyze individual losses to determine
what is limiting the efficiency and which change would
produce the most improvement. Percent efficiency can be
expressed as:
%Efficiency = 100% (L1 + L2 + L3 + ...)
where L1, L2, etc. are the individual losses as a percentage
of input power.
Although all dissipative elements in the circuit produce
losses, four main sources usually account for most of the
losses in LTC1629 circuits: 1) LTC1629 V
IN
current (in-
cluding loading on the differential amplifier output),
2) INTV
CC
regulator current, 3) I
2
R losses and 4) Topside
MOSFET transition losses.
1) The V
IN
current has two components: the first is the
DC supply current given in the Electrical Characteristics
table, which excludes MOSFET driver and control cur-
rents; the second is the current drawn from the differential
amplifier output. V
IN
current typically results in a small
(<0.1%) loss.
2) INTV
CC
current is the sum of the MOSFET driver and
control currents. The MOSFET driver current results from
switching the gate capacitance of the power MOSFETs.
Each time a MOSFET gate is switched from low to high to
low again, a packet of charge dQ moves from INTV
CC
to
ground. The resulting dQ/dt is a current out of INTV
CC
that
is typically much larger than the control circuit current. In
continuous mode, I
GATECHG
= (Q
T
+ Q
B
), where Q
T
and Q
B
are the gate charges of the topside and bottom side
MOSFETs.
Supplying INTV
CC
power through the EXTV
CC
switch input
from an output-derived source will scale the V
IN
current
required for the driver and control circuits by the ratio
(Duty Factor)/(Efficiency). For example, in a 20V to 5V
application, 10mA of INTV
CC
current results in approxi-
mately 3mA of V
IN
current. This reduces the mid-current
loss from 10% or more (if the driver was powered directly
from V
IN
) to only a few percent.
3) I
2
R losses are predicted from the DC resistances of the
fuse (if used), MOSFET, inductor, current sense resistor,
and input and output capacitor ESR. In continuous mode
the average output current flows through L and R
SENSE
,
but is chopped between the topside MOSFET and the
synchronous MOSFET. If the two MOSFETs have approxi-
mately the same R
DS(ON)
, then the resistance of one
MOSFET can simply be summed with the resistances of L,
R
SENSE
and ESR to obtain I
2
R losses. For example, if each
R
DS(ON)
=10m, R
L
=10m, and R
SENSE
=5m, then the
total resistance is 25m. This results in losses ranging
from 2% to 8% as the output current increases from 3A to
15A per output stage for a 5V output, or a 3% to 12% loss
per output stage for a 3.3V output. Efficiency varies as the
inverse square of V
OUT
for the same external components
and output power level. The combined effects of increas-
ingly lower output voltages and higher currents required
by high performance digital systems is not doubling but
quadrupling the importance of loss terms in the switching
regulator system!
4) Transition losses apply only to the topside MOSFET(s),
and only when operating at high input voltages (typically
20V or greater). Transition losses can be estimated from:
Transition Loss = (1.7) V
IN
2
I
O(MAX)
C
RSS
f
Other hidden losses such as copper trace and internal
battery resistances can account for an additional 5% to
10% efficiency degradation in portable systems. It is very
important to include these system level losses in the
design of a system. The internal battery and input fuse
resistance losses can be minimized by making sure that
C
IN
has adequate charge storage and a very low ESR at the
switching frequency. A 50W supply will typically require a
minimum of 200F to 300F of capacitance having a
maximum of 10m to 20m of ESR. The LTC1629
PolyPhase architecture typically halves to quarters this
input capacitance requirement over competing solutions.
Other losses including Schottky conduction losses during
dead-time and inductor core losses generally account for
less than 2% total additional loss.
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
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21
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
Checking Transient Response
The regulator loop response can be checked by looking at
the load transient response. Switching regulators take
several cycles to respond to a step in DC (resistive) load
current. When a load step occurs, V
OUT
shifts by an
amount equal to I
LOAD
(ESR), where ESR is the effective
series resistance of C
OUT
(I
LOAD
) also begins to charge or
discharge C
OUT
generating the feedback error signal that
forces the regulator to adapt to the current change and
return V
OUT
to its steady-state value. During this recovery
time V
OUT
can be monitored for excessive overshoot or
ringing, which would indicate a stability problem. The
availability of the I
TH
pin not only allows optimization of
control loop behavior but also provides a DC coupled and
AC filtered closed loop response test point. The DC step,
rise time, and settling at this test point truly reflects the
closed loop response. Assuming a predominantly second
order system, phase margin and/or damping factor can be
estimated using the percentage of overshoot seen at this
pin. The bandwidth can also be estimated by examining
the rise time at the pin. The I
TH
external components
shown in the Figure 1 circuit will provide an adequate
starting point for most applications.
The I
TH
series R
C
-C
C
filter sets the dominant pole-zero
loop compensation. The values can be modified slightly
(from 0.2 to 5 times their suggested values) to maximize
transient response once the final PC layout is done and the
particular output capacitor type and value have been
determined. The output capacitors need to be decided
upon because the various types and values determine the
loop feedback factor gain and phase. An output current
pulse of 20% to 80% of full-load current having a rise time
of <2s will produce output voltage and I
TH
pin waveforms
that will give a sense of the overall loop stability without
breaking the feedback loop. The initial output voltage step
resulting from the step change in output current may not
be within the bandwidth of the feedback loop, so this signal
cannot be used to determine phase margin. This is why it
is better to look at the Ith pin signal which is in the feedback
loop and is the filtered and compensated control loop
response. The gain of the loop will be increased by
increasing R
C
and the bandwidth of the loop will be
increased by decreasing C
C
. If R
C
is increased by the same
factor that C
C
is decreased, the zero frequency will be kept
the same, thereby keeping the phase shift the same in the
most critical frequency range of the feedback loop. The
output voltage settling behavior is related to the stability of
the closed-loop system and will demonstrate the actual
overall supply performance.
A second, more severe transient is caused by switching in
loads with large (>1F) supply bypass capacitors. The
discharged bypass capacitors are effectively put in parallel
with C
OUT
, causing a rapid drop in V
OUT
. No regulator can
alter its delivery of current quickly enough to prevent this
sudden step change in output voltage if the load switch
resistance is low and it is driven quickly. If the ratio of
C
LOAD
to C
OUT
is greater than1:50, the switch rise time
should be controlled so that the load rise time is limited to
approximately 25 C
LOAD
. Thus a 10F capacitor would
require a 250s rise time, limiting the charging current to
about 200mA.
Automotive Considerations: Plugging into the
Cigarette Lighter
As battery-powered devices go mobile, there is a natural
interest in plugging into the cigarette lighter in order to
conserve or even recharge battery packs during operation.
But before you connect, be advised: you are plugging into
the supply from hell. The main battery line in an automo-
bile is the source of a number of nasty potential transients,
including load-dump, reverse-battery, and double-bat-
tery.
Load-dump is the result of a loose battery cable. When the
cable breaks connection, the field collapse in the alternator
can cause a positive spike as high as 60V which takes
several hundred milliseconds to decay. Reverse-battery is
just what it says, while double-battery is a consequence of
tow truck operators finding that a 24V jump start cranks
cold engines faster than 12V.
The network shown in Figure 8 is the most straightforward
approach to protect a DC/DC converter from the ravages
of an automotive battery line. The series diode prevents
current from flowing during reverse-battery, while the
transient suppressor clamps the input voltage during
load-dump. Note that the transient suppressor should not
conduct during double-battery operation, but must still
clamp the input voltage below breakdown of the converter.
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
W UU U
22
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
Although the LTC1629 has a maximum input voltage of
36V, most applications will be limited to 30V by the
MOSFET BV
DSS
.
Since the output voltage is below 2.4V the output resistive
divider will need to be sized to not only set the output
voltage but also to absorb the sense pin input current for
both channels.
R
k V
V V
k
V
V V
k
MIN
OUT
OUT
1
20
2 2 4
10
1 8
2 4 1 8
30
( )

_
,

_
,

.
.
. .
Choosing 1% resistors: R1=13.2k and R2=16.5k yields an
output voltage of 1.80V and satisfies the above condition.
The power dissipation on the topside MOSFET can be
easily estimated. Using a Siliconix Si4420DY for example;
R
DS(ON)
= 0.013, C
RSS
= 300pF. At maximum input
voltage with T
j
(estimated) = 110C at an elevated ambient
temperature:
P
V
V
C C
V A pF
kHz W
MAIN

( )
+
( )

( )
[ ]
+
( ) ( )( )
( )

1 8
5 5
10 1 0 005 110 25
0 013 1 7 5 5 10 300
310 0 61
2
2
.
.
.
. . .
.

The worst-case power disipated by the synchronous

MOSFET under normal operating conditions at elevated
ambient temperature and estimated 50C junction tem-
perature rise is:
P
V V
V
A
W
SYNC


( ) ( )

( )

5 5 1 8
5 5
10 1 48 0 013
1 29
2
. .
.
. .
.
A short-circuit to ground will result in a folded back current
of:
I
mV
ns V
H
A
SC

+
( )

1
]
1
1

25
0 005
1
2
200 5 5
2
5 28
.
.
.
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
W UU U
Figure 8. Automotive Application Protection
V
IN
1629 F08
12V
50A I
PK
RATING
TRANSIENT VOLTAGE
SUPPRESSOR
GENERAL INSTRUMENT
1.5KA24A
LTC1629
Design Example (Using Two Phases)
As a design example, assume V
IN
= 5V (nominal), V
IN
=5.5V
(max), V
OUT
= 1.8V, I
MAX
= 20A, T
A
= 70C and f=300kHz.
The inductance value is chosen first based on a 30% ripple
current assumption. The highest value of ripple current
occurs at the maximum input voltage. Tie the FREQSET pin
to the INTV
CC
pin for 300kHz operation. The minimum
inductance for 30% ripple current is:
L
V
f I
V
V
V
kHz A
V
V
H
OUT OUT
IN

( )

_
,

( )( )( )

_
,

1
1 8
300 30 10
1
1 8
5 5
1 35
.
%
.
.
.
A 2H inductor will produce 20% ripple current. The peak
inductor current will be the maximum DC value plus one
half the ripple current, or 11.5A. The minimum on-time
occurs at maximum V
IN
:
t
V
V f
V
V kHz
s
ON MIN
OUT
IN
( )

( )( )

1 8
5 5 300
1 1
.
.
.
The R
SENSE
resistors value can be calculated by using the
maximum current sense voltage specification with some
accomodation for tolerances:
R
mV
A
SENSE

60
11 5
0 005
.
.
23
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
The worst-case power disipated by the synchronous
MOSFET under short-circuit conditions at elevated ambi-
ent temperature and estimated 50C junction temperature
rise is:
P
V V
V
A
mW
SYNC


( ) ( )

( )

5 5 1 8
5 5
5 28 1 48 0 013
360
2
. .
.
. . .
which is much less than normal, full-load conditions.
Incidentally, since the load no longer dissipates power in
the shorted condition, total system power dissipation is
decreased by over 99%.
The duty cycles when the peak RMS input current occurs
is at D = 0.25 and D = 0.75 according to Figure 4. Calculate
the worst-case required RMS input current rating at the
input voltage, which is 5.5V, that provides a duty cycle
nearest to the peak.
From Figure 4, C
IN
will require an RMS current rating of:
C requiredI A
A
IN RMS
RMS

( )( )

20 0 23
4 6
.
.
The output capacitor ripple current is calculated by using
the inductor ripple already calculated for each inductor
and multiplying by the factor obtained from Figure3 along
with the calculated duty factor. The output ripple in con-
tinuous mode will be highest at the maximum input
voltage. From Figure 3, the maximum output current ripple
is:

I
V
fL
I
kHz H
A
COUT
OUT
COUTMAX

( )

( )
( )

( )

0 34
1 8 0 34
300 2
1
.
. .
Note that the PolyPhase technique will have its maximum
benefit for input and output ripple currents when the
number of phases times the output voltage is approxi-
mately equal to or greater than the input voltage.
PC Board Layout Checklist
When laying out the printed circuit board, the following
checklist should be used to ensure proper operation of the
LTC1629. These items are also illustrated graphically in
the layout diagram of Figure11. Check the following in
your layout:
1) Are the signal and power grounds segregated? The
LTC1629 signal ground pin should return to the () plate
of C
OUT
separately. The power ground returns to the
sources of the bottom N-channel MOSFETs, anodes of the
Schottky diodes, and () plates of C
IN
, which should have
as short lead lengths as possible.
2) Does the LTC1629 V
OS
+
pin connect to the (+) plate(s)
of C
OUT
? Does the LTC1629 V
OS

pin connect to the ()

plate(s) of C
OUT
? The resistive divider R1, R2 must be
connected between the V
DIFFOUT
and signal ground and
any feedforward capacitor across R1 should be as close as
possible to the LTC1629.
3) Are the SENSE

and SENSE
+
leads routed together with
minimum PC trace spacing? The filter capacitors between
SENSE
+
and SENSE

pin pairs should be as close as

possible to the LTC1629. Ensure accurate current sensing
with Kelvin connections to the sense resistors.
4) Do the (+) plates of C
IN
connect to the drains of the
topside MOSFETs as closely as possible? This capacitor
provides the AC current to the MOSFETs. Keep the input
current path formed by the input capacitor, top and bottom
MOSFETs, and the Schottky diode on the same side of the
PC board in a tight loop to minimize conducted and
radiated EMI.
5) Is the INTV
CC
1F ceramic decoupling capacitor con-
nected closely between

INTV
CC
and the power ground pin?
This capacitor carries the MOSFET driver peak currents. A
small value is used to allow placement immediately adja-
cent to the IC.
6) Keep the switching nodes, SW1 (SW2), away from
sensitive small-signal nodes. Ideally the switch nodes
should be placed at the furthest point from the LTC1629.
7) Use a low impedance source such as a logic gate to drive
the PLLIN pin and keep the lead as short as possible.
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
W UU U
24
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
W UU U
8) Minimize the capacitive load on the CLKOUT pin to
minimize excess phase shift. Buffer if necessary with an
NPN emitter follower.
The diagram in Figure 9 illustrates all branch currents in a
2-phase switching regulator. It becomes very clear after
studying the current waveforms why it is critical to keep
the high-switching-current paths to a small physical size.
High electric and magnetic fields will radiate from these
loops just as radio stations transmit signals. The output
capacitor ground should return to the negative terminal of
the input capacitor and not share a common ground path
with any switched current paths. The left half of the circuit
gives rise to the noise generated by a switching regula-
tor. The ground terminations of the sychronous MOSFETs
and Schottky diodes should return to the bottom plate(s)
of the input capacitor(s) with a short isolated PC trace
since very high switched currents are present. A separate
isolated path from the bottom plate(s) of the input
capacitor(s) should be used to tie in the IC power ground
pin (PGND) and the signal ground pin (SGND). This
technique keeps inherent signals generated by high cur-
rent pulses from taking alternate current paths that have
finite impedances during the total period of the switching
regulator. External OPTI-LOOP compensation allows over-
compensation for PC layouts which are not optimized but
this is not the recommended design procedure.
Figure 9. Instantaneous Current Path Flow in a Multiple Phase Switching Regulator
R
L
V
OUT
C
OUT
+
D1
L1
SW1
R
SENSE1
V
IN
C
IN
R
IN
+
D2
BOLD LINES INDICATE
HIGH, SWITCHING
CURRENT LINES.
KEEP LINES TO A
MINIMUM LENGTH.
L2
SW2
1629 F09
R
SENSE2
25
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
APPLICATIO S I FOR ATIO
W UU U
Figure 10. Single and PolyPhase Current Waveforms
I
CIN
SW V
I
COUT
I
CIN
SW1 V
DUAL PHASE
SINGLE PHASE
SW2 V
I
COUT
RIPPLE 1629 F10
I
L1
I
L2
Simplified Visual Explanation of How a 2-Phase
Controller Reduces Both Input and Output RMS Ripple
Current
A multiphase power supply significantly reduces the
amount of ripple current in both the input and output
capacitors. The RMS input ripple current is divided by, and
the effective ripple frequency is multiplied up by the
number of phases used (assuming that the input voltage
is greater than the number of phases used times the output
voltage). The output ripple amplitude is also reduced by,
and the effective ripple frequency is increased by the
number of phases used. Figure 10 graphically illustrates
the principle.
The worst-case RMS ripple current for a single stage
design peaks at twice the value of the output voltage . The
worst-case RMS ripple current for a two stage design
results in peaks at 1/4 and 3/4 of input voltage. When the
RMS current is calculated, higher effective duty factor
results and the peak current levels are divided as long as
the currents in each stage are balanced. Refer to Applica-
tion Note 19 for a detailed description of how to calculate
RMS current for the single stage switching regulator.
Figures 3 and 4 help to illustrate how the input and output
currents are reduced by using an additional phase. The
input current peaks drop in half and the frequency is
doubled for a 2-phase converter. The input capacity re-
quirement is reduced theoretically by a factor of four! A
ceramic input capacitor with its unbeatably low ESR
characteristic can be used.
Figure 4 illustrates the RMS input current drawn from the
input capacitance versus the duty cycle as determined by
the ratio of input and output voltage. The peak input RMS
current level of the single phase system is reduced by 50%
in a 2-phase solution due to the current splitting between
the two stages.
An interesting result of the multi-phase solution is that the
V
IN
which produces worst-case ripple current for the input
capacitor, V
OUT
= V
IN
/2, in the single phase design pro-
duces zero input current ripple in the 2-phase design.
The output ripple current is reduced significantly when
compared to the single phase solution using the same
inductance value because the V
OUT
/L discharge current
term from the stage(s) that has its bottom MOSFET on
subtracts current from the (V
IN
- V
OUT
)/L charging current
resulting from the stage which has its top MOSFET on. The
output ripple current is:
I
V
fL
D D
D
RIPPLE
OUT

( )
+

1
]
1
1
2
1 2 1
1 2 1
where D is duty factor.
The input and output ripple frequency is increased by the
number of stages used, reducing the output capacity
requirements. When V
IN
is approximately equal to NV
OUT
as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, very low input and output
ripple currents result.
Again, the interesting result of 2-phase operation results
in no output ripple at V
OUT
= V
IN
/2. The addition of more
phases by phase locking additional controllers always
results in no net input or output ripple at V
OUT
/V
IN
ratios
equal to the number of stages implemented. Designing a
system with a multiple of stages close to the V
OUT
/V
IN
ratio
will significantly reduce the ripple voltage at the input and
outputs and thereby improve efficiency, physical size, and
heat generation of the overall switching power supply.
26
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
Figure 11. High Current 3.3V/90A 6-Phase Application
TYPICAL APPLICATIO S
U
V
IN
: 12V
V
OUT
: 3.3V/90A
SWITCHING FREQUENCY = 220kHz
MI M24: FDS6680A
L1 L6: 1H PANASONIC ETQP6F1R0S
D7 D12: CENTROL CMDSH-3TR
OUTPUT CAPACITORS: KEMET T510X477M006AS
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
CLKOUT
TG1
SW1
BOOST1
V
IN
BG1
EXTV
CC
INTV
CC
PGND
BG2
BOOST2
SW2
TG2
AMPMD
RUN/SS
SENSE1
+
SENSE1

EAIN
PLLFLTR
PLLIN
PHASMD
I
TH
SGND
V
DIFFOUT
V
OS

V
OS
+
SENSE2

SENSE2
+
LTC1629
M7 M8 M6 M5
0.33F
0.33F
OPTIONAL
SYNC
CLOCK IN
8.06k, 1%
47k
25.5k, 1%
1000pF
1000pF
6800pF
470pF
100pF
2X150F
16V
GND
M3 M4 M2 M1
D1
MBRS
340T3
D2
MBRS
340T3
0.47F
22F
6.3V
++
1F
1F,25V
5V
10
0.47F
3X470F, 6.3V
KEMET CAP
V
OUT1
3.3V/90A
+
L1
0.003
24k 75k
L2
0.003
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
CLKOUT
TG1
SW1
BOOST1
V
IN
BG1
EXTV
CC
INTV
CC
PGND
BG2
BOOST2
SW2
TG2
AMPMD
RUN/SS
SENSE1
+
SENSE1

EAIN
PLLFLTR
PLLIN
PHASMD
I
TH
SGND
V
DIFFOUT
V
OS

V
OS
+
SENSE2

SENSE2
+
LTC1629
M15 M16 M14 M13
1nF
10k
1000pF
1000pF
100pF
NC
2X150F
16V
GND
M11 M12 M10 M9
D3
MBRS
340T3
D4
MBRS
340T3
0.47F
1F
10
0.47F
3X470F, 6.3V
KEMET CAP
V
IN
12V
+
L3
0.003
3X470F, 6.3V
KEMET CAP
L4
0.003
1629 TA03
0.01F
47pF
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
CLKOUT
TG1
SW1
BOOST1
V
IN
BG1
EXTV
CC
INTV
CC
PGND
BG2
BOOST2
SW2
TG2
AMPMD
RUN/SS
SENSE1
+
SENSE1

EAIN
PLLFLTR
PLLIN
PHASMD
I
TH
SGND
V
DIFFOUT
V
OS

V
OS
+
SENSE2

SENSE2
+
LTC1629
M23 M24 M22 M21
1nF
10k
1000pF
1000pF
NC
2X150F
16V
GND
M19 M20 M18 M17
D5
MBRS
340T3
D6
MBRS
340T3
0.47F
D8
D10
D12
1F
10
0.47F
D7
D9
D11
+
L5
0.003
L6
0.003
0.01F
47pF
100pF
22F
6.3V
+
1F,25V
5V
22F
6.3V
+
1F,25V
5V
+
+
27
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
PACKAGE DESCRIPTIO
U
Dimensions in inches (millimeters) unless otherwise noted.
G Package
28-Lead Plastic SSOP (0.209)
(LTC DWG # 05-08-1640)
G28 SSOP 1098
0.13 0.22
(0.005 0.009)
0 8
0.55 0.95
(0.022 0.037)
5.20 5.38**
(0.205 0.212)
7.65 7.90
(0.301 0.311)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 13
10.07 10.33*
(0.397 0.407)
25 26 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 23 24 27 28
1.73 1.99
(0.068 0.078)
0.05 0.21
(0.002 0.008)
0.65
(0.0256)
BSC
0.25 0.38
(0.010 0.015)
NOTE: DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERS
DIMENSIONS DO NOT INCLUDE MOLD FLASH. MOLD FLASH
SHALL NOT EXCEED 0.152mm (0.006") PER SIDE
DIMENSIONS DO NOT INCLUDE INTERLEAD FLASH. INTERLEAD
FLASH SHALL NOT EXCEED 0.254mm (0.010") PER SIDE
*
**
Information furnished by Linear Technology Corporation is believed to be accurate and reliable.
However, no responsibility is assumed for its use. Linear Technology Corporation makes no represen-
tation that the interconnection of its circuits as described herein will not infringe on existing patent rights.
28
LTC1629/LTC1629-PG
Linear Technology Corporation
1630 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035-7417
(408) 432-1900
q
FAX: (408) 434-0507
q
www.linear-tech.com
LINEAR TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION 1999
1629f LT/TP 0100 4K PRINTED IN USA
TYPICAL APPLICATIO
U
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V
IN
: 5V TO 16V
V
OUT
: 3.3V/30A
SWITCHING FREQUENCY = 250kHz
MI, M3: IRF7811
M2, M4: IRF7809
L1, L2: 1H SUMIDA CEPH149-1R0MC
C
IN
: OS CON 2-16SP270M
C
OUT
: KEMET 3-T510 470F
D3, D4: CENTRAL CMDSH-3TR
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
CLKOUT
TG1
SW1
BOOST1
V
IN
BG1
EXTV
CC
INTV
CC
INTV
CC
PGND
BG2
BOOST2
SW2
TG2
PGOOD
RUN/SS
SENSE1
+
SENSE1

EAIN
PLLFLTR
PLLIN
PHASMD
I
TH
SGND
V
DIFFOUT
V
OS

V
OS
+
SENSE2

SENSE2
+
LTC1629-PG
M4 M3
0.1F 17.8k
13.2k
10k
3.3k
16.5k
1000pF
1000pF
1000pF
100pF
33pF
M2 M1
D1
UPS840
D2
UPS840
0.47F
POWER
GOOD
100k
4.7F
6.3V
+
0.1F
1F,25V
5V
D4
D3 10
0.47F
V
OUT
3.3V/30A
V
IN
5V TO
16V
+
L1
0.003
L2
0.003
1629 TA02
1000pF
C
OUT +
C
IN
Figure 12. 3.3V/30A Power Supply with Active Voltage Positioning