9

suitable component. In most cases, multiple electrolytic

capacitors of small case size perform better than a single

large case capacitor.

Output Inductor Selection

The output inductor is selected to meet the output voltage

ripple requirements and minimize the converter’s response

time to the load transient. The inductor value determines the

converter’s ripple current and the ripple voltage is a function

of the ripple current. The ripple voltage and current are

approximated by the following equations:

Increasing the value of inductance reduces the ripple current

and voltage. However, the large inductance values reduce

the converter’s response time to a load transient.

One of the parameters limiting the converter’s response to a

load transient is the time required to change the inductor

current. Given a sufficiently fast control loop design, the

HIP6014 will provide either 0% or 100% duty cycle in

response to a load transient. The response time is the time

required to slew the inductor current from an initial current

value to the transient current level. During this interval the

difference between the inductor current and the transient

current level must be supplied by the output capacitor.

Minimizing the response time can minimize the output

capacitance required.

The response time to a transient is different for the

application of load and the removal of load. The following

equations give the approximate response time interval for

application and removal of a transient load:

response time to the removal of load. With a +5V input

source, the worst case response time can be either at the

application or removal of load and dependent upon the

DACOUT setting. Be sure to check both of these equations

at the minimum and maximum output levels for the worst

case response time. With a +12V input, and output voltage

Input Capacitor Selection

Use a mix of input bypass capacitors to control the voltage

overshoot across the MOSFETs. Use small ceramic

capacitors for high frequency decoupling and bulk

on. Place the small ceramic capacitors physically close to

The important parameters for the bulk input capacitor are the

voltage rating and the RMS current rating. For reliable

operation, select the bulk capacitor with voltage and current

ratings above the maximum input voltage and largest RMS

current required by the circuit. The capacitor voltage rating

should be at least 1.25 times greater than the maximum

input voltage and a voltage rating of 1.5 times is a

conservative guideline. The RMS current rating requirement

for the input capacitor of a buck regulator is approximately

1/2 the DC load current.

For a through hole design, several electrolytic capacitors

(Panasonic HFQ series or Nichicon PL series or Sanyo MV-

GX or equivalent) may be needed. For surface mount

designs, solid tantalum capacitors can be used, but caution

must be exercised with regard to the capacitor surge current

rating. These capacitors must be capable of handling the

surge-current at power-up. The TPS series available from

AVX, and the 593D series from Sprague are both surge

current tested.

MOSFET Selection/Considerations

The HIP6014 requires 2 N-Channel power MOSFETs.

requirements, and thermal management requirements.

In high-current applications, the MOSFET power dissipation,

package selection and heatsink are the dominant design

factors. The power dissipation includes two loss

components; conduction loss and switching loss. The

conduction losses are the largest component of power

dissipation for both the upper and the lower MOSFETs.

These losses are distributed between the two MOSFETs

according to duty factor (see the equations below). Only the

upper MOSFET has switching losses, since the Schottky

rectifier clamps the switching node before the synchronous

rectifier turns on. These equations assume linear voltage-

current transitions and do not adequately model power loss

due the reverse-recovery of the lower MOSFET’s body

diode. The gate-charge losses are dissipated by the

HIP6014 and don't heat the MOSFETs. However, large gate-

the upper MOSFET switching losses. Ensure that both

MOSFETs are within their maximum junction temperature at

high ambient temperature by calculating the temperature

rise according to package thermal-resistance specifications.

A separate heatsink may be necessary depending upon

MOSFET power, package type, ambient temperature and air

flow.

∆I=

Fs x L

•

1

2

HIP6014