ADP3088

–5–

REV. PrK

PRELIMINARY TECHNICAL DATA

pin must be grounded for reliable operation.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Output Voltage Setting

In its standard usage, the output voltage of the ADP3088 is

programmed to a desired fixed value by a resistor divider

from the output voltage into the feedback node, the pin FB,

at which node the control loop ensures regulation at the

satisfy the formula:

B

OUT

REF

A

R

VV

R

1



=× +





(1)

2~200 k

Ω and are likely to require a 1% tolerance or better

to attain acceptable output voltage tolerance.

In less conventional applications described separately, the

resistor feedback configuration can be modified or tapped

with other resistors to affect current flow into the FB node

that, in turn, influences the output voltage. Even a switched

voltage can be summed into the FB node as long as it is

sufficiently integrated and does not intolerably compromise

the transient response. This latter application is considered

further below in an application for powering a DSP.

Input Voltage, Power Dissipation Considerations, and

Power Savings Mode

The input voltage range is not typically considered a critical

parameter for electrical functionality, but there are several

considerations, upon which there is further elaboration

below:

normal operation is expected

headroom when DC regulation is expected

large signal transient response of a buck converter

low duty ratio that it activates power savings mode even

at static higher load conditions or upon dynamic load

changes when it is not desired.

causes higher dissipation), which in turn affects die

temperature that must be kept below a maximum rat-

ing.

The lowest input voltage together with the maximum out-

put voltage and maximum current create the conditions for

maximum power dissipation in the device, which determine

maximum temperature rise that should be checked against

the maximum junction temperature rating. The formula for

maximum power dissipation in the device is given by:

@,

,@ ,

OF IOMAX

DMAX

OMAX

SW IOMAX

IN

VV

PI

V

V

+

=×

×

(2)

drop across the internal switch and current sensing resistor

that appears between the VIN and SW pins of the

ADP3088 during the on state of the switch. Both of these

variables can be approximated from a combination of

worst-case specs and typical graphs. Multiply the power

dissipation by the thermal resistance from junction to case

or ambient, as desired, to determine internal temperature

rise.

If the input voltage were so much higher than the output

voltage that it required an average duty ratio less than an

internally preset threshold, then power savings mode

(“PSM”) – that is characterized by periodic shutdown and

wakeup of the device that reduces average quiescent cur-

rent – would be active for all load conditions rather than

only at lighter loads, for which it is intended. PSM opera-

tion is characterized by low-frequency ripple on the output

that appears similar to the behavior of a hysteretic regula-

tor. This is usually not a factor for consideration and may

be ignored if PSM operation is acceptable for all load con-

ditions, but in case it is relevant, the following recommen-

dation is offered:

()

OF

IN

PSM MAX

VV

V

D

+

<

(3)

It is not possible to prevent the duty ratio from tending

towards zero in non-synchronous buck converters below a

certain minimum load current level called "borderline cur-

rent" or "critical current" for the power converter. That

corresponds to the inductor ripple current reaching zero at

its bottom peak - sometimes called the "valley current". If

PSM activation strains the lower regulation limit due to the

hysteretic ripple, the output voltage can be offset slightly

upward by readjusting the nominal voltage setpoint with the

resistor divider.

Even though a buck converter may have a low dropout

voltage that allows the static regulation to be maintained as

the input voltage drops near to the output voltage, in buck

converters the slew rate limitation of inductor current can

compromise the dynamic regulation in response to load

current step increases. That is because the maximum rate

that current can be increased in the inductor is proportional

to the voltage available to impress across it, which is com-

promised as the input voltage reduces toward the output

voltage. This is not a limitation of the device but of buck

converters in general. The limitation is considered as part

of the output filter design, although it could also be consid-

ered in terms of a minimum acceptable input voltage for a

given output filter that will ensure that the dynamic re-

sponse is acceptably maintained.

Output Filter Components

In most applications it is desirable to use the smallest induc-

tor value that does not introduce practical problems, as this

tends to yield the lowest cost inductor. One reason for using

an even larger inductor than the minimum tolerable might

be to reduce output ripple voltage further, but cost being