TPS43000
SLUS489 OCTOBER 2001
10
www.ti.com
APPLICATION INFORMATION
fixed PWM with forced CCM (PFM and CCM tied to VIN)
CCM is forced under all operating conditions in this mode. The synchronous rectifier turns on shortly after the
energizing MOSFET turns off and remains on until just prior to the start of the next clock cycle when the
energizing MOSFET turns on. The user should design the converter to operate in CCM over its entire operating
range in order to prevent the inductor current from going negative. If the converter is allowed to run
discontinuous, the inductor current goes negative (i.e. the output discharges as the current reverses and goes
back through the rectifier to the input or ground.) With fixed PWM, the efficiency drops off at light loads as the
losses become a larger percentage of the delivered load.
PFM with DCM possible (PFM and CCM tied to ground)
In this mode, the device can operate in either fixed PWM or in PFM mode. When the device is initially powered,
it operates in fixed PWM mode until soft-start completion. It remains in this mode until it senses that the converter
is on the verge of breaking into discontinuous operation. When this condition is sensed, the converter enters
PFM mode, invoking a sleep state until the output voltage falls 2% below nominal (a 16-mV drop measured at
the FB pin). At this time, the controller starts up again and operates at its fixed PWM frequency for a short
duration (load dependent, typically 10 to 200 PWM cycles), increasing the output voltage. If the controller again
senses the converter is on the verge of going discontinuous, the cycle repeats. If discontinuous operation is not
sensed, the converter remains in fixed PWM mode. PFM mode results in a very low duty cycle of operation,
reducing all losses and greatly improving light load efficiency. During the sleep state, most of the circuitry internal
to the TPS43000 is powered down. This reduces quiescent current, which lowers the average dc operating
current, enhancing its efficiency.
PFM with forced CCM (PFM tied to ground; CCM tied to VIN)
This mode is similar to the PFM with DCM possible mode except that the controller forces the converter to
operate in CCM. The converter can be designed to run discontinuous at light loads. The controller senses
discontinuous operation and enters the PFM mode. With PFM, the converter can maintain a very high efficiency
over a very wide range of load current.
anticrossconduction and adaptive synchronous rectifier commutation logic
When operating in the continuous conduction mode (CCM), the energizing MOSFET and the synchronous
rectifier MOSFET are simply driven out of phase, so that when one is on the other is off. There is a built-in time
delay of about 40 ns to prevent any cross-conduction.
In the event that the converter is operating in the discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), the synchronous
rectifier needs to be turned off quickly, when the rectifier current drops to zero. Otherwise, the output begins to
discharge as the current reverses and goes back through the rectifier to the input or ground (this obviously
cannot happen when using a conventional diode rectifier). To prevent this, the TPS43000 incorporates a
high-speed comparator that senses the voltage on the synchronous rectifier using the SWP input, which is
connected to the synchronous rectifier MOSFET’s drain through a 1-k
resistor. This comparator is used to
determine when the inductor current is on the verge of going discontinuous and is referred to as the IZERO
comparator. In the boost and SEPIC (single-ended primary inductance converter) topologies, the synchronous
rectifier is turned off when the voltage on the SWP pin decreases to within 12 mV of VOUT. For this reason, it
is important to have the VOUT pin well decoupled. In the buck topology, the synchronous rectifier is turned off
when the voltage on the SWP pin increases to 12 mV with respect to ground. The IZERO threshold is defined
as follows:
l
ZERO +
12 mV
R
DS(on)
(1)