Low Dropout Voltage Regulators
OUTPUT FILTER DESIGN (INDUCTOR AND OUTPUT CAPACITOR)
Inductor Selection
x
x f
Vout
Vin
L
Lmax
out
1 -
I
= Vout
I
= I
max +
L
2
D
(4)
www.ti.com................................................................................................................................................... SLVS851A – MAY 2008 – REVISED SEPTEMBER 2008
The thermal shutdown temperature for the LDOs are set to typically 140°C. Therefore, a LDO which is used to
power an external voltage will never heat up the chip to a temperature high enough to turn off the DCDC
converters. If one LDO exceeds the thermal shutdown temperature, all LDOs will turn off simultaneously.
The low dropout voltage regulators are designed to operate with low value ceramic input and output capacitors.
They operate with input voltages down to 1.5V. The LDOs offer a maximum dropout voltage of 280mV at rated
output current. Each LDO supports a current limit feature. The LDOs are enabled by the EN_LDO1, ENLDO2,
and EN_LDO3 pin. The output voltage of LDO1, LDO2 and LDO3 can be selected by the DEF_LDO pin
For noise and stability reasons, X5R or X7R type ceramic capacitors are recommended to limit degeneration of
°C over temperature and Vout.
The two converters operate typically with 2.2
H output inductor. Larger or smaller inductor values can be used to
optimize the performance of the device for specific operation conditions. For output voltages higher than 2.8V, an
inductor value of 3.3
H minimum should be selected, otherwise the inductor current will ramp down too fast
causing imprecise internal current measurement, and therefore, increased output voltage ripple under some
operating conditions in PFM mode.
The selected inductor has to be rated for its DC resistance and saturation current. The DC resistance of the
inductance will directly influence the efficiency of the converter. Therefore, an inductor with lowest DC resistance
should be selected for highest efficiency.
Equation 4 calculates the maximum inductor current under static load conditions. The saturation current of the
inductor should be rated higher than the maximum inductor current as calculated with
Equation 4. This is
recommended because during heavy load transient the inductor current will rise above the calculated value.
with:
f = Switching Frequency (2.25 MHz typical)
L = Inductor Value
ΔIL = Peak to Peak inductor ripple current
ILmax = Maximum Inductor current
The highest inductor current will occur at maximum Vin.
Open core inductors have a soft saturation characteristic, and usually handle higher inductor currents versus a
comparable shielded inductor.
A more conservative approach is to select the inductor current rating just for the maximum switch current of the
corresponding converter. A consideration to be considered is that the core material from inductor to inductor
differs, and has an impact on the efficiency, especially at high switching frequencies.
See
Table 2 and the typical applications for possible inductors.
Table 2. Tested Inductors
INDUCTOR TYPE
INDUCTOR VALUE
SUPPLIER
LPS3010
2.2
H
Coilcraft
LPS3015
3.3
H
Coilcraft
LPS4012
2.2
H
Coilcraft
VLF4012
2.2
H
TDK
Copyright 2008, Texas Instruments Incorporated
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