11

FN4837.5

October 16, 2006

Use a mix of input bypass capacitors to control the voltage

overshoot across the MOSFETs. Use ceramic capacitance

for the high frequency decoupling and bulk capacitors to

supply the RMS current. Small ceramic capacitors can be

placed very close to the upper MOSFET to suppress the

voltage induced in the parasitic circuit impedances.

For a through-hole design, several electrolytic capacitors

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.

Transistors Selection/Considerations

The HIP6521 requires 5 external transistors. Two N-channel

MOSFETs are used in the synchronous-rectified buck

topology of PWM converter. The clock, AGP and MCH/ICH

linear controllers each drive an NPN bipolar transistor as a

pass element. All these transistors should be selected based

supply requirements, and thermal management

considerations.

PWM MOSFET Selection and Considerations

In high-current PWM 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. These

losses are distributed between the upper and lower

MOSFETs according to duty factor (see the equations

below). The conduction losses are the main component of

power dissipation for the lower MOSFETs. Only the upper

MOSFET has significant switching losses, since the lower

device turns on and off into near zero voltage.

The equations below assume linear voltage-current

transitions and do not model power loss due to the reverse-

recovery of the lower MOSFET’s body diode. The gate-

charge losses are dissipated by the HIP6521 and don't heat

the MOSFETs. However, large gate-charge increases the

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.

Given the reduced available gate bias voltage (5V) logic-

level or sub-logic-level transistors have to be used for both

N-MOSFETs. Caution should be exercised with devices

threshold could be conducive to some shoot-through (due to

the Miller effect), in spite of the counteracting circuitry

present aboard the HIP6521.

Rectifier CR1 is a clamp that catches the negative inductor

swing during the dead time between the turn off of the lower

MOSFET and the turn on of the upper MOSFET. The diode

must be a Schottky type to prevent the lossy parasitic

MOSFET body diode from conducting. It is acceptable to

omit the diode and let the body diode of the lower MOSFET

clamp the negative inductor swing, providing the body diode

is fast enough to avoid excessive negative voltage swings at

the PHASE pin. The diode's rated reverse breakdown

voltage must be greater than the maximum input voltage.

Linear Controllers Transistor Selection

The main criteria for selection of transistors for the linear

regulators is package selection for efficient removal of heat.

The power dissipated in a linear regulator is:

Select a package and heatsink that maintains the junction

temperature below the rating with a the maximum expected

ambient temperature.

As bipolar NPN transistors have to be used with the linear

controllers, insure the current gain at the given operating

output load current when the base is fed with the minimum

driver output current.

2

()

×

×

------------------------------------------------------------

×

×

×

2

----------------------------------------------------

+

=

2

()

×

–

()

×

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

=

FIGURE 8. MOSFET GATE BIAS

+5V

PGND

HIP6521

GND

LGATE

UGATE

PHASE

BOOT

+5V OR LESS

NOTE:

NOTE:

Q1

Q2

+

-

CR1

VCC

VCC

+

–

()

×

=

HIP6521