LM21215A-1 EVALUATION MODULE

LM21215A

SNOSB87C – MARCH 2011 – REVISED JANUARY 2016

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Layout Guidelines (continued)

temperature exceeds 165°C, the LM21215A cycles in and out of thermal shutdown. Thermal shutdown may be a

sign of inadequate heat-sinking or excessive power dissipation. Improve PCB heat-sinking by using more thermal

vias, a larger board, or more heat-spreading layers within that board.

As stated in application note Semiconductor and IC Package Thermal Metrics, SPRA953, the values given in the

Thermal Information table are not always valid for design purposes to estimate the thermal performance of the

application. The values reported in the Thermal Information table are measured under a specific set of conditions

factors (such as power dissipation, air temperature, PCB area, copper heat-sink area, number of thermal vias

under the package, air flow, and adjacent component placement). The LM21215A uses an advanced flip-chip-on-

lead (FCOL) package and its exposed pad has a direct electrical and thermal connection to PGND. This pad

must be soldered directly to the PCB copper ground plane to provide an effective heat-sink and proper electrical

connection. Use the documents listed in Related Documentation as a guide for optimized thermal PCB design

10.1.3 Ground Plane Design

As mentioned previously, using one of the middle layers as a solid ground plane is recommended. A ground

plane offers shielding for sensitive circuits and traces and also provides a quiet reference potential for the control

circuitry. Connect the AGND and PGND pins to the ground plane using an array of vias under the exposed pad.

The PGND pins are connected to the source of the integrated low-side power MOSFET. Connect these pins

directly to the return terminals of the input and output capacitors. The PGND net contains noise at the switching

frequency and can bounce because of load current variations. The PGND trace, as well as PVIN and SW traces,

must be constrained to one side of the ground plane. The other side of the ground plane contains much less

noise and is ideal for sensitive routes.

10.2 Layout Example

Figure 42. Layout Example Showing Top Layer Copper and Silkscreen

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