Enables highly integrated and efficient power delivery to critical loads with minimal board space footprint

“This text discusses the necessity for distributed energy networks and the function of POL energy units. It then introduces a category of POL DC/DC converters from TDK Company that use superior packaging methods to attain the required efficiency traits. The article additionally discusses their salient properties and exhibits how designers can deploy them to efficiently meet their POL energy supply necessities.

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Creator: Artwork Pini

Large knowledge servers and functions like machine studying, synthetic intelligence (AI), 5G telephones, IoT, and enterprise computing usually require highly effective ASICs, FPGAs, GPUs, and CPUs, which in flip require low voltage, excessive present, and Excessive energy density in a compact package deal. So as to guarantee the facility integrity of your entire system, distributed energy administration techniques are presently used to introduce DC/DC energy straight into the point-of-load (POL), which is a high-performance processor. So there might be many of those DC/DC energy converters on a board, so the issue going through the designer is how one can make these units as small as doable to avoid wasting board area. On the similar time, they should meet efficiency, latency, thermal, effectivity and reliability necessities whereas simplifying the design course of and decreasing price.

Options to this drawback matrix mix high-performance semiconductors and passive components, utilizing superior packaging methods to attain a better stage of system integration. This has confirmed to allow a smaller dimension, decrease kind issue, whereas enhancing thermal administration, in comparison with different applied sciences presently out there. On the similar time, this complete method controls design-in prices, together with stock administration and improvement time.

This text discusses the necessity for distributed energy networks and the function of POL energy units. It then introduces a category of POL DC/DC converters from TDK Company that use superior packaging methods to attain the required efficiency traits. The article additionally discusses their salient properties and exhibits how designers can deploy them to efficiently meet their POL energy supply necessities.

Why use a POL DC/DC converter energy provide

Computer systems, servers, and different digital units more and more use FPGAs, ASICs, and different superior IC units that require a number of provide voltages that system energy provides can not. Additionally, they want these voltages to be within the right order with minimal delay. System energy provides usually present some mounted voltages, akin to 1, 3.3, and 5 volts. A typical FPGA requires a voltage vary of 1.2 to 2.5 volts (Determine 1).

Determine 1: A typical FPGA requires a number of voltages for particular capabilities throughout the processor. The processor proven makes use of eight devoted energy inputs, with three completely different voltages. (Picture credit score: Artwork Pini)

At a minimal, the FPGA must be powered individually for its core and I/O sections. The FPGA core within the instance runs at 1.2 volts and the I/O capabilities run at 2.5 volts. As well as, six different energy ranges are required for its auxiliary circuits. Clearly, putting the seven energy provides in shut proximity to the FPGA locations a burden on the board structure design. One other subject to contemplate is warmth dissipation, which requires the facility provide to be small and environment friendly.

Patented expertise permits distinctive system integration

To fulfill the dimensions necessities, TDK has developed a proprietary design for the POL DC/DC converter that foregoes the side-by-side discrete part structure. As a substitute, it takes a 3D integration method, based mostly on its semiconductor Embedded Substrate (SESUB) System-in-Bundle (SiP) expertise. A buck converter is fashioned by embedding a high-performance Semiconductor containing a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller and MOSFETs right into a 250-micrometer (μm) circuit board substrate. The circuit output inductors and Capacitors are additionally built-in into the 3D structure, leading to an ultra-compact thermally enhanced package deal (Determine 2).

Determine 2: The patented SESUB expertise integrates a complicated energy controller IC and MOSFETs right into a 250 μm substrate, which along with the circuit output inductors and capacitors kind a extremely built-in DC/DC converter module. (Picture supply: TDK Company)

A Distinctive POL Energy Resolution

TDK makes use of SESUB as the premise for its μPOL (pronounced “micro-POL”) sequence of miniature DC/DC energy modules. The product household, mannequin FS140x-xxxx-xx, has 19 choices with output voltage ranges of 5, 3.3, 2.5, 1.8, 1.5, 1.2, 1.1, 1.05, 1, 0.9, 0.8, 0.75, 0.7 and 0.6 volts. They assist a steady load present of three to six amps (A), relying on the mannequin, and are available in a package deal dimension of three.3 x 3.3 x 1.5 millimeters (mm) (Determine 3).

Determine 3: The μPOL DC/DC converter measures solely 3.3 x 3.3 x 1.5 mm and may deal with as much as 15 watts of energy. (Picture supply: TDK Company)

Because of its distinctive bodily design, this household of DC/DC converters can present energy densities of as much as 1 watt per sq. millimeter, permitting this small package deal to deal with as much as 15 watts of energy.

The nominal output voltage is manufacturing unit set to inside ±0.5%. An I2C interface is included to permit native management of the converter. The output voltage might be adjusted in steps of ±5 millivolts (mV) from the preset nominal voltage.

FS1406 μPOL Converter Inner Construction Overview

The purposeful block diagram of the FS1406-1800-AL 1.8-volt DC/DC converter exhibits that regardless of its small dimension, the gadget comprises many advanced circuit capabilities (Determine 4).

Determine 4: The purposeful block diagram of the FS1406-1800-AL DC/DC converter exhibits the complexity of the circuit, together with the interior PWM, I2C port, management logic, and output MOSFETs. (Picture supply: TDK Company)

The FS1406-1800-AL has a nominal output of 1.8 volts, a steady load functionality of 6A, and its output voltage is programmable by way of I2C from 0.6 to 2.5 volts. It requires an enter voltage of 4.5 to 16 volts and has a specified working temperature vary of -40°C to +125°C.

On the coronary heart of this DC/DC converter is a proprietary PWM modulator designed to offer quick transient response. The working frequency of the PWM modulator is proportional to the output voltage of the converter. It contains inner stability compensation to match varied output capacitor varieties with out the necessity for an exterior compensation community, making it “plug and play”. The PWM output of the modulator drives the gates of the mosfet energy units. As beforehand talked about, the output filter Inductor is contained throughout the package deal, additional decreasing exterior elements.

Be aware that the FS1406 contains an inner low dropout (LDO) regulator that operates at about 5.2 volts to energy the interior circuitry and MOSFETs.

Moreover, designers ought to concentrate on built-in safety options together with soft-start safety, “energy good” standing line, overvoltage safety, pre-bias start-up, thermal shutdown with auto-recovery, and thermally compensated overcurrent safety with hiccup mode . If an overcurrent occasion is detected, hiccup mode shuts down the facility provide for a set time period and repeats the sequence till the fault is cleared.

The I2C interface is used to set the output voltage. It additionally permits setting system optimization parameters, together with parameters for startup and safety capabilities.

typical utility

The FS1406 household is absolutely built-in, trimmed on the manufacturing unit to its specified goal voltage, and doesn't require an output voltage divider. The design does require the addition of a minimal output capacitor to make sure acceptable output ripple and cargo regulation. It additionally requires an enter capacitor to deal with its enter present necessities. Determine 5 exhibits the minimal required addition of circuit elements.

Determine 5: In a typical utility, the FS1406 μPOL DC/DC converter household requires at the least the addition of enter and output capacitors. (Picture supply: TDK Company)

The enter and output capacitors ought to have low equal sequence resistance. Multilayer ceramic capacitors are advisable. The FS1406 datasheet offers detailed steering on the calculation of enter and output capacitor values.

Analysis boards assist designers get began shortly

The analysis board for the 1.8-volt model of the μPOL converter is the EV1406-1800A, which offers a DC/DC converter design with a 1.8-volt output and a 12-volt enter supply. It has an output present of 0 to six A and dimensions of 63 x 84 x 1.5 mm (Determine 6).

Determine 6: The EV1406-1800A analysis board measures 63 x 84 x 1.5 mm; the μPOL DC/DC converter is highlighted in yellow to attract consideration to this tiny gadget. (Picture supply: TDK Company)

Given the dimensions and energy capabilities of a μPOL, we are able to simply match a number of of those units round an FPGA or ASIC. Along with offering a design instance, the analysis board has open through-hole part areas for the consumer to experiment with enter and output capacitance values. It additionally has a header for choosing the FS1406-1800’s inner bias provide or exterior voltage supply. One other header offers easy accessibility to the I2C interface.

I2C programming dongle

As a design assist, TDK gives the TDK-MICRO-POL-DONGLE I2C programming board for altering the output voltage in steps of ±5 mV. It additionally permits programming of system safety parameters. The dongle is used with a free GUI software program package deal supplied by TDK, which simplifies the adjustment of the converter.

Epilogue

For designers who require excessive reliability and built-in POL energy distribution whereas minimizing the impression on board area, the 19 DC/DC converters within the TDK mPOL sequence present the best answer for quite a lot of functions plan. The household helps 14 frequent output voltage ranges, every adjustable in ±5 mV steps by way of the I2C port. μPOL’s patented distinctive structure based mostly on SESUB permits excessive energy density and minimal assist part necessities.