MAX16993 Step-Down Controller with
Dual 2.1MHz Step-Down DC-DC Converters
www.maximintegrated.com Maxim Integrated
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Soft-Start
The device includes a 4ms fixed soft-start time on OUT1
and 2.5ms fixed soft-start time on OUT2/OUT3. Soft-start
time limits startup inrush current by forcing the output
voltage to ramp up towards its regulation point. If OUT1
is prebiased above 1.25V, all three buck converters do
not start up until the prebias has been removed. Once the
prebias has been removed, OUT1 self-discharges to GND
and then goes into soft-start.
Thermal Warning and Overtemperature
Protection
The device features an open-drain, thermal-warning
indicator (ERR). ERR asserts low when the junction
temperature exceeds +150°C (typ). The hysteresis on
the thermal warning is 15°C (typ). For a logic signal,
connect a pullup resistor from ERR to a supply less than
or equal to 5V. When the junction temperature exceeds
+170°C (typ), an internal thermal sensor shuts down the
buck converters, allowing the device to cool. The thermal
sensor turns the device on again after the junction
temperature cools by 15°C (typ).
Buck 1 (OUT1)
Buck controller 1 uses a PWM current-mode control
scheme. An internal transconductance amplifier estab-
lishes an integrated error voltage. The heart of the PWM
controller is an open-loop comparator that compares the
integrated voltage-feedback signal against the amplified
current-sense signal plus the slope-compensation ramp,
which are summed into the main PWM comparator to
preserve inner-loop stability and eliminate inductor stair-
casing. At each rising edge of the internal clock, the high-
side MOSFET turns on until the PWM comparator trips or
the maximum duty cycle is reached, or the peak current
limit is reached. During this on-time, current ramps up
through the inductor, storing energy in a magnetic field
and sourcing current to the output. The current-mode
feedback system regulates the peak inductor current as a
function of the output-voltage error signal. The circuit acts
as a switch-mode transconductance amplifier and pushes
the output LC filter pole normally found in a voltage-mode
PWM to a higher frequency.
During the second half of the cycle, the high-side
MOSFET turns off and the low-side MOSFET turns on.
The inductor releases the stored energy as the current
ramps down, providing current to the output. The out-
put capacitor stores charge when the inductor current
exceeds the required load current and discharges when
the inductor current is lower, smoothing the voltage
across the load. Under soft-overload conditions, when the
peak inductor current exceeds the selected current limit
(see the Current-Limit/Short-Circuit Protection section),
the high-side MOSFET is turned off immediately and the
low-side MOSFET is turned on and remains on to let the
inductor current ramp down until the next clock cycle.
PWM/Skip Modes
The device features a synchronization input that puts all
the buck regulators either in skip mode or forced-PWM
mode of operation (see the Synchronization (SYNC)
section). In the PWM mode of operation, the regulator
switches at a constant frequency with variable on-time.
In the skip mode of operation, the regulator’s switching
frequency is load dependent until the output load reaches
a certain threshold. At higher load current, the switch-
ing frequency does not change and the operating mode
is similar to the PWM mode. Skip mode helps improve
efficiency in light-load applications by allowing the regula-
tor to turn on the high-side switch only when the output
voltage falls below a set threshold. As such, the regulator
does not switch MOSFETs on and off as often as is the
case in the PWM mode. Consequently, the gate charge
and switching losses are much lower in skip mode.
Minimum On-Time and Duty Cycle
The high-side gate driver for Buck 1 has a minimum on-
time of 75ns (max). This helps ensure no skipped pulses
when operating the device in PWM mode at 2.1MHz with
supply voltage up to 18V and output voltage down to
3.3V. Pulse skipping can occur if the on-time falls below
the minimum allowed (see the Electrical Characteristics).
Current-Limit/Short-Circuit Protection
OUT1 offers a current-limit feature that protects Buck 1
against short-circuit and overload conditions on the buck
controller. Buck 1 offers a current-limit sense input (CS1).
Place a sense resistor in the path of the channel 1 current
flow. Connect CS1 to the high side of the sense resistor
and OUT1 to the low side of the sense resistor. Current-
limit protection activates once the voltage across the
sense resistor increases above the 120mV (typ) current-
limit threshold. In the event of a short-circuit or overload
condition, the high-side MOSFET remains on until the
inductor current reaches the current-limit threshold. The
converter then turns on the low-side MOSFET and the
inductor current ramps down. The converter allows the
high-side MOSFET to turn on only when the voltage
across the current-sense resistor ramps down to below
120mV (typ). This cycle repeats until the short or overload
condition is removed.