6-Phase PWM Controller with Light Load
Efficiency Enhancement and Current
Monitoring
The ISL6336, ISL6336A controls microprocessor core volt age
regulation by driving up to 6 interleaved synchronous-rectified
buck channels in parallel. Multiphase buck converter
architecture uses interleaved timing to multiply channel ripple
frequency and reduce input and output ripple currents. Lower
ripple results in fewer components, lower comp onent cost,
reduced power dissipation, and smaller implementation area.
Microprocessor loads can generate load transients with
extremely fast edge rates and require high efficiency over
the full load range. The ISL6336, ISL6336A utilizes Intersil’s
proprietary Active Pulse Positioning (APP) and Adaptive
Phase Alignment (APA) modulation scheme and a
proprietary active phase dropping/adding and diode
emulation scheme to achieve extremely fast transient
response with fewer output capacitors and high efficiency
from light load to full load.
The ISL6336, ISL6336A is compliant with Intel’s VR11.1
specification. Features include a pin (IMON) for current
monitoring and a Power State Indicator (PSI#) input pin to
initiate a proprietary phase dropping and diode emulation
scheme for higher efficiency at light load by dropping to 1- or
2-phase operation with optional diode emulation (ISL6336)
to reduce switching and core losses in the converter. After
the PSI# signal is de-asserted, the dropped phase(s) are
added back to sustain heavy load transient and efficiency.
FN6504.1
Features
• Intel VR11.1 Compliant
• Proprietary Active Pulse Positioning and Pin Adaptive
Phase Alignment Modulation Scheme
• Proprietary Active Phase Adding and Dropping with Diode
Emulation for High Efficiency at Light Load
• Thermal Monitor and OV Protection with OVP Output
• Average Overcurrent Protection and Channel Current Limit
• Precision Overcurrent Protection on IMON pin
• Integrated Open Sense Line Protection
• Integrated Programmable Temperature Compensation
• 1- to 6-Phase Operation; Coupled Inductor Compatible
or DCR Current Sensing
Today’s microprocessors require a tightly regulated output
voltage position versus load current (droop). The ISL6336,
ISL6336A senses the output current continuously by utilizing
patented techniques to measure the voltage across a
dedicated current sense resistor or the DCR of the output
inductor. Current sensing provides the needed signals for
precision droop, channel-current balancing, and overcurrent
protection. A programmable integrated temperature
compensation function is implemented to effectively
compensate the temperature variation of the current sense
element. A current limit function provides overcurrent
protection for the individual phase.
A unity gain, differential amplifier is provided for remote voltage
sensing and eliminates any potential difference between
remote and local grounds. This improves regulation and
protection accuracy. The threshold-sensitive enable input is
available to accurately coordinate the start up of the ISL6336,
ISL6336A with any other voltage rail. Dynamic-VID™
technology allows seamless on-the-fly VID changes. The offset
pin allows accurate voltage offset settings that are independent
of VID setting.
1
CAUTION: These devices are sensitive to electrostatic discharge; follow proper IC Handling Procedures.
1-888-INTERSIL or 1-888-468-3774
• Adjustable Switching Frequency up to 1MHz Per Phase
• Package Option
- QFN Compliant to JEDEC PUB95 MO-220 QFN - Quad
Flat No Leads - Product Outline
• Pb-Free (RoHS Compliant)
| Intersil (and design) is a registered trademark of Intersil Americas Inc.
Copyright Intersil Americas Inc. 2008, 2009. All Rights Reserved
All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
Page 2
Ordering Information
ISL6336, ISL6336A
PART
NUMBER
PART
MARKING
TEMP. RANGE
(°C)
PACKAGE
(Pb-Free)
PKG.
DWG. #
ISL6336CRZ*ISL6336 CRZ0 to +7048 Ld 7x7 QFNL48.7x7
ISL6336IRZ*ISL6336 IRZ -40 to +8548 Ld 7x7 QFNL48.7x7
ISL6336ACRZ*ISL6336A CRZ0 to+7048 Ld 7x7 QFNL48.7x7
ISL6336AIRZ *ISL6336A IRZ -40 to +8548 Ld 7x7 QFNL48.7x7
*Add “-T” for tape and reel. Please refer to TB347 for details on reel specifications.
NOTE: These Intersil Pb-free plastic packaged products employ special Pb-free material sets, molding compounds/die attach materials, and 100%
matte tin plate plus anneal (e3 termination finish, which is RoHS compliant and compatible with both SnPb and Pb-free soldering operations).
Intersil Pb-free products are MSL classified at Pb-free peak reflow temperatures that meet or exceed the Pb-free requirements of IPC/JEDEC J
STD-020.
Pinout
ISL6336, ISL6336A
(48 LD QFN)
TOP VIEW
ISEN6+
ISEN6-
PWM6
36
PWM3
35
ISEN3-
34
ISEN3+
33
ISEN1+
32
ISEN1-
31
PWM1
30
PWM4
29
ISEN4-
28
ISEN4+
27
ISEN2+
26
ISEN2-
25
PWM2
VID7
VID6
VID5
VID4
VID3
VID2
VID1
VID0
PSI#
OFS
IMON
DAC
TM
VR_HOT
48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
VR_RDY
VR_FAN
SS
GND
FS
EN_VTT
EN_PWR
COMP
FB
RGND
VSEN
VDIFFOVP
VCC
TCOMP
PWM5
ISEN5-
ISEN5+
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
REF
APA
2
Page 3
ISL6336, ISL6336A
Controller and Driver Recommendations
CONTROLLERCOMMENTS
ISL6336When PSI# is asserted (LOW), the controller generates a 3-level PWM pattern on the phases that are active in PSI# mode. The
ISL6336AWhen PSI# is asserted (LOW), the PWM pattern has only high and low states except for fault modes. The controller can be used
DRIVER
ISL662212VDual Output
ISL66205VDual Output
ISL6612, ISL6612A12VDual Output
ISL65965VDual Output
ISL6614, ISL6614A12VQuad Output
ISL66105VQuad Output
NOTE: Intersil 5V and 12V drivers are mostly pin-to-pin compatible and allow dual footprint layout to optimize MOSFET selection and efficiency . Du al = One
Synchronous Channel; Quad = Two Synchronous channels.
active phases in PSI# mode must use VR11.1 drivers, ISL6622, ISL6620 for diode emulation.
with any Intersil driver such as ISL6612, ISL6614, ISL6609, ISL6610. ISL6622, ISL6620 can also be used.
GATE DRIVE
OPTIMIZATION
(GVOT)COMMENTS
coupled channel in coupled inductor applications. Can
also be used on all channels.
coupled channel in coupled inductor applications. Can
also be used on all channels.
or with all channels when using the ISL6336A
or with all channels when using the ISL6336A
or with all channels when using the ISL6336A
or with all channels when using the ISL6336A
GATE DRIVE
VOLTAGE
# OF GATE
DRIVES
(Single Phase)
(Single Phase)
(Single Phase)
(Single Phase)
(Two Phase)
(Two Phase)
DIODE
EMULATION
(DE)
YesYesUse for phases that are active in PSI# mode and its
YesNoUse for phases that are active in PSI# mode and its
NoNoCan be used with phases that are inactive in PSI# mode
NoNoCan be used with phases that are inactive in PSI# mode
NoNoCan be used with phases that are inactive in PSI# mode
NoNoCan be used with phases that are inactive in PSI# mode
CAUTION: Do not operate at or near the maximum ratings listed for extended periods of time. Exposure to such conditions may adversely impact product reliability and
result in failures not covered by warranty.
NOTES:
is measured in free air with the component mounted on a high effective thermal conductivity test board with “direct attach” features. See
1. θ
JA
Tech Brief TB379.
2. For θ
, the “case temp” location is the center of the exposed metal pad on the package underside.
JC
Electrical SpecificationsOperating Conditions: VCC = 5V, Unless Otherwise Specified. Parameters with MIN and/or MAX limits are 100%
tested at +25°C, unless otherwise specified. Temperature limits established by characterization and are not
production tested.
System Accuracy of ISL6336ACRZ, ISL6336CRZ
(VID = 1V to 1.6V), T
= 0°C to +70°C
J
System Accuracy of ISL6336ACRZ, ISL6336CRZ
(VID = 0.5V to 1V), T
= 0°C to +70°C
J
System Accuracy of ISL6336AIRZ, ISL6336IRZ
(VID = 1V to1.6V), T
= -40°C to +85°C
J
System Accuracy of ISL6336AIRZ, ISL6336IRZ
(VID = 0.8V to 1V), T
= -40°C to +85°C
J
System Accuracy of ISL6336AIRZ, ISL6336IRZ
(VID = 0.5V to 0.8V), T
= -40°C to +85°C
J
VID Pull-upAfter t
(Note 3)-0.5-0.5%VID
(Note 3)-5-5mV
(Note 3)-0.6-0.6%VID
(Note 3)-0.7-0.7%VID
(Note 3)-1-1%VID
(see “Soft-Start” on page19)304050µA
D3
VID Input Low Level--0.4V
VID Input High Level0.8--V
Maximum DAC Source Current3.5--mA
Maximum DAC Sink Current100--µA
Maximum REF Source/Sink Current(Note 4)50--µA
= 100kΩ,
T
= 100kΩ-1417mA
T
-1620mA
7
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 8
ISL6336, ISL6336A
Electrical SpecificationsOperating Conditions: VCC = 5V, Unless Otherwise Specified. Parameters with MIN and/or MAX limits are 100%
tested at +25°C, unless otherwise specified. Temperature limits established by characterization and are not
production tested. (Continued)
PARAMETERTEST CONDITIONSMINTYPMAXUNITS
PIN-ADJUSTABLE OFFSET
Voltage at OFS PinOffset resistor connected to ground390400415mV
Voltage below VCC, offset resistor connected to VCC1.5741.601.635V
OSCILLATORS
Accuracy of Switching Frequency SettingR
Adjustment Range of Switching Frequency(Note 4)0.08-1.0MHz
Soft-Start R amp RateR
Adjustment Range of Soft-Start Ramp Rate(Note 4)0.625-6.25mV/µs
PWM GENERATOR
Sawtooth Amplitude(Note 4)-1.5-V
ERROR AMPLIFIER
Open-Loop GainR
Open-Loop BandwidthC
Slew RateC
Maximum Output Voltage3.84.44.9V
Output High Voltage @ 2mA3.6--V
Output Low Voltage @ 2mA--1.6V
REMOTE-SENSE AMPLIFIER
Bandwidth(Note 4)-20-MHz
Output High CurrentVSEN - RGND = 2.5V-500-500µA
Output High CurrentVSEN - RGND = 0.6V-500-500µA
APA INPUT
APA Sink Current-50- µA
PWM OUTPUT
Sink ImpedancePWM = LOW with 1mA load100220300Ω
Source ImpedancePWM = HIGH, forced to 3.7V200320400Ω
Offset and Mirror Error Included, RISENx = 200Ω
Offset and Mirror Error Included, RISENx = 200Ω96105117µA
Number of Phases = 6, Drop to 1-Phase-135-µA
8
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 9
ISL6336, ISL6336A
Electrical SpecificationsOperating Conditions: VCC = 5V, Unless Otherwise Specified. Parameters with MIN and/or MAX limits are 100%
tested at +25°C, unless otherwise specified. Temperature limits established by characterization and are not
production tested. (Continued)
PARAMETERTEST CONDITIONSMINTYPMAXUNITS
THERMAL MONITORING AND FAN CONTROL
TM Input Voltage for VR_FAN Trip38.739.139.6%VCC
TM Input Voltage for VR_FAN Reset44.645.145.5%VCC
TM Input Voltage for VR_HOT Trip32.933.333.7%VCC
TM Input Voltage for VR_HOT Reset38.739.139.6%VCC
Leakage Current of VR_FANWith external pull-up resistor connected to VCC--5µA
VR_FAN Low VoltageWith 1.24kΩ resistor pull-up to VCC, I
Leakage Current of VR_HOTWith external pull-up resistor connected to VCC--5µA
VR_HOT Low VoltageWith 1.24kΩ resistor pull-up to VCC, I
VR READY AND PROTECTION MONITORS
Leakage Current of VR_RDYWith external pull-up resistor connected to VCC--5µA
VR_RDY Low VoltageI
Undervoltage ThresholdVDIFF Falling485052%VID
VR_RDY Reset VoltageVDIFF Rising5759.662%VID
Overvoltage Protection Threshold Before valid VID1.2501.2731.300V
After valid VID, the voltage above VID138170195mV
Overvoltage Protection Reset Hysteresis-100-mV
OVP Output Low VoltageIOVP = 4mA-0.1060.16V
NOTES:
3. These parts are designed and adjusted for accuracy with all errors in the voltage loop included.
4. Limits should be considered typical and are not production tested.
5. During soft-start, VDAC rises from 0 to 1.1V first and then ramp to VID voltage after receiving valid VID input.
6. Soft-start ramp rate is determined by the adjustable soft-start oscillator frequency at the speed of 6.25mV per cycle.
= 4mA--0.3V
VR_RDY
= 4mA--0.3V
VR_FAN
= 4mA--0.3V
VR_HOT
9
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 10
ISL6336, ISL6336A
Functional Pin Description
VCC - Supplies the power necessary to operate the chip.
The controller starts to operate when the voltage on this pin
exceeds the rising POR threshold and shuts down when the
voltage on this pin drops below the falling POR threshold.
Connect this pin directly to a +5V supply. Place a R/C filter
right next to this pin for noise decoupling. The resistor and
capacitor should be placed right next to the VCC pin to GND.
GND - Bias and reference ground for the IC. The exposed
metal pad on the bottom of the package of the ISL6336,
ISL6336A is GND.
EN_PWR - This pin is a threshold-sensitive enable input for
the controller. Connecting the 12V supply to EN_PWR
through an appropriate resistor divider provides a means to
synchronize power-up of the controller and the MOSFET
driver ICs. When EN_PWR is driven above 0.875V, the
ISL6336, ISL6336A is active depending on status of the
EN_VTT, the internal POR, and pending fault states. Driving
EN_PWR below 0.745V will clear all fault states and prime
the ISL6336, ISL6336A to soft-start when re-enabled.
EN_VTT - This pin is another threshold-sensitive enable
input for the controller. It’s typically connected to VTT output
of VTT voltage regulator in the computer mother board.
When EN_VTT is driven above 0.875V, the ISL6336,
ISL6336A is active depending on status of ENLL, the internal
POR, and pending fault states. Driving EN_VTT below
0.745V will clear all fault states and prime the ISL6336,
ISL6336A to soft-start when re-enabled.
FS - Use this pin to set up the desired switching frequency. A
resistor, placed from FS to GND or VCC will set the
switching frequency. The relationship between the value of
the resistor and the switching frequency is shown in
Equation 3. This pin is also used in combination with SS and
PSI# to determine phase dropping operation. See Table 1.
SS - Use this pin to set up the desired start-up oscillator
frequency. A resistor, placed from SS to GND or VCC will set
up the soft-start ramp rate. The relationship between the
value of the resistor and the soft-start ramp up time is
described in Equations 15 and 16. This pin is also used with
FS and PSI# pins to determine phase dropping operation.
See Table 1.
VID[7:0] - These are the inputs to the internal DAC that
generates the reference voltage for output regulation. The
pins have a minimum 30µA pull-up to about 1V after t
There is no internal pull-up before t
. Connect these pins to
D3
open-drain outputs with external pull-up resistors or to active
pull-up outputs. The VID pins can be pulled as high as VCC
plus 0.3V .
VDIFF, VSEN, and RGND - VSEN and RGND form the
precision differential remote-sense amplifier. This amplifier
converts the differential voltage of the remote output to a singleended voltage referenced to local ground. VDIFF is the
D3
.
amplifier’s output and the input to the regulation and protection
circuitry. Connect VSEN and RGND to the sense pins of the
remote load. VDIFF is connected to FB through a resistor.
FB and COMP - The inverting input and the output of the
error amplifier respectively. FB can be connected to VDIFF
through a resistor. A properly chosen resistor between
VDIFF and FB can set the load line (droop). The droop scale
factor is set by the ratio of the ISEN resistors and the
inductor DCR or the dedicated current sense resistor. COMP
is tied back to FB through an external R-C network to
compensate the regulator.
DAC and REF - The DAC pin is the output of the precision
internal DAC reference. The REF pin is the positive input of
the Error Amplifier. In typical applicatio ns, a 1k Ω, 1% resistor
is used between DAC and REF to generate a precision offset
voltage. This voltage is proporti onal to the offset current
determined by the offset resistor from OFS to ground or VCC.
A capacitor is used between REF and ground to smooth the
voltage transition during Dynamic VID™ operations.
PWM[6:1] - Pulse width modulation outputs. Connect these
pins to the PWM input pins of the Intersil driver IC. The
number of active channels is determined by the state of
PWM3, PWM4, PWM5, and PWM6. Tie PWM3 to VCC to
configure for 2-phase operation. Tie PWM4 to VCC to
configure for 3-phase operation. Tie PWM5 to VCC to
configure for 4-phase operation. Tie PWM6 to VCC to
configure for 5-phase operation. PWM firing order is
sequential from 1 to n with n being the number of active
phases.
ISEN[6:1]+, ISEN[6:1]- - The ISEN+ and ISEN- pins are
current sense inputs to individual differential amplifiers. The
sensed current is used for channel current balancing,
overcurrent protection, and droop regulation. Inactive
channels should have their respective current sense inputs
left open (for example, open ISEN6+ and ISEN6- for 5-phase
operation).
For DCR sensing, connect each ISEN- pin to the node
between the RC sense elements. Tie the ISEN+ pin to the
other end of the sense capacitor through a resistor, R
ISEN
.
The voltage across the sense capacitor is proportional to the
inductor current. Therefore, the sense current is proportional
to the inductor current, and scaled by the DCR of the
inductor and R
ISEN
.
To match the time delay of the internal circuit, a capacitor is
needed between each ISEN+ pin and GND as described in
“Current Sensing” on page 14.
VR_RDY - VR_RDY indicates that the soft-start is completed
and the output voltage is within the regulated range around
VID setting. It is an open-drain logic output. When OCP or
OVP occurs, VR_RDY will be pulled to low. It will also be
pulled low if the output voltage is below the undervoltage
threshold.
10
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 11
ISL6336, ISL6336A
OFS - The OFS pin provides a means to program a DC
offset current for generating a DC offset voltage at the REF
input. The offset current is generated via an external resistor
and precision internal voltage references. The polarity of the
offset is selected by connecting the resistor to GND or VCC.
For no offset, the OFS pin shoul d be le ft unterminated.
TCOMP - Temperature compensation scaling input. The
voltage sensed on the TM pin is utilized as the temperature
input to adjust I
and the overcurrent protection limit to
DROOP
effectively compensate for the temperature coefficient of the
current sense element. To implement the integrated
temperature compensation, a resistor divider circuit is needed
with one resistor being connected from TCOMP to VCC of the
controller and another resistor being connected from TCOMP
to GND. Changing the ratio of the resistor values will set the
gain of the integrated thermal compensation. When integrated
temperature compensation function is not used, connect
TCOMP to GND.
OVP - The overvoltage protection output indication pin. This
pin can be pulled to VCC and is latched when an overvoltage
condition is detected. When the OVP indication is not used,
keep this pin open.
IMON - IMON is a current output of the average of the sum
of each phase’s sensed current. A resistor connected from
IMON to GND will produce a voltage that is proportional to
the regulator current. The voltage at this pin is internally
clamped to 1.12V. If the voltage reaches 1.12V the clamp is
activated an overcurrent shutdown will be initiated.
Place a resistor from this pin to GND. A capacitor in parallel
with this resistor is required. The capacitor should be sized
for a minimum time constant of 300µs.
TM - TM is an input pin for VR temperature measurement.
Connect this pin through NTC thermistor to GND and a resistor
to VCC of the controller. The voltage at this pin is reverse
proportional to the VR temperature. ISL6336, ISL6336A
monitors the VR temperature based on the voltage at the TM
pin and the output signals at VR_HOT and VR_FAN.
VR_HOT - VR_HOT is used as an indication of high VR
temperature. It is an open-drain logic output. It will be open
when the measured VR temperature reaches a certain level.
VR_FAN - VR_FAN is an output pin with open-drain logic
output. It will be open when the measured VR temperature
reaches a certain level.
PSI# - The PSI# pin is used to change the state of the
controller. When PSI# is asserted the controller will change
the operating state to improve light load efficiency. The
controller drops the number of active phases to 1-phase or
2-phase operation with diode emulation according to the logic
shown in Table 1. The FS and SS pins are used to optimize
light load efficiency for non-coupled inductor , 2-phase coupled
inductor, and (n-x)-ph ase coupled in ductor ap plications. The
controller resumes normal operation when this pin is pulled
HIGH. This pin has a 40µA internal pull-up to about 1V.
APA - The APA pin is used to adjust the Adapti ve Phase
Alignment trip level. A 50µA current source flows into this pin.
A resistor connected from this pin to COMP sets the voltage
trip level. A small decoupling capacitor should be placed in
parallel with the resistor for high frequency decoupling.
Operation
Multiphase Power Conversion
Microprocessor load current profiles have changed to the
point that the advantages of multiphase power conversion
are impossible to ignore. The technical challenges
associated with producing a single-phase converter which is
both cost-effective and thermally viable, have forced a
change to the cost-saving approach of multiphase. The
ISL6336, ISL6336A controller helps reduce the complexity of
implementation by integrating vital functions and requiring
minimal output components. The block diagrams on page 5
and 6 provide top level views of multiphase power
conversion using the ISL6336, ISL6336A controller.
Interleaving
The switching of each channel in a multiphase converter is
timed to be symmetrically out of phase with each of the other
channels. In a 3-phase converter for example, each channel
switches 1/3 cycle after the previous channel and 1/3 cycle
before the following channel. As a result, the three-phase
converter has a combined ripple frequency 3x greater than
the ripple frequency of any one phase. In addition, the
peak-to-peak amplitude of the combined inductor current is
reduced in proportion to the number of phases (see
Equations 1 and 2). The increased ripple frequency and the
lower ripple amplitude mean that the designer can use less
per-channel inductance and lower total output capacitance
for any performance specification.
Figure 1 illustrates the multiplicative effect on output ripple
frequency. The three channel currents (IL1, IL2, and IL3)
combine to form the AC ripple current and the DC load
current. The ripple component has 3x the ripple frequency of
each individual channel current. Each PWM pulse is
triggered 1/3 of a cycle after the start of the PWM pu lse of the
previous phase. The DC components of the inductor currents
combine to feed the load.
T o understand the reduction of the ripple current amplitude in
the multiphase circuit, examine Equation 1, which represents
an individual channel’s peak-to-peak inductor current.
In Equation 1, V
voltages respectively, L is the single-channel inductor value,
and f
is the switching frequency.
S
OUT
S
V⋅IN⋅
and V
IN
⋅
OUT
are the input and the output
OUT
(EQ. 1)
11
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 12
ISL6336, ISL6336A
IL1 + IL2 + IL3, 7A/DIV
IL3, 7A/DIV
PWM3, 5V/DIV
IL2, 7A/DIV
PWM2, 5V/DIV
IL1, 7A/DIV
PWM1, 5V/DIV
1µs/DIV
FIGURE 1. PWM AND INDUCTOR-CURRENT WAVEFORMS
FOR 3-PHASE CONVERTER
INPUT-CAPACITOR CURRENT
CHANNEL 3
INPUT
CHANNEL 2
INPUT
CHANNEL 1
INPUT
The converter depicted in Figure 2 delivers 36A to a 1.5V load
from a 12V input. The RMS input capacitor current is 5.9A.
Compare this to a single-phase converter also stepping down
12V to 1.5V at 36A. The single-phase converter has 11.9A
RMS
input capacitor current. The single-phase converter must use
an input capacitor bank with twice the RMS current capacity as
the equivalent three-phase converter.
Figures 21, 22 and 23 in the section entitled “Input Capacitor
Selection” on page 29 can be used to determine the inpu t
capacitor RMS current based on the load current, the duty
cycle, and the number of channels. They are provided as
aids in determining the optimal input capacitor solution.
Figure 24 shows the single phase input-capacitor RMS
current for comparison.
PWM Modulation Scheme
The ISL6336, ISL6336A adopts Intersil's proprietary Active
Pulse Positioning (APP) modulation scheme to improve the
transient performance. APP control is a unique dual-edge
PWM modulation scheme with both PWM leading and
trailing edges being independently moved to provide the
best response to the transient loads. The PWM frequency,
however, is constant and set by the external resistor
between the FS pin and GND.
To further improve the transient response, the ISL6336,
ISL6336A also implements Intersil's proprietary Adaptive
Phase Alignment (APA) technique. The APA, with sufficiently
large load step currents, can turn on all phases simultaneously.
1µs/DIV
FIGURE 2. CHANNEL INPUT CURRENTS AND INPUT
CAPACITOR RMS CURRENT FOR 3-PHASE
CONVERTER
The output capacitors conduct the ripple component of the
inductor current. In the case of multiphase converters, the
capacitor current is the sum of the ripple currents from each of
the individual channels. Compare Equation 1 to the expression
for the peak-to-peak current after the summation of N
symmetrically phase-shifted inductor currents in Equation 2.
Peak-to-peak ripple current decreases by an amount
proportional to the number of channels. Output-voltage ripple is
a function of capacitance, capacitor equivalent series
resistance (ESR), and inductor ripple current. Reducing the
inductor ripple current allows the designer to use fewer or less
costly output capacitors.
Another benefit of interleaving is to reduce the input ripple
current. The input capacitance is determined in part by the
maximum input ripple current. Multiphase topologies can
improve the overall system cost and size by lowering the
input ripple current and allowing the designer to reduce the
cost of input capacitance. The example in Figure 2 illustrates
the input currents from a three-phase converter combining to
reduce the total input ripple curre nt.
With both APP and APA control, ISL6336, ISL6336A can
achieve excellent transient performance and reduce the
demand on the output capacitors.
Under steady state conditions the operation of the ISL6336,
ISL6336A PWM modulator appears to be that of a conventional
trailing edge modulator. Conventional analysis and design
methods can therefore be used for steady state and small
signal operation.
PWM and PSI# Operation
The timing of each converter is set by the number of active
channels. The default channel setting for the ISL6336,
ISL6336A is six. The switching cycle is defined as the time
between PWM pulse termination signals of each channel.
The cycle time of the pulse termination signal is the inverse
of the switching frequency set by the resistor between the
FS pin and ground. The PWM signals command the
MOSFET drivers to turn on/off the channel MOSFETs.
In the default 6-phase operation, the PWM2 pulse happens
1/6 of a cycle after PWM1, the PWM3 pulse happens 1/6 of
a cycle after PWM2, etc.
The ISL6336, ISL6336A works in a 1- to 6-phase configuration.
Connecting the PWM6 pin to VCC selects 5-phase operation
and the pulse times are spaced in 1/5 cycle increments.
12
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ISL6336, ISL6336A
Connecting the PWM5 pin to VCC selects 4-phase operation
and the pulse times are spaced in 1/4 cycle increments, etc.
When PSI# is pulled LOW, indicating low power operation of
the processor, the controller reduces the number of active
phases and operates 1- or 2-phases to improve efficiency
based on the logic in Table 2. Table 1 shows which phases
will be active when PSI# = 0 based on the phase count of the
application. For example, If operating in a 6-phase
configuration, phase 1 will be active if dropping to 1-phase
and phases 1 and 4 will be active if dropping to 2-phases.
Non-CI or (N - 1 ) - CI Drops to 1-Phase0GNDGND
Non-CI or (N - 2) - CI Drops to 2-Phase0GNDVCC
2-Phase CI Drops to 1-Phase0VCCGND
2-Phase CI Drops to 2-Phase0VCCVCC
Normal1xx
SEQUENCE
PHASE
SEQUENCE
NORMAL
OPERATIONPWM/VCC
TABLE 2. PHASE DROPPING BEHAVIOR
CONFIGURATIONPSI#
RESISTORSSRESISTOR
ACTIVE
PHASES
PSI# = 0
FS
The SS and FS pins are used to program the controllers PWM
behavior in configurations using standard inductors, 2-phase
coupled inductors or (N - 1)/(N - 2)-phase coupled inductors
when PSI# goes LOW. 2-phase coupled inductors refer to
inductor structures that magnetically couple 2-phases together.
(N - 1) and (N - 2) coupled inductors refer to structures that
couple all phases together except for the 1- or 2-phases that
remain active in PSI# mode. N refers to the programmed
number of active phases in normal operation, PSI# = 1
(Table 1). Each case yields different PWM output behavior on
both the dropped phase(s) and active phases as PSI# is
asserted and de-asserted. In Table 2, ‘VCC’ means that the
resistor is connected from the respective pin to VCC and ‘GND’
means the resistor is connected from the respective pin to
GND.
When PSI# goes LOW, the dropped phase’s PWM signal is
forced LOW for a minimum time and then is driven to
1/2*VCC while the remaining active phase PWM(s) sends
out a repetitive 3-level PWM pattern that the dedicated
VR11.1 drivers (ISL6622/ISL6620) can decode and then
enter diode emulation mode.
The ISL6336A only generates the standard 2-level PWM
signal except in FAULT conditions. The dedicated VR11.1
drivers do not need to be used with the ISL6336A. See
“Controller and Driver Recommendations” on page 3 for
more details.
During soft-start or overcurrent hiccup mode all phases will be
operating despite the state of the PSI# pin. Once VR_RDY is
asserted the state of the PSI# pin is considered.
A high PSI# input signal will force the controller back into
CCM normal operation and all phases will be activated to
sustain a heavy load transient and to increase efficiency at
higher loads.
While the controller is operational (VCC above POR,
EN_VTT and EN_PWR are both high, valid VID inputs), it
can pull the PWM pins to ~40% of VCC (~2V for 5V VCC
bias) during various stages, such as soft-start delay, phase
shedding operation, or fault conditions (OC or OV events).
The matching driver's internal PWM resistor divider can
further raise the PWM potential, but not lower it below the
level set by the controller IC. Therefore, the controller's
PWM outputs are directly compatible with Intersil drivers that
require 5V PWM signal amplitudes. Drivers requiring 3.3V
PWM signal amplitudes are generally incompatible.
Switching Frequency
The switching frequency is determined by the selection of
the frequency-setting resistor, R
FS pin to GND or VCC (see “Typical Application - 5-Phase
Buck Converter with DCR Sensing and Integrated TCOMP”
on page 5 and “Typical Application - 4-Phase Buck
Converter with coupled inductors” on page 6). Equati on 3 is
provided to assist in selecting the correct resistor value.
10
2.5X10
R
------------------------- -=
T
F
SW
where F
is the switching frequency of each phase.
SW
Equation 3 also applies for connecting FS to VCC or GND.
Figure 3 shows the relationship between RT and F
according to Equation 3.
1000
900
800
700
600
(kHz)
500
SW
F
400
300
200
100
2030405060708090100
FIGURE 3. SWITCHING FREQUENCY vs RT
, which is connected from
T
R
(kΩ)
T
SW
(EQ. 3)
,
13
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 14
ISL6336, ISL6336A
Current Sensing
The ISL6336, ISL6336A senses current continuously for fast
response. The ISL6336, ISL6336A supports inductor DCR
sensing, or resistor sensing techniques. The associated
channel current sense amplifier uses the ISEN inputs to
reproduce a signal proportional to the inductor current, I
sensed current, I
, is used for current balance, load-line
SEN
regulation, and the overcurrent protection.
The internal circuitry, shown in Figures 3 and 4, represents
one channel of an N-channel converter. This circuitry is
repeated for each channel in the converter, but may not be
active depending on the status of the PWM2, PWM3,
PWM4, PWM5, PWM6 pins, “PWM and PSI# Operation” on
page 12.
The input bias current of the current sensing amplifier is
typically 60nA; less than 5kΩ input impedance is preferred to
minimize the offset error.
INDUCTOR DCR SENSING
An inductor’s winding is characteristic of a distributed
resistance as measured by the DCR (Direct Current
Resistance) parameter. Consider the inductor DCR as a
separate lumped quantity, as shown in Figure 4. The
channel current I
, flowing through the inductor, will also
L
pass through the DCR. Equation 4 shows the S-domain
equivalent voltage across the inductor V
VLILsL DCR+⋅()⋅=
.
L
A simple R-C network across the inductor extracts the DCR
voltage, as shown in Figure 4.
V
ISL6609
PWM(n)
ISL6336, ISL6336A
INTERNAL CIRCUIT
In
CURRENT
SENSE
I
SEN
I
=
DCR
----------------- -
L
R
IN
+
-
ISEN
L
INDUCTOR
R
ISEN-(n)
ISEN+(n)
ILs()
V
+
L
+
DCR
-
VC(s)
C
-
R
(PTC)
C
C
ISEN(n)
T
L
(EQ. 4)
V
OUT
OUT
. The
The voltage on the capacitor V
proportional to the channel current I
If the R-C network components are selected such that the
RC time constant (= R*C) matches the inductor time
constant (= L/DCR), the voltage across the capacitor V
is
C
equal to the voltage drop across the DCR, i.e., proportional
to the channel current.
With the internal low-offset current amplifier, the capacitor
voltage V
Therefore the current out of ISEN+ pin, I
is replicated across the sense resistor R
C
, is proportional
SEN
ISEN
.
to the inductor current.
Because of the internal filter at the ISEN- pin, a capacitor,
C
is needed to match the time delay between the ISEN-
T,
and ISEN+ signals. Select the proper C
constant of R
ISEN
and CT (R
ISEN
to keep the time
T
x CT) close to 27ns.
Equation 6 shows that the ratio of the channel current to the
sensed current I
is driven by the value of the sense
SEN
resistor and the DCR of the inductor.
DCR
I
SENIL
----------------- -
⋅=
R
ISEN
(EQ. 6)
RESISTIVE SENSING
For accurate current sense, a dedicated current-sense
resistor R
SENSE
in series with each output inductor can
serve as the current sense element (see Figure 5). This
technique is more accurate, but reduces overall converter
efficiency due to the additional power loss on the current
sense element R
SENSE
.
The same capacitor CT is needed to match the time delay
between ISEN- and ISEN+ signals. Select the proper C
keep the time constant of R
ISEN
and CT (R
x CT) close
ISEN
T
to
to 27ns.
Equation 7 shows the ratio of the channel current to the
sensed current I
R
SENSE
I
SENIL
-----------------------
⋅=
R
SEN
ISEN
.
(EQ. 7)
The inductor DCR value will increase as the temperature
increases. Therefore the sensed current will increase as the
temperature of the current sense element increases. In order
to compensate the temperature effect on the sensed current
signal, a Positive Temperature Coefficient (P TC) resistor can
be selected for the sense resistor R
, or the integrated
ISEN
temperature compensation function of ISL6336, ISL6336A
should be utilized instead. The integrated temperature
compensation function is described in “External Temperature
Compensation” on page 24.
FIGURE 4. DCR SENSING CONFIGURATION
14
FN6504.1
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Page 15
ISL6336, ISL6336A
.
ISL6336, ISL6336A
INTERNAL CIRCUIT
CURRENT
SENSE
I
SEN
In
ISEN-(n)
+
-
ISEN+(n)
R
SENSE
I
--------------------------=
L
R
ISEN
I
L
L
R
SENSE
C
R
ISEN(n)
C
T
V
OUT
OUT
FIGURE 5. SENSE RESISTOR IN SERIES WITH INDUCTORS
Channel-Current Balance
The sensed current In from each active channel are summed
together and divided by the number of active channels. The
resulting average current I
provides a measure of the
AVG
total load current. Channel current balance is achieved by
comparing the sensed current of each channel to the
average current to make an appropriate adjustment to the
PWM duty cycle of each channel with Intersil’s patented
current-balance method.
Channel current balance is essential in achieving the
thermal advantage of multiphase operation. With good
current balance, the power loss is equally dissipated over
multiple devices and a greater area.
Voltage Regulation
The compensation network shown in Figure 6 assures that
the steady-state error in the output voltage is limited only to
the error in the reference voltage (output of the DAC) and
offset errors in the OFS current source, remote-sense and
error amplifiers. Intersil specifies the guaranteed tolerance of
the ISL6336, ISL6336A to include the combined tolerances
of each of these elements.
The output of the error amplifier, V
sawtooth waveforms to generate the PWM signals. The
PWM signals control the timing of the Intersil MOSFET
drivers and regulate the converter output to the specified
reference voltage. The internal and external circuitries which
control the voltage regulation are illustrated in Figure 6.
The ISL6336, ISL6336A incorporates an internal differential
remote-sense amplifier in the feedback path. The amplifier
removes the voltage error encountered when measuring the
output voltage relative to the local controller ground
reference point resulting in a more accurate means of
sensing output voltage. Connect the microprocessor sense
pins to the non-inverting input, VSEN, and inverting input,
RGND, of the remote-sense amplifier. The remote-sense
, is compared to the
COMP
output, V
, is connected to the inverting input of the error
DIFF
amplifier through an external resistor.
A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) generates a reference
voltage based on the state of logic signals at pins VID7
through VID0. The DAC decodes the 8-bit logic signal (VID)
into one of the discrete voltages shown in T able 3. Each VID
input has an internal 30µA minimum pull-up to VCC after
t
. The pull-up current diminishes to zero above the logic
D3
threshold (near 1V) to protect voltage-sensitive output
devices. External pull-up resistors can augment the pull-up
current sources in case the leakage into the driving device is
greater than 30µA.
EXTERNAL CIRCUITISL6336, ISL6336A
C
R
C
C
C
REF
+
R
V
FB
DROOP
-
V
+
OUT
V
-
OUT
COMP
DAC
R
REF
REF
FB
VDIFF
VSEN
RGND
FIGURE 6. OUTPUT VOLT AGE AND LOAD-LINE
REGULATION WITH OFFSET ADJUSTMENT
TABLE 3. VR11 VID 8-BIT
VID7 VID6 VID5 VID4 VID3 VID2 VID1 VID0 VOLTAGE
00000000OFF
00000001OFF
000000101.60000
000000111.59375
000001001.58750
000001011.58125
000001101.57500
000001111.56875
000010001.56250
000010011.55625
000010101.55000
000010111.54375
000011001.53750
INTERNAL CIRCUIT
+
-
ERROR AMPLIFIER
IAVG
+
-
DIFFERENTIAL
REMOTE-SENSE
AMPLIFIER
V
COMP
15
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 16
ISL6336, ISL6336A
TABLE 3. VR11 VID 8-BIT (Continued)
VID7 VID6 VID5 VID4 VID3 VID2 VID1 VID0 VOLTAGE
000011011.53125
000011101.52500
000011111.51875
000100001.51250
000100011.50625
000100101.50000
000100111.49375
000101001.48750
000101011.48125
000101101.47500
000101111.46875
000110001.46250
000110011.45625
000110101.45000
000110111.44375
000111001.43750
000111011.43125
000111101.42500
000111111.41875
001000001.41250
001000011.40625
001000101.40000
001000111.39375
001001001.38750
001001011.38125
001001101.37500
001001111.36875
001010001.36250
001010011.35625
001010101.35000
001010111.34375
001011001.33750
001011011.33125
001011101.32500
001011111.31875
001100001.31250
001100011.30625
001100101.30000
001100111.29375
001101001.28750
TABLE 3. VR11 VID 8-BIT (Continued)
VID7 VID6 VID5 VID4 VID3 VID2 VID1 VID0 VOLTAGE
001101011.28125
001101101.27500
001101111.26875
001110001.26250
001110011.25625
001110101.25000
001110111.24375
001111001.23750
001111011.23125
001111101.22500
001111111.21875
010000001.21250
010000011.20625
010000101.20000
010000111.19375
010001001.18750
010001011.18125
010001101.17500
010001111.16875
010010001.16250
010010011.15625
010010101.15000
010010111.14375
010011001.13750
010011011.13125
010011101.12500
010011111.11875
010100001.11250
010100011.10625
010100101.10000
010100111.09375
010101001.08750
010101011.08125
010101101.07500
010101111.06875
010110001.06250
010110011.05625
010110101.05000
010110111.04375
010111001.03750
16
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 17
ISL6336, ISL6336A
TABLE 3. VR11 VID 8-BIT (Continued)
VID7 VID6 VID5 VID4 VID3 VID2 VID1 VID0 VOLTAGE
010111011.03125
010111101.02500
010111111.01875
011000001.01250
011000011.00625
011000101.00000
011000110.99375
011001000.98750
011001010.98125
011001100.97500
011001110.96875
011010000.96250
011010010.95625
011010100.95000
011010110.94375
011011000.93750
011011010.93125
011011100.92500
011011110.91875
011100000.91250
011100010.90625
011100100.90000
011100110.89375
011101000.88750
011101010.88125
011101100.87500
011101110.86875
011110000.86250
011110010.85625
011110100.85000
011110110.84375
011111000.83750
011111010.83125
011111100.82500
011111110.81875
100000000.81250
100000010.80625
100000100.80000
100000110.79375
100001000.78750
TABLE 3. VR11 VID 8-BIT (Continued)
VID7 VID6 VID5 VID4 VID3 VID2 VID1 VID0 VOLTAGE
100001010.78125
100001100.77500
100001110.76875
100010000.76250
100010010.75625
100010100.75000
100010110.74375
100011000.73750
100011010.73125
100011100.72500
100011110.71875
100100000.71250
100100010.70625
100100100.70000
100100110.69375
100101000.68750
100101010.68125
100101100.67500
100101110.66875
100110000.66250
100110010.65625
100110100.65000
100110110.64375
100111000.63750
100111010.63125
100111100.62500
100111110.61875
101000000.61250
101000010.60625
101000100.60000
101000110.59375
101001000.58750
101001010.58125
101001100.57500
101001110.56875
101010000.56250
101010010.55625
101010100.55000
101010110.54375
101011000.53750
17
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 18
ISL6336, ISL6336A
TABLE 3. VR11 VID 8-BIT (Continued)
VID7 VID6 VID5 VID4 VID3 VID2 VID1 VID0 VOLTAGE
101011010.53125
101011100.52500
101011110.51875
101100000.51250
101100010.50625
101100100.50000
11111110OFF
11111111OFF
Load-Line Regulation
Some microprocessor manufacturers require a precisely
controlled output resistance. This dependence of the output
voltage on the load current is often termed “droop” o r “load
line” regulation. By adding a well controlled output impedance,
the output voltage can effectively be level shifted i n a direction
which works to achieve the load-line regulation required by
these manufacturers.
In other cases, the designer may determine that a more
cost-effective solution can be achieved by adding droop.
Droop can help to reduce the output-voltage spike that
results from the fast changes of the load-current demand.
The magnitude of the spike is dictated by the ESR and ESL
of the output capacitors selected. By positioning the no-load
voltage level near the upper specification limit, a larger
negative spike can be sustained without crossing the lower
limit. By adding a well controlled output impedance, the
output voltage under load can effectively be level shifted
down so that a larger positive spike can be sustained without
crossing the upper specification limit.
As shown in Figure 6, a current proportional to the average
current of all active channels, I
load-line regulation resistor R
across R
is proportional to the output current, effectively
FB
creating an output voltage droop with a steady-state value
defined in Equation 8.
V
DROOPIAVGRFB
⋅=
, flows from FB through a
AVG
. The resulting voltage drop
FB
(EQ. 8)
the ISEN+ pin, and R
active channel number, and R
is the feedback resistor, N is the
FB
is the DCR, or R
X
SENSE
depending on the sensing method.
Therefore the equivalent loadline impedance, i.e. Droop
impedance, is equal to Equation 10:
R
------------
R
LL
N
FB
----------------- -
⋅=
R
R
X
ISEN
(EQ. 10)
Output-Voltage Offset Programming
The ISL6336, ISL6336A allows the designer to accurately
adjust the offset voltage. When resistor, R
between OFS to VCC, the voltage across it is regulated to
1.6V. This causes a proportional current (I
OFS. If R
regulated to 0.4V, and I
between DAC and REF, R
product (I
is connected to ground, the voltage across it is
OFS
OFS
x R
OFS
flows out of OFS. A resistor
OFS
, is selected so that the
REF
) is equal to the desired offset voltage.
These functions are shown in Figure 7.
Once the desired output offset voltage has been determined,
use Equations 11 and 12 to set R
For Positive Offset (connect R
1.6 R
⋅
REF
OFS
----------------------------
=
V
OFFSET
R
For Negative Offset (connect R
0.4 R
⋅
REF
OFS
----------------------------
=
V
OFFSET
FB
E/A
R
OFS
OFS
:
OFS
to VCC):
to GND):
DYNAMIC
VID D/A
, is connected
OFS
) to flow into
OFS
(EQ. 11)
(EQ. 12)
DAC
R
REF
C
VCC
OR
GND
REF
REF
The regulated output voltage is reduced by the droop voltage
V
. The output voltage as a function of load current is
DROOP
derived by combining Equation 8 with the appropriate
sample current expression defined by the current sense
method employed.
I
⎛⎞
OUT
V
OUTVREFVOFS
Where V
–
is the reference voltage, V
REF
-------------
–=
⎜⎟
⎝⎠
programmed offset voltage, I
of the converter, R
is the sense resistor connected to
ISEN
R
X
----------------- -
⋅⋅
N
R
OUT
R
ISEN
FB
OFS
is the total output current
(EQ. 9)
is the
18
-
1.6V
+
VCC
FIGURE 7. OUTPUT VOLTAGE OFFSET PROGRAMMING
0.4V
+
-
GND
ISL6336, ISL6336A
OFS
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
R
OFS
Page 19
ISL6336, ISL6336A
Dynamic VID
Modern microprocessors need to make changes to their
core voltage as part of the normal operation. They direct the
core-voltage regulator to do this by making changes to the
VID inputs during the regulator operation. The power
management solution is required to monitor the DAC inputs
and respond to on-the-fly VID changes in a controlled
manner. Supervising the safe output voltage transition within
the DAC range of the processor without discontinuity or
disruption is a necessary function of the core-voltage
regulator.
In order to ensure a smooth transition of output voltage
during VID change, a VID step change smoothing network,
composed of R
R
is based on the desired offset voltage as detailed
REF
REF
and C
, can be used. The selection of
REF
above in “Output-Voltage Offset Programming” on page 18.
The selection of C
is based on the time duration for 1-bit
REF
VID change and the allowable delay time.
Assuming the microprocessor controls the VID change at
1-bit every t
of R
REF
C
⋅t
REFRREF
, the relationship between the time constant
VID
and C
network and t
REF
=
VID
is given by Equation 13.
VID
(EQ. 13)
During dynamic VID transition and VID up steps, the
overcurrent trip point increases by 140% to avoid false
triggering OCP circuits, while the overvoltage trip point is set
to its maximum VID OVP trip level. If dynamic VID occurs
when PSI# is asserted, the controlle r wil l act i vat e a l l p h ase s
and complete the transition at which point the status of the
PSI# pin will control operation.
Operation Initialization
Prior to converter initialization, proper conditions must exist
on the enable inputs and VCC. When the conditions are met,
the controller begins soft-start. Once the output voltage is
within the proper window of operation, VR_RDY asserts
logic high.
Enable and Disable
While in shutdown mode, the PWM outputs are held in a
high-impedance state to assure the drivers remain off. The
following input conditions must be met before the ISL6336,
ISL6336A is released from shutdown mode.
1. The bias voltage applied at VCC must reach the internal
power-on reset (POR) rising threshold. Once this
threshold is reached, proper operation of all aspects of
the ISL6336, ISL6336A is guaranteed. Hysteresis
between the rising and falling thresholds assure that once
enabled, the ISL6336, ISL6336A will not inadvertently
turn off unless the bias voltage drops substantially (see
“Electrical Specifications” table beginning on page 7).
2. The ISL6336, ISL6336A features an enable input
(EN_PWR) for power sequencing between the controller
bias voltage and another voltage rail. The enable
comparator holds the ISL6336, ISL6336A in shutdown
until the voltage at EN_PWR rises above 0.875V. The
enable comparator has about 130mV of hysteresis to
prevent bounce. It is important that the driver ICs reach
their POR level before the ISL6336, ISL6336A becomes
enabled. The schematic in Figure 8 demonstrates
sequencing the ISL6336, ISL6336A with the ISL66xx
family of Intersil MOSFET drivers, which require 12V
bias.
3. The voltage on EN_VTT must be higher than 0.875V to
enable the controller. This pin is typically connected to the
output of the VTT voltage regulator.
ISL6336, ISL6336A INTERNAL CIRCUIT
POR
CIRCUIT
SOFT-START
AND
FAULT LOGIC
FIGURE 8. POWER SEQUENCING USING THRESHOLD
SENSITIVE ENABLE (EN) FUNCTION
ENABLE
COMPARATOR
+
-
0.875V
+
-
0.875V
EXTERNAL CIRCUIT
VCC
EN_PWR
EN_VTT
+12V
100kΩ
9.1kΩ
When all conditions above are satisfied, ISL6336, ISL6336A
begins soft-start and ramps the output voltage to 1.1V first.
After remaining at 1.1V for some time, ISL6336, ISL6336A
reads the VID code at VID input pins. If the VID code is valid,
ISL6336, ISL6336A will regulate the output to the final VID
setting. If the VID code is an OFF code, ISL6336, ISL6336A
will shut down, and cycling VCC, EN_PWR or EN_VTT is
needed to restart.
Soft-Start
ISL6336, ISL6336A based VR has 4 periods during soft-start
as shown in Figure 9. After VCC, EN_VTT and EN_PWR
reach their POR/enable thresholds, The controller will have
fixed delay period t
begin first soft-start ramp until the output voltage reaches
1.1V Vboot voltage. Then, the controller will regulate the VR
voltage at 1.1V for another fixed period t
period, ISL6336, ISL6336A reads the VID signals. If the VID
code is valid, ISL6336, ISL6336A will initiate the second
. After this delay period, the VR will
D1
. At the end of tD3
D3
19
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 20
ISL6336, ISL6336A
soft-start ramp until the voltage reaches the VID voltage
minus the offset voltage.
V
, 500mV/DIV
OUT
t
t
D1
EN_VTT
VR_RDY
FIGURE 9. SOFT-START WAVEFORMS
t
D2
500µs/DIV
D3
D5
D4
t
t
The soft-start time is the sum of the 4 periods as shown in
Equation 14:
t
SStD1tD2tD3tD4
t
D1
+++=
(EQ. 14)
is a fixed delay with a typical value as 1.36ms. tD3 is
determined by a fixed 85µs plus the time to obtain valid VID
voltage. If the VID is valid before the output reaches the
1.1V, the minimum time to validate the VID input is 500ns.
Therefore the minimum t
is about 86µs.
D3
During tD2 and tD4, ISL6336, ISL6336A digitally controls the
DAC voltage change at 6.25mV per step. The time for each
step is determined by the frequency of the soft-start oscillator,
which is defined by a resistor R
VCC. The equations are the same for the case where R
connected to GND or VCC. The two soft-start ramp times t
and t
can be calculated based on the Equations 15 and 16:
D4
1.1 R⋅
SS
------------------------
t
D2
6.25 25⋅
μs()=
from SS pin to GND or
SS
is
SS
D2
(EQ. 15)
R
IMON
V
IMON
where V
-------------------
IMON
resistor between IMON and GND, I
current of the converter, R
R
X
----------------- -
⋅⋅=
N
R
ISEN
I
OUT
is the voltage at the IMON pin, R
is the total output
OUT
is the sense resistor
ISEN
IMON
(EQ. 17)
is the
connected to the ISEN+ pin, N is the active channel number
and R
is the DC resistance of the current sense element.
X
The resistor from the IMON pin to GND should be chosen to
ensure that the voltage at the IMON pin is less than 1.12V
under the maximum load current. The IMON pin voltage is
clamped at a maximum of 1.12V. Once the 1.12V threshold
is reached, an overcurrent shutdown will be initiated as
described in “Overcurrent Protection” on page 21.
A small capacitor can be placed between the IMON pin and
GND to reduce noise. In addition, some applications will
require the V
signal to be filtered with a minimum time
IMON
constant. The filter capacitor can be chosen appropriately
based on the R
For example, when VID is set to 1.5V and the R
100kΩ, the first soft-st art ramp time t
second soft-start ramp time t
will be 256µs.
D4
will be 704µs an d t h e
D2
is set at
SS
(EQ. 16)
After the DAC voltage reaches the final VID setting,
VR_RDY will be set to high with the fixed delay t
typical value for t
is 85µs. Before VR_RDY is released,
D5
D5
. The
the controller disregards the PSI# input and always operates
in normal CCM PWM mode.
Current Sense Output
The current sourced at the IMON pin is equal to the sensed
average current inside the ISL6336, ISL6336A, I
typical application, a resistor is placed from the IMON pin to
GND to generate a voltage which is proportional to the load
current as shown in Equation 17
20
AVG
. In a
The voltage at the IMON pin will vary linearly with output
current, as shown in Figure 10 with some tolerance.Some
applications may require the addition of a positive offset on
IMON to offset for the tolerance at the maximum IMON
voltage value. This can be done by connecting a resistor
from the IMON pin to VCC as shown in Figure 11. The
required value for R
is the voltage at IMON at the maximum load current.
For example, if the maximum IMON voltage is 900mV at full
load and the required offset voltage is 50mV and R
10kΩ then R
should be 810kΩ. R
VCC
IMON
should be
IMON
is
connected to GND near the load to increase accuracy.
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 21
ISL6336, ISL6336A
EXTERNAL CIRCUIT
V
CC
R
VCC
IMON
R
C
IMON
NEAR LOAD GND
+
IMON
V
IMON
-
FIGURE 11. IMON RESISTOR DIVIDER
ISL6336, ISL6336A
INTERNAL CIRCUIT
I
AVG
Fault Monitoring and Protection
The ISL6336, ISL6336A actively monitors output voltage and
current to detect fault conditions. Fault monitors trigger
protective measures to prevent damage to a microprocessor
load. One common power good indicator is provided for linking
to external system monitors. The schematic in Figure 12
outlines the interaction between the fault monitors and the
VR_RDY signal.
VR_RDY
UV
-
+
50%
105µA
DAC
SOFT-START, FAULT
AND CONTROL LOGIC
OC
-
+
I
AVG
Undervoltage Detection
The undervoltage threshold is set at 50% of the VID voltage.
When the output voltage at VSEN is below the undervoltage
threshold, VR_RDY gets pulled low . Whe n the output voltage
comes back to 60% of the VID voltage, VR_RDY will return
back to high.
Overvoltage Protection
Regardless of the VR being enabled or not, the ISL6336,
ISL6336A overvoltage protection (OVP) circuit will be active
after its POR. The OVP thresholds are different under dif ferent
operation conditions. When VR is not enabled and before the
2nd soft-start, the OVP threshold is 1.275V. Once the
controller detects a valid VID input, the OVP trip point will be
changed to the VID voltage plus 175mV.
Two actions are taken by the ISL6336, ISL6336A to protect
the microprocessor load when an overvoltage condition
occurs.
At the inception of an overvoltage event, all PWM outputs
are commanded low instantly (in less than 20ns). This
causes the Intersil drivers to turn on the lower MOSFETs and
pull the output voltage down to avoid damaging the load.
When the voltage at VDIFF falls below the DAC plus 75mV,
PWM signals enter a high-impedance state. The Intersil
drivers respond to the high-impedance input by turning off
both upper and lower MOSFET s. If the overvoltage condition
reoccurs, the ISL6336, ISL6336A will again command the
lower MOSFETs to turn on. The ISL6336, ISL6336A will
continue to protect the load in this fashion as long as the
overvoltage condition occurs.
Once an overvoltage condition is detected, normal PWM
operation ceases until the ISL6336, ISL6336A is reset.
Cycling the voltage on EN_PWR, EN_VTT or VCC below the
POR-falling threshold will reset the controller. Cycling the
VID codes will not reset the controller.
1.11V
VDIFF
+
OV
-
VID + 0.175V
FIGURE 12. VR_RDY AND PROTECTION CIRCUITRY
OC
-
+
I
MON
VR_RDY Signal
The VR_RDY pin is an open-drain logic output to indicate
that the soft-start period is completed and the output voltage
is within the regulated range. VR_RDY is pulled low during
shutdown and releases high after a successful soft-start and
a fixed delay time, t
low when an undervoltage, overvoltage, or overcurrent
condition is detected, or if the controller is disabled by a
reset from EN_PWR, EN_VTT, POR, or VID OFF-code.
(see Figure 9). VR_RDY will be pulled
D5
21
Overcurrent Protection
ISL6336, ISL6336A has two levels of overcurrent protection.
Each phase is protected from a sustained overcurrent
condition by limiting its peak current, while the combined
phase currents are protected on an instantaneous basis.
In instantaneous protection mode, the ISL6336, ISL6336A
utilizes the sensed average current I
overcurrent condition. See “Channel-Current Balance” on
page 15 for more detail on how the average current is
measured. The average current is continually compared with
a constant 105µA reference current, as shown in Figure 12.
Once the average current exceeds the reference current, a
comparator trips and causes the converter to shutdown.
The voltage at the IMON pin is used for average current
protection (compared to the instantan eous current protection
described above). The current out of the IMON pin is equal to
the sensed average current, I
. With a resistor from IMON
AVG
to GND, the voltage at IMON will be proportional to the
to detect an
AVG
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 22
ISL6336, ISL6336A
sensed average current and the resistor value. The ISL6336,
ISL6336A continually monitors the voltage at the IMON pin. If
the voltage at the IMON pin is higher than 1.1 1V, a comparator
trips and causes the converter to shutdown.
The voltage at the IMON pin may be delayed relative to the
sensed current, I
, due to the capacitor that is in parallel
AVG
with the IMON resistor to GND that is required in some
applications. This time constant can be >300µs. This lag can
cause the output voltage to remain high for a longer time
period before the OC comparator is tripped. This can lead to
higher duty cycles of the output voltage during overcurrent
hiccup mode. To avoid this the external current sense
resistors should be selected so that the instantaneous
overcurrent trip occurs at about the same sense current level
as the IMON trip. For example, the IMON resistor to GND
should be selected such that the voltage at IMON reaches
1.12V when IAVG reaches ~100µA. Another option is to
remove the capacitor that is in parallel with the IMON resistor
and add the required filter to the output of a IMON buffer.
At the beginning of overcurrent shutdown, the controller places
all PWM signals in a high-impedance state within 20ns
commanding the Intersil MOSFET driver ICs to turn off both
upper and lower MOSFETs. The system remains in this state
for 4096 switching cycles (programmed switching frequency). If
the controller is still enabled at the end of this wait period, it will
attempt a soft-start. If the fault remains, the trip-retry cycles will
continue indefinitely (as shown in Figure 13) until either
controller is disabled or the fault is cleared. Note that the energy
delivered during trip-retry cycling is much less than during
full-load operation, so there is no thermal hazard during this
kind of operation.
OUTPUT CURRENT
0A
OUTPUT VOLTAGE
0V
FIGURE 13. OVERCURRENT BEHAVIOR IN HICCUP MODE,
F
SW
= 500kHz
2ms/DIV
For the individual channel overcurrent protection, the
ISL6336, ISL6336A continuously compares the sensed
current signal of each channel with the 129µA reference
current. If one channel current exceeds the reference
current, ISL6336, ISL6336A will pull the PWM signal of this
channel low for the rest of the switching cycle. This PWM
signal can be turned on next cycle if the sensed channel
current is less than the 129µA reference current. The peak
current limit of individual channel will not trigger the
converter to shutdown.
The overcurrent protection level for the above three OCP
modes can be adjusted by changing the value of current
sensing resistors. In addition, ISL6336, ISL6336A can also
adjust the average OCP threshold level by adjusting the
value of the resistor from IMON to GND. This provides
additional safety for the voltage regulator.
Equation 19 can be used to calculate the value of the
resistor R
R
IOUT
based on the desired OCP level I
IMON
1.11V
-------------------------------
=
I
AVG OCP2,
AVG, OCP2
(EQ. 19)
Thermal Monitoring (VR_HOT/VR_F AN)
There are two thermal signals to indicate the temperature
status of the voltage regulator: VR_HOT and VR_FAN. Both
VR_FAN and VR_HOT are open-drain outputs, and external
pull-up resistors are required. The VR_HOT/VR_FAN
signals are valid only after the controller is enabled.
VR_FAN signal indicates that the temperature of the voltage
regulator is high and more cooling airflow is needed.
VR_HOT signal can be used to inform the system that the
temperature of the voltage regulator is too high and the CPU
should reduce its power consumption. VR_HOT signal may
be tied to the CPU’s PROCHOT# signal.
The diagram of the thermal monitoring function block is shown
in Figure 14. One NTC resistor should be placed close to the
power stage of the voltage regulator to sense the operational
temperature, and one pull-up resistor is needed to form the
voltage divider for TM pin. The NTC thermistor should be
placed next to the current sense element of a phase that will
remain active when PSI# is asserted low. As the temperature of
the power stage increases, the resistance of the NTC will
reduce, resulting in the reduced voltage at the TM pin.
Figure 15 shows the TM voltage over temperature for a typical
design with a recommended 6.8kΩ NTC (P/N:
NTHS0805N02N6801 from Vishay) and 1kΩ resistor RTM1.
We recommend using these resistors for accurate temperature
compensation.
There are two comparators with hysteresis to compare the
TM pin voltage to the fixed thresholds for VR_FAN and
VR_HOT signals respectively. VR_FAN signal is set high
when the TM voltage is lower than 39.1% of VCC voltage,
and is pulled to GND when the TM voltage increases to
above 45.1% of VCC. VR_HOT is set to high when the TM
voltage goes below 33.3% of VCC, and is pulled to GND
when the TM voltage goes back to above 39.1% of VCC.
Figure 16 shows the operation of these signals.
.
22
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 23
V
V
V
ISL6336, ISL6336A
VCC
VR_FAN
R
TM1
TM
R
o
c
NTC
FIGURE 14. BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THERMAL MONITORING
0.391V
0.333V
FUNCTION
CC
VR_HOT
CC
The NTC resistance at the set point T2 and release point T1
of VR_FAN signal can be calculated as:
R
NTC T2()
R
NTC T1()
1.267xR
=
1.644xR
=
NTC T3()
NTC T3()
(EQ. 21)
(EQ. 22)
With the NTC resistance value obtained from Equations 21
and 22, the temperature value T2 and T1 can be found from
the NTC datasheet.
Temperature Compensation
ISL6336, ISL6336A supports inductor DCR sensing, or
resistive sensing techniques. The inductor DCR has a
positive temperature coefficient of about +0.385%/°C.
Because the voltage across inductor is sensed for output
current information, the sensed current has the same
positive temperature coefficient as the inductor DCR.
100
90
80
70
(%)
CC
60
/V
TM
50
V
40
30
20
0 20406080100120140
TEMPERATURE (°C)
FIGURE 15. THE RATIO OF TM VOLTAGE TO NTC
TEMPERATURE WITH RECOMMENDED PARTS
TM
0.451*Vcc
0.391*Vcc
0.333*Vcc
R_FAN
In order to obtain the correct current information, there
should be a way to correct the temperature impact on the
current sense component. The ISL6336, ISL6336A provides
two methods: integrated temperature compensation and
external temperature compensation.
Integrated Temperature Compensation
When the TCOMP voltage is equal to or greater than VCC /15,
ISL6336, ISL6336A will utilize the voltage at the TM and
TCOMP pins to compensate the temperature impact on the
sensed current. The block diagram of this function is shown in
Figure 17.
CC
R
TM1
TM
o
R
c
NTC
CC
NON-LINEAR
A/D
D/A
k
i
I
6
CHANNEL
CURRENT
SENSE
I
I
5
I
4
I
3
I
Sen6
I
Sen5
I
Sen4
I
Sen3
I
Sen2
I
Sen1
I
1
2
R
VR_HOT
T1 T2 T3
FIGURE 16. VR_HOT AND VR_FAN SIGNAL vs TM VOLTAGE
TEMPERATURE
TC1
TCOMP
R
TC2
4-BIT
A/D
DROOP IOUT AND
OVERCURRENT
PROTECTION
Based on the NTC temperature characteristics and the
desired threshold of VR_HOT signal, the pull-up resistor
RTM1 of TM pin is given by Equation 20:
2.75xR
=
R
TM1
NTC T3()
(EQ. 20)
FIGURE 17. BLOCK DIAGRAM OF INTEGRATED
TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION
When the TM NTC is placed close to the current sense
component (inductor), the temperature of the NTC will track
R
NTC(T3)
temperature T3.
is the NTC resistance at the VR_HOT threshold
the temperature of the current sense component. Therefore,
the TM voltage can be utilized to obtain temperature of the
current sense component.
23
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 24
ISL6336, ISL6336A
Based on the VCC voltage, ISL6336, ISL6336A converts the
TM pin voltage to a 6-bit digital signal for temperature
compensation. With the non-linear A/D converter of ISL6336,
ISL6336A, the TM digital signal is linearly proportional to the
NTC temperature. For accurate temperature compensation,
the ratio of the TM voltage to the NTC temperature of the
practical design should be similar to that in Figure 15.
Depending on the location of the NTC and the air-flowing,
the NTC may be cooler or hotter than the current sense
component. The TCOMP pin voltage can be utilized to
correct the temperature difference between the NTC and the
current sense component. When a different NTC type or
different voltage divider is used for the TM function, the
TCOMP voltage can also be used to compensate for the
difference between the recommended TM voltage curve in
Figure 16 and that of the actual design. According to the
VCC voltage, ISL6336, ISL6336A converts the TCOMP pin
voltage to a 4-bit TCOMP digital signal as TCOMP factor N.
TCOMP factor N is an integer between 0 and 15. The
integrated temperature compensation function is disabled for
N = 0. For N = 4, the NTC temperature is equal to the
temperature of the current sense component. For N < 4, the
NTC is hotter than the current sense component. The NTC is
cooler than the current sense component for N > 4. When
N > 4, the larger TCOMP factor N, the larger the difference
between the NTC temperature and the temperature of the
current sense component.
7. Choose the pull-up resistor R
8. If N = 15, do not need the pull-down resistor R
otherwise obtain R
NxR
TC1
TC2
-----------------------
=
15 N–
R
by Equation 25:
TC2
(typical 10kΩ);
TC1
TC2
,
(EQ. 25)
9. Run the actual board under full load again with the proper
resistors to TCOMP pin.
10. Record the output voltage as V1 immediately after the
output voltage is stable with the full load; Record the
output voltage as V2 after the VR reaches the thermal
steady state.
11. If the output voltage increases over 2mV as the
temperature increases, i.e. V2 - V1 >2mV, reduce N and
redesign R
; if the output voltage decreases over 2mV
TC2
as the temperature increases, i.e. V1 - V2 >2mV,
increase N and redesign R
TC2
.
A design spreadsheet is available to speed aid calculations.
External Temperature Compensation
By pulling the TCOMP pin to GND, the integrated
temperature compensation function is disabled. In addition,
one external temperature compensation network, shown in
Figure 18, can be used to cancel the temperature impact on
the droop (i.e. load line).
ISL6336,
COMP
ISL6336A
INTERNAL
CIRCUIT
ISL6336, ISL6336A multiplexes the TCOMP factor N with the
TM digital signal to obtain the adj ustment gain to compensate
the temperature impact on the sensed channel current. The
compensated channel current signal is used for droop and
overcurrent protection functions.
Design Procedure
1. Properly choose the voltage divider for TM pin to match
the TM voltage vs temperature curve with the
recommended curve in Figure 15.
2. Run the actual board under the full load and the desired
cooling condition.
3. After the board reaches the thermal steady state, record
the temperature (T
(e.g., inductor) and the voltage at TM and VCC pins.
4. Use Equation 23 to calculate the resistance of the TM
NTC, and find out the corresponding NTC temperature
from the NTC datasheet.
T
NTC
R
NTC T
()
NTC
5. Use Equation 24 to calculate the TCOMP factor N:
6. Choose an integral number close to the above result for
the TCOMP factor. If this factor is higher than 15, use
N = 15. If it is less than 1, use N = 1.
) of the current sense component
CSC
VTMxR
TM1
------------------------------- -=
VCCV–
TM
T–
NTC
400+
4+=
(EQ. 23)
(EQ. 24)
FB
o
C
VDIFF
FIGURE 18. EXTERNAL TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION
The sensed current will flow out of the FB pin and deve lop the
droop voltage across the resistor (R
VDIFF pins. If the R
resistance reduces as the temperature
FB
) between FB and
FB
increases, the temperature impact on the droop can be
compensated. An NTC thermistor can be placed close to the
power stage and used to form R
. Due to the non-linear
FB
temperature characteristics of the NTC, a resistor network is
needed to make the equivalent resistance between FB and
VDIFF pin reverse proportional to the temperature.
The external temperature compensation network can only
compensate the temperature impact on the droop, while it
has no impact to the sensed current inside ISL6336,
ISL6336A. Therefore this network cannot compensate for
the temperature impact on the overcurrent protection
function.
24
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 25
)
ISL6336, ISL6336A
General Design Guide
This design guide is intended to provide a high-level
explanation of the steps necessary to create a multiphase
power converter. It i s assume d that the reader is familiar with
many of the basic skills and techniques referenced in the
following. In addition to this guide, Intersil provides complete
reference designs that include schematics, bills of materials,
and example board layouts for all common microprocessor
applications.
Power Stages
The first step in designing a multiphase converter is to
determine the number of phases. This determination
depends heavily on the cost analysis which in turn depends
on system constraints that differ from one design to the next.
Principally, the designer will be concerned with whether
components can be mounted on both sides of the circuit
board; whether through-hole components are permitted; and
the total board space available for power-supply circuitry.
Generally speaking, the most economical solutions are
those in which each phase handles generally between 20A
and 25A. All surface-mount designs will tend toward the
lower end of this current range. If through-hole MOSFETs
and inductors can be used, higher per-phase currents are
possible. In cases where board space is the limiting
constraint, current can be pushed as high as 40A per phase,
but these designs require heat sinks and forced air to cool
the MOSFETs, inductors, and heat-dissipating surfaces.
MOSFETS
The choice of MOSFETs depends on the current each
MOSFET will be required to conduct; the switching
frequency; the capability of the MOSFETs to dissipate heat;
and the availability and nature of heat sinking and air flow.
LOWER MOSFET POWER CALCULATION
The calculation for heat dissipated in the lower MOSFET is
simple, since virtually all of the heat loss in the lower
MOSFET is due to current conducted through the channel
resistance (r
continuous output current; I
current (see Equation 1); d is the duty cycle (V
L is the per-channel inductance.
P
LOW 1,
r
DS ON()
An additional term can be added to Equation 26 to account
for additional loss accrued during the dead time when
inductor current is flowing through the lower-MOSFET body
diode. This term is dependent on the diode forward voltage
at I
, V
M
D(ON)
dead times, t
lower-MOSFET conduction interval respectively.
). In Equation 26, IM is the maximum
DS(ON)
⎛⎞
I
M
⎜⎟
----- N
⎝⎠
is the peak-to-peak inductor
P-P
2
1d–()
I
LP-P,
----------------------------------+=
2
1d–()
12
OUT/VIN
); and
(EQ. 26)
; the switching frequency, fS; and the length of
and tD2, at the beginning and the end of the
D1
P
LOW 2,
=
V
DON()fS
I
I
⎛⎞
M
P-P
----- -
----------+
⎝⎠
N
2
⎛⎞
I
M
t
⎜⎟
+
–
----- -
d1
N
⎝⎠
I
P-P
----------
(EQ. 27
t
d2
2
Thus, the total maximum power dissipated in each lower
MOSFET is approximated by the summation of P
P
LOW,2
.
LOW,1
and
UPPER MOSFET POWER CALCULATION
In addition to r
losses, a large portion of the upper
DS(ON)
MOSFET losses are due to currents conducted across the
input voltage (V
) during switching. Since a substantially
IN
higher portion of the upper-MOSFET losses are dependent
on switching frequency, the power calculation is more
complex. Upper MOSFET losses can be divided into
separate components involving the upper-MOSFET
switching times; the lower-MOSFET body-diode reverse
recovery charge, Q
; and the upper MOSFET r
rr
DS(ON)
conduction loss.
When the upper MOSFET turns off, the lower MOSFET does
not conduct any portion of the inductor current until the
voltage at the phase node falls below ground. Once the
lower MOSFET begins conducting, the current in the upper
MOSFET falls to zero as the current in the lower MOSFET
ramps up to assume the full inductor current. In Equation 28,
the required time for this commutation is t
approximated associated power loss is P
t
⎛⎞
I
P
≈
UP 1,VIN
I
M
⎛⎞
----- -
⎝⎠
N
----------+
P-P
2
1
----
⎜⎟
2
⎝⎠
f
S
and the
1
.
UP,1
(EQ. 28)
At turn-on, the upper MOSFET begins to conduct and this
transition occurs over a time t
approximate power loss is P
t
I
≈
P
UP 2,VIN
⎛⎞
I
M
⎜⎟
----- N
⎝⎠
⎛⎞
P-P
----------
----
⎜⎟
–
2
2
⎝⎠
. In Equation 29, the
2
.
UP,2
2
f
S
(EQ. 29)
A third component involves the lower MOSFET’s reverse
recovery charge, Q
. Since the inductor current has fully
rr
commutated to the upper MOSFET before the lower
MOSFET’s body diode can draw all of Q
, it is conducted
rr
through the upper MOSFET across VIN. The power dissipated
as a result is P
P
UP 3,
VINQrrf
=
and is approximated in Equation 30 :
UP,3
S
(EQ. 30)
Finally, the resistive part of the upper MOSFET’s is given in
Equation 31 as P
P
UP 4,rDS ON()
UP,4
⎛⎞
I
M
⎜⎟
----- N
⎝⎠
.
2
2
I
P-P
d
d+≈
---------12
(EQ. 31)
The total power dissipated by the upper MOSFET at full load
can now be approximated as the summation of the results
from Equations 28, 29, 30 and 31. Since the power
equations depend on MOSFET parameters, choosing the
correct MOSFETs can be an iterative process involving
repetitive solutions to the loss equations for different
MOSFETs and different switching frequencies.
25
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 26
ISL6336, ISL6336A
Current Sensing Resistor
The resistors connected to the ISEN+ pins determine the
gains in the load-line regulation loop and the channel-current
balance loop as well as setting the overcurrent trip point.
Select values for these resistors by the Equation 32.
R
I
X
OCP
R
ISEN
where R
-------------------------- 105 10
ISEN
------------- -=
–
6
×
N
is the sense resistor connected to the ISEN+
pin, N is the active channel number, R
is the resistance of
X
(EQ. 32)
the current sense element, either the DCR of the inductor or
R
desired overcurrent trip point. Typically, I
depending on the sensing method, and I
SENSE
can be chosen
OCP
OCP
is the
to be 1.2x the maximum load current of the specific
application.
With integrated temperature compensation, the sensed
current signal is independent on the operational temperature
of the power stage, i.e. the temperature effect on the current
sense element R
temperature compensation function. R
is cancelled by the integrated
X
in Equation 32
X
should be the resistance of the current sense element at the
room temperature.
When the integrated temperature compensation function is
disabled by pulling the TCOMP pin to GND, the sensed
current will be dependent on the operational temperature of
the power stage, since the DC resistance of the current
sense element may be changed according to the operational
temperature. R
in Equation 32 should be the maximum DC
X
resistance of the current sense element at all the operational
temperature.
In certain circumstances, it may be necessary to adjust the
value of one or more ISEN resistors. When the components
of one or more channels are inhibited from effectively
dissipating their heat so that the affected channels run hotter
than desired, choose new, smaller values of R
ISEN
for the
affected phases (see the section titled “Channel-Current
Balance” on page 15). Choose R
in proportion to the
ISEN,2
desired decrease in temperature rise in order to cause
proportionally less current to flow in the hotter phase.
ΔT
R
ISEN 2,
R
ISEN
In Equation 33, make sure that ΔT
----------=
ΔT
2
1
is the desired temperature
2
rise above the ambient temperature, and ΔT
is the measured
1
(EQ. 33)
temperature rise above the ambient temperature. While a
single adjustment according to Equation 33 is usually
sufficient, it may occasionally be necessary to adjust R
ISEN
two or more times to achieve optimal thermal balance
between all channels.
Load-Line Regulation Resistor
The load-line regulation resistor is labelled RFB in Figure 6.
Its value depends on the desired loadline requirement of the
application.
The desired loadline can be calculated by Equation 34:
V
DROOP
------------------------ -=
R
LL
where I
and VR
I
FL
is the full load current of the specific application,
FL
is the desired voltage droop under the full
DROOP
(EQ. 34)
load condition.
Based on the desired loadline R
, the loadline regulation
LL
resistor can be calculated by Equation 35:
N
--------------------------------- -=
R
FB
where N is the active channel number, R
resistor connected to the ISEN+ pin, and R
R
ISEN
R
R
LL
ISEN
X
is the
(EQ. 35)
is the sense
resistance of the current sense element, either the DCR of
the inductor or R
depending on the sensing method.
SENSE
If one or more of the current sense resistors are adjusted for
thermal balance, as in Equation 35, the load-line regulation
resistor should be selected based on the average value of
the current sensing resistors, as given in Equation 36:
R
LL
----------R
=
R
FB
where R
th
the n
∑
R
ISEN(n)
ISEN n()
X
n
is the current sensing resistor connected to
ISEN+ pin.
(EQ. 36)
Compensation
The two opposing goals of compensating the voltage
regulator are stability and speed. Depending on whether the
regulator employs the optional load-line regulation as
described in Load-Line Regulation, there are two distinct
methods for achieving these goals.
COMPENSATING LOAD-LINE REGULATED
CONVERTER
The load-line regulated converter behaves in a similar
manner to a peak-current mode controller because the two
poles at the output-filter L-C resonant frequency split with
the introduction of current information into the control loop.
The final location of these poles is determined by the system
function, the gain of the current signal, and the value of the
compensation components, R
Since the system poles and zero are affected by the values
of the components that are meant to compensate them, the
solution to the system equation becomes fairly complicated.
Fortunately there is a simple approximation that comes very
close to an optimal solution. Treating the system as though it
were a voltage-mode regulator by compensating the L-C
poles and the ESR zero of the voltage-mode approximation
yields a solution that is always stable with very close to ideal
transient performance.
and CC.
C
26
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 27
ISL6336, ISL6336A
C2 (OPTIONAL)
ISL6336, ISL6336A
C
C
R
C
+
R
FB
V
DROOP
-
FIGURE 19. COMPENSATION CONFIGURATION FOR
LOAD-LINE REGULATED ISL6336, ISL6336A
CIRCUIT
COMP
FB
VDIFF
The feedback resistor, RFB, has already been chosen as
outlined in “Load-Line Regulation Resistor” on page 26.
Select a target bandwidth for the compensated system, f
.
0
The target bandwidth must be large enough to ensure
adequate transient performance, but generally smaller than
1/3 of the per-channel switching frequency. The values of the
compensation components depend on the relationships of f
to the L-C pole frequency and the ESR zero frequency. For
each of the three cases which follow, there are a separate
set of equations for the compensation components.
In Equation 37, L is the per-channel filter inductance divided
by the number of active channels; C is the sum total of all
output capacitors; ESR is the equivalent-series resistance of
the bulk output-filter capacitance; and V
is the peak-to-
PP
peak sawtooth signal amplitude as described in the
“Electrical Specifications” table beginning on page 7.
The optional capacitor C
, is sometimes needed to bypass
2
noise away from the PWM comparator (see Figure 19). Keep
a position available for C
, and be prepared to install a high
2
frequency capacitor between 22pF and 150pF in case
excessive jitter is noted.
Once selected, the compensation values in Equation 37
ensure a stable converter with reasonable transient
performance. In most cases, transient performance can be
improved by making adjustments to R
value of R
while observing the transient performance on an
C
. Slowly increase the
C
oscilloscope until no further improvement is noted. Normally,
C
will not need adjustment. Keep the value of CC from
C
Equation 37 unless some performance issue is noted.
C
and R1 can also be added to improve transient
1
performance per the type III compensat ion discussion below.
COMPENSATION WITHOUT LOAD-LINE REGULATION
The non load-line regulated converter is accurately modeled
as a voltage-mode regulator with two poles at the L-C
resonant frequency and a zero at the ESR frequency. A
0
type III controller, as shown in Figure 20, provides the
necessary compensation.
C
2
ISL6336, ISL6336A
C
C
R
C
C
1
R
R
1
FIGURE 20. COMPENSATION CIRCUIT FOR ISL6336, ISL6336A
FB
BASED CONVERTER WITHOUT LOAD-LINE
REGULATION
The first step is to choose the desired bandwidth, f
COMP
FB
VDIFF
, of the
0
compensated system. Choose a frequency high enough to
ensure adequate transient performance but generally not
higher than 1/3 of the switching frequency. The type-III
compensator has an extra high-frequency pole, f
HF
. This
pole can be used for added noise rejection or to ensure
adequate attenuation at the error-amplifier high-order pole
and zero frequencies. A good general rule is to choose
f
= 10f0, but it can be higher if desired. Choosing fHF to be
HF
lower than 10f
can cause problems with too much phase
0
shift below the system bandwidth.
In the solutions to the compensation equations, there is a
single degree of freedom. For the solutions presented in
Equation 38, R
is selected arbitrarily. The remaining
FB
compensation components are then selected according to
Equation 38.
In Equation 38, L is the per-channel filter inductance divided
by the number of active channels; C is the sum total of all
output capacitors; ESR is the equivalent-series resistance of
the bulk output-filter capacitance; and V
is the peak-
PP
to-peak sawtooth signal amplitude as described in the
“Electrical Specifications” table beginning on page 7.
Output Filter Design
The output inductors and the output capacitor bank together
form a low-pass filter responsible for smoothing the pulsating
voltage at the phase nodes. The output filter also must
provide the transient energy until the regulator can respond.
Because it has a low bandwidth compared to the switching
frequency, the output filter necessarily limits the system
transient response. The outpu t capacitor must supply or sink
load current while the current in the output inductors
increases or decreases to meet the demand.
In high-speed converters, the output capacitor bank is
usually the most costly (and often the largest) part of the
circuit. Output filter design begins with minimizing the cost of
this part of the circuit. The critical load parameters in
choosing the output capacitors are the maximum size of the
load step, ΔI; the load-current slew rate, di/dt; and the
maximum allowable output-voltage deviation under transient
loading, ΔV
their capacitance, ESR, and ESL (equivalent series
inductance).
At the beginning of the load transient, the output capacitors
supply all of the transient current. The output voltage will
initially deviate by an amount approximated by the voltage
drop across the ESL. As the load current increases, the
voltage drop across the ESR increases linearly until the load
current reaches its final value. The capacitors selected must
have sufficiently low ESL and ESR so that the total output
voltage deviation is less than the allowable maximum.
Neglecting the contribution of inductor current and regulator
. Capacitors are characterized according to
MAX
response, the output voltage initially deviates by an amount,
as shown in Equation 39:
di
ΔVESL()
-----
⋅ESR()ΔI⋅+≈
dt
(EQ. 39)
The filter capacitor must have sufficiently low ESL and ESR
so that ΔV < ΔV
MAX
.
Most capacitor solutions rely on a mixture of high-frequency
capacitors with relatively low capacitance in combination
with bulk capacitors having high capacitance but limited
high-frequency performance. Minimizing the ESL of the
high-frequency capacitors allows them to support the output
voltage as the current increases. Minimizing the ESR of the
bulk capacitors allows them to supply the increased current
with less output voltage deviation.
The ESR of the bulk capacitors also creates the majority of
the output-voltage ripple. As the bulk capacitors sink and
source the inductor ac ripple current (see “Interleaving” on
page 11 and Equation 2), a voltage develops across the
bulk-capacitor ESR equal to I
(ESR). Thus, once the
C,PP
output capacitors are selected, the maximum allowable
ripple voltage, V
Since the capacitors are supplying a decreasing portion of
the load current while the regulator recovers from the
transient, the capacitor voltage becomes slightly depleted.
The output inductors must be capable of assuming the entire
load current before the output voltage decreases more than
ΔV
. This places an upper limit on inductance.
MAX
Equation 41 gives the upper limit on L for the cases when the
trailing edge of the current transient causes a greater outputvoltage deviation than the leading edge. Equation 42
addresses the leading edge. Normally, the trailing edge dictates
the selection of L because duty cycles are usually much less
than 50%. Nevertheless, both inequalities should be evaluated,
and L should be selected based on the lower of the two results.
In each equation, L is the per-channel inductance, C is the total
output capacitance, and N is the number of active channels.
2NCV
⋅⋅⋅
L
--------------------------------- ΔV
1.25 N C⋅⋅
-----------------------------
L
()
ΔI
2
()
ΔI
O
2
ΔV
MAX
ΔI ESR()⋅()–≤
MAX
ΔIESR()⋅()–VINVO–
⎛⎞
⋅≤
⎝⎠
(EQ. 41)
(EQ. 42)
Switching Frequency
There are a number of variables to consider when choosing
the switching frequency, as there are considerable effects on
the upper-MOSFET loss calculation. These effects are
outlined in “MOSFETs” on page 25, and they establish the
upper limit for the switching frequency. The lower limit is
established by the requirement for fast transient response
28
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 29
ISL6336, ISL6336A
and small output-voltage ripple as outlined in “Output Filter
Design” on page 28. Choose the lowest switching frequency
that allows the regulator to meet the transient-response
requirements.
Switching frequency is determined by the selection of the
frequency-setting resistor, R
(see “Typical Application - 5-
T
Phase Buck Converter with DCR Sensing and Integrated
TCOMP” on page 5 and “Typical Application - 4-Phase Buck
Converter with coupled inductors” on page 6). Equati on 3 is
provided to assist in selecting the correct value for R
.
T
Input Capacitor Selection
The input capacitors are responsible for sourcing the AC
component of the input current flowing into the upper
MOSFETs. Their RMS current capacity must be sufficient to
handle the AC component of the current drawn by the upper
MOSFETs that is related to duty cycle and the number of
active phases.
0.3
)
O
/I
RMS
0.2
0.3
I
O
I
RMS/
0.2
0.1
INPUT-CAPACITOR CURRENT (I
= 0.25 I
I
L(P-P)
0
00.41.00.20.60.8
O
= 0
L(P-P)
)
I
L(P-P)
I
L(P-P)
DUTY CYCLE (V
= 0.5 I
= 0.75 I
O/VIN
O
O
)
FIGURE 23. NORMALIZED INPUT- CAP ACITOR RMS CURRENT
vs DUTY CYCLE FOR 4-PHASE CONVERTER
For a two phase design, use Figure 21 to determine the
input-capacitor RMS current requirement given the duty
cycle, maximum sustained output current (I
of the per-phase peak-to-peak inductor current (I
I
. Select a bulk capacitor with a ripple current rating which
O
), and the ratio
O
L(P-P)
) to
will minimize the total number of input capacitors required to
support the RMS current calculated. The voltage rating of
the capacitors should also be at least 1.25x greater than the
maximum input voltage.
0.1
I
= 0
L(P-P)
= 0.5 I
I
L(P-P)
I
L(P-P)
INPUT-CAPACITOR CURRENT (I
0
00.41.00.20.60.8
= 0.75 I
O
O
DUTY CYCLE (V
O/VIN
)
FIGURE 21. NORMALIZED INPUT -CAP ACITOR RMS CURRENT
vs DUTY CYCLE FOR 2-PHASE CONVERTER
0.3
I
I
RMS/
0.2
0.1
INPUT-CAPACITOR CURRENT (I
= 0.25 I
I
L(P-P)
0
00.41.00.20.60.8
O
= 0
L(P-P)
)
O
I
= 0.5 I
L(P-P)
I
= 0.75 I
L(P-P)
DUTY CYCLE (VO/VIN)
O
O
FIGURE 22. NORMALIZED INPUT -CAP ACITOR RMS CURRENT
vs DUTY CYCLE FOR 3-PHASE CONVERTER
Figures 22 and 23 provide the same input RMS current
information for three and four phase designs respectively.
Use the same approach to selecting the bulk capacitor type
and number, as previously described.
Low capacitance, high-frequency ceramic capacitors are
needed in addition to the bulk capacitors to suppress leading
and falling edge voltage spikes. They result from the high
current slew rates produced by the upper MOSFETs turning
on and off. Select low ESL ceramic capacitors and place one
as close as possible to each upper MOSFET drain to
minimize board parasitic impedances and maximize
suppression. More than one of these low ESL capacitors
may be needed.
MULTIPHASE RMS IMPROVEMENT
Figure 24 is provided as a reference to demonstrate the
dramatic reductions in input-capacitor RMS current upon the
implementation of the multiphase topology. For example,
compare the input RMS current requirements of a two-phase
converter versus that of a single phase. Assume both
converters have a duty cycle of 0.25, maximum sustained
output current of 40A, and a ratio of I
single phase converter would require 17.3A
to IO of 0.5. The
L(P-P)
RMS
current
capacity while the two-phase converter would only require
10.9A
. The advantages become even more pronounced
RMS
when output current is increased and additional phases are
added to keep the component cost down relative to the
single phase approach.
29
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 30
ISL6336, ISL6336A
0.6
)
O
I
RMS/
0.4
0.2
INPUT-CAPACITOR CURRENT (I
0
FIGURE 24. NORMALIZED INPUT-CAP ACITOR RMS
I
= 0
L(P-P)
= 0.5 I
I
L(P-P)
I
L(P-P)
00.41.00.20.60.8
CURRENT vs DUTY CYCLE FOR SINGLE-PHASE
CONVERTER
O
= 0.75 I
O
DUTY CYCLE (V
O/VIN
)
Layout Considerations
The following layout strategies are intended to minimize the
impact of board parasitic impedances on con verter
performance and to optimize the heat-dissipating capabili ties
of the printed-circuit board. The following sections highlight
some important practices which should not be overlooked
during the layout process.
Component Placement
Within the allotted implementation area, orient the switching
components first. The switching components are the most
critical because they carry large amounts of energy and tend
to generate high levels of noise. Switching component
placement should take into account power dissipation. Align
the output inductors and MOSFETs such that spaces
between the components are minimized while creating the
PHASE plane. Place the Intersil MOSFET driver IC as close
as possible to the MOSFETs they control to reduce the
parasitic impedances due to trace length between critical
driver input and output signals. If possible, duplicate the
same placement of these components for each phase.
The ISL6336, ISL6336A can be placed off to one side or
centered relative to the individual phase switching
components. Routing of sense lines and PWM signals will
guide final placement. Critical small signal components to
place close to the controller include the ISEN resistors, R
T
resistor, feedback resistor, and compensation components.
Bypass capacitors for the ISL6336, ISL6336A and ISL66xx
driver bias supplies must be placed next to their respective
pins. Trace parasitic impedances will reduce their
effectiveness.
Plane Allocation and Routing
Dedicate one solid layer, usually a middle layer, for a ground
plane. Make all critical component ground connections with
vias to this plane. Dedicate one additional layer for power
planes; breaking the plane up into smaller islands of
common voltage. Use the remaining layers for signal wiring.
Route phase planes of copper filled polygons on the top and
bottom once the switching component placement is set. Size
the trace width between the driver gate pins and the
MOSFET gates to carry 4A of current. When routing
components in the switching path, use short wide traces to
reduce the associated parasitic impedances.
Voltage Regulator (VR) Design Materials
Voltage tolerance band calculation (TOB) worksheets for VR
output regulation and IMON tolerance have been developed
using the Root-Sum-Squared (RSS) method with 3-sigma
distribution data of the related components and parameters.
Note that the “Electrical Specifications” table beginning on
page 7 specifies no less than 6-sigma distribution data and
is not suitable for RSS TOB calculations. Intersil has
developed a set of worksheets to help support VR designs
and layout. Contact Intersil’s local office or field support for
the latest information.
Next, place the input and output capacitors. Position one high
frequency ceramic input capacitor next to each upper
MOSFET drain. Place the bulk input capacitors as close to the
upper MOSFET drains as dictated by the component size and
dimensions. Long distances between input cap aci tors and
MOSFET drains result in too much trace inductance and a
reduction in capacitor performance. Locate the output
capacitors between the inductors and the load, while keeping
them in close proximity to the microprocessor socket.
All Intersil U.S. products are manufactured, assembled and tested utilizing ISO9000 quality systems.
Intersil Corporation’s quality certifications can be viewed at www.intersil.com/design/quality
Intersil products are sold by description only. Intersil Corporation reserves the right to make changes in circuit design, software and/or specifications at any time without
notice. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned to verify that data sheets are current before placing orders. Information furnished by Intersil is believed to be accurate and
reliable. However, no responsibility is assumed by Intersil or its subsidiaries for its use; nor for any infringements of patents or other rights of third parties which may result
from its use. No license is granted by implicat ion or oth erwise u nde r any p a tent or p at ent r ights of Intersil or its subsidiaries.
For information regarding Intersil Corporation and its products, see www.intersil.com
30
FN6504.1
May 28, 2009
Page 31
Package Outline Drawing
L48.7x7
48 LEAD QUAD FLAT NO-LEAD PLASTIC PACKAGE
Rev 4, 10/06
7.00
6
PIN 1
INDEX AREA
ISL6336, ISL6336A
A
B
37
36
4X
44X
5.5
0.50
48
6
PIN #1 INDEX AREA
1
(4X)0.15
( 6 . 80 TYP )
( 4 . 30 )
TOP VIEW
TYPICAL RECOMMENDED LAND PATTERN
7.00
0 . 90 ± 0 . 1
( 44X 0 . 5 )
( 48X 0 . 23 )
( 48X 0 . 60 )
25
24
48X 0 . 40± 0 . 1
BOTTOM VIEW
SIDE VIEW
0 . 2 REF
C
DETAIL "X"
0 . 00 MIN.
0 . 05 MAX.
12
13
4
BASE PLANE
5
4. 30 ± 0 . 15
M0.10C AB
0.23 +0.07 / -0.05
SEE DETAIL "X"
C
C
0.10
SEATING PLANE
C0.08
31
NOTES:
Dimensions are in millimeters.1.
Dimensions in ( ) for Reference Only.
2.
Dimensioning and tolerancing conform to AMSE Y14.5m-1994.