Application Information (Continued)
In
Figure 7
, a 50 kHz input signal is used to show the clipping
and attenuating effect of the LM4753 when coming out of
thermal shutdown.
THERMAL CONSIDERATIONS
Determining Maximum Power Dissipation
It is important to determine the maximum amount of package
power dissipation in order to choose an adequate heat sink.
Improper heat sinking can lead to premature thermal shutdown operation, causing music to cut out.
Equation (2)
can
be used to calculate the approximate maximum integrated
circuit power dissipation for your amplifier design, given the
supply voltage, and rated load, with both channels being
driven simultaneously.
P
DMAX
=
2(V
CCtot
2
/2π2RL) (2)
To ensure that a proper heat sink is chosen, be sure to take
into account the effects of the unregulated power supply voltage variation and the highly reactive load impedance variation over frequency.
A poorly regulated power supply can have a supply voltage
variation of more than 10V. Be sure to take into account the
no-load power supply voltage.
A nominally rated 8Ω load can have an impedance dip down
to 5Ω at low frequencies. As well, the load is not purely resistive, and this causes the amplifier output current to be out of
phase with the output voltage. When the current and voltage
are out of phase, the internal power dissipation actually increases.
Equation (2)
can be directly applied to the Power Dissipation
vs Output Power curves in the Typical Performance Characteristics section. However, the curves take into account quiescent power dissipation which
Equation (2)
does not. The
curves are to be used as a guideline in determining the required heat sink and are not intended to provide exact power
dissipation values.
Heat Sinking
Choosing a heat sink for a high-power audio amplifier is
made entirely to keep the die temperature below its maximum junction temperature, so that the thermal protection circuitry does not operate under normal circumstances. The
heat sink should be chosen to dissipate the maximum IC
power for the maximum no-load supply voltage and the minimum load impedance.
Referring to
Figure 8
, the thermal resistance from the die
(junction) to the outside air (ambient) is a combination of
three thermal resistances, θ
JC
, θCSand θSA. Two of these
thermal resistances are provided by National, θ
JC
and θCS.
Since convection heat flow (power dissipation) is analogous
to current flow, thermal resistance is analogous to electrical
resistance, and temperature drops are analogous to voltage
drops, the power dissipation out of the LM4753 is equal to
the following:
P
DMAX
=
(T
JMAX–TAMB
)/θ
JA
(3)
The thermal resistance, θ
JA
is equal to θJC+ θCS+ θSA,
where θ
JC
is the junction-to-case thermal resistance, θCSis
the case-to-sink thermal resistance (thermal compound),
and θ
SA
is the sink-to-ambient thermal resistance.
Once the maximum power dissipation is calculated from
Equation (2)
above, the minimum heat sink thermal resis-
tance can be calculated from
Equation (4)
below.
θ
SA
=
[(T
JMAX–TAMB
)–P
DMAX(θJC
+ θCS)]/P
DMAX
(4)
Example:
V
CC
=
+22V
R
L
=
8Ω
θ
JC
=
1˚C/W
θ
CS
=
0.5˚C/W
(1) P
DMAX
=
2((22V)
2
/2π2(8Ω))=6W
(2) θ
SA
=
[(150˚C–25˚C) – 6W(1˚C/W + 0.5˚C/W)]/6W
=
19˚C/W
Therefore, the minimum heat sink thermal resistance re-
quired is 19˚C/W for both channels being driven simultaneously at maximum power dissipation into an 8Ω load using
a +22V voltage supply.Again, remember to take into account
the unregulated supply voltage and reactive load impedance
dips.
Should it be necessary to isolate the tab of the IC from the
heat sink, an insulating washer can be used. There are many
different types of insulating washers with varying thermal resistances. Good washers can be obtained from Thermalloy
or Berquist. Refer to the References list for contact information for these manufacturers.
Supply Bypassing
The LM4753 has good power supply rejection, however, for
all power amplifiers, proper power supply bypassing is required. To prevent oscillations and instability, all op amps
and power op amps should have their supply leads bypassed with low-inductance capacitors having short leads.
All high frequency bypass capacitors should be located as
close to the package terminals as possible and have a clear
unobstructed current return path to ground. It is typical to use
capacitor values that are a factor of 100 different from each
other to minimize interaction with each other. The LM4753
should be bypassed with 0.1 µF ceramic and 100 µF tantalum capacitors for optimum performance. The 100 µF tantalum can be replaced with an electrolytic, but the bypassing
DS100043-31
FIGURE 7. Thermal Shutdown Response
DS100043-32
FIGURE 8. Thermal Model
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