LP3856-ADJ
3A Fast Response Ultra Low Dropout Linear Regulators
LP3856-ADJ 3A Fast Response Ultra Low Dropout Linear Regulators
July 2005
General Description
The LP3856-ADJ fast ultra low-dropout linear regulators operate from a +2.5V to +7.0V input supply. These ultra low
dropout linear regulators respond very quickly to step
changes in load, which makes them suitable for low voltage
microprocessor applications. The LP3856-ADJ is developed
on a CMOS process which allows low quiescent current
operation independent of output load current. This CMOS
process also allows the LP3856-ADJ to operate under extremely low dropout conditions.
Dropout Voltage: Ultra low dropout voltage; typically 39mV
at 300mA load current and 390mV at 3A load current.
Ground Pin Current: Typically 4mA at 3A load current.
Shutdown Mode: Typically 10nA quiescent current when
the shutdown pin is pulled low.
Adjustable Output Voltage: The output voltage may be
programmed via two external resistors.
Typical Application Circuit
Features
n Ultra low dropout voltage
n Stable with selected ceramic capacitors
n Low ground pin current
n Load regulation of 0.08%
n 10nA quiescent current in shutdown mode
n Guaranteed output current of 3A DC
n Available in TO-263 and TO-220 packages
n Overtemperature/overcurrent protection
n −40˚C to +125˚C junction temperature range
Applications
n Microprocessor power supplies
n GTL, GTL+, BTL, and SSTL bus terminators
n Power supplies for DSPs
n SCSI terminator
n Post regulators
n High efficiency linear regulators
n Battery chargers
n Other battery powered applications
Package Type Designator is "T" for TO220 package, and "S" for TO263 package.
20074231
TABLE 1. Package Marking and Ordering Information
Output
VoltageOrder Number
Current
Description
Package
TypePackage MarkingSupplied As:
ADJLP3856ES-ADJ3ATO263-5LP3856ES-ADJRail
ADJLP3856ESX-ADJ3ATO263-5LP3856ES-ADJTape and Reel
ADJLP3856ET-ADJ3ATO220-5LP3856ET-ADJRail
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Block Diagram
LP3856-ADJ
LP3856-ADJ
20074229
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Absolute Maximum Ratings (Note 1)
I
(Survival)Short Circuit Protected
OUT
If Military/Aerospace specified devices are required,
please contact the National Semiconductor Sales Office/
Distributors for availability and specifications.
LP3856-ADJ
Operating Ratings
Storage Temperature Range−65˚C to +150˚C
Lead Temperature
(Soldering, 5 sec.)260˚C
ESD Rating (Note 3)2 kV
Power Dissipation (Note 2)Internally Limited
Input Supply Voltage (Survival)−0.3V to +7.5V
Shutdown Input Voltage
Input Supply Voltage (Operating),
(Note 10)2.5V to 7.0V
Shutdown Input Voltage
(Operating)−0.3V to 7.0V
Maximum Operating Current (DC)3A
Operating Junction Temp. Range−40˚C to +125˚C
(Survival)−0.3V to 7.5V
Output Voltage (Survival), (Note
6), (Note 7)−0.3V to +6.0V
Electrical Characteristics
LP3856-ADJ
Limits in standard typeface are for TJ= 25˚C, and limits in boldface type apply over the full operating temperature range.
Unless otherwise specified: V
IN=VO(NOM)
+ 1V, IL= 10 mA, C
SymbolParameterConditionsTyp
V
+1V ≤ VIN≤ 7V
V
∆V
ADJ
I
ADJ
OL
Adjust Pin Voltage
Adjust Pin Input Current
Output Voltage Line
OUT
10 mA ≤ I
V
OUT
10 mA ≤ I
V
OUT
≤ 3A
L
+1V ≤ VIN≤ 7V
≤ 3A
L
+1V ≤ VIN≤ 7.0V0.02
Regulation (Note 8)
∆V
/ ∆I
O
OUT
Output Voltage Load
10 mA ≤ I
≤ 3A0.08
L
Regulation
(Note 8)
I
V
IN-VOUT
= 300 mA3955
L
Dropout Voltage
I
I
I
O(PK)
GND
GND
(Note 9)
Ground Pin Current In
Normal Operation Mode
Ground Pin Current In
Shutdown Mode
Peak Output CurrentVO≥ V
= 3A390500
I
L
= 300 mA49
I
L
IL=3A49
VSD≤ 0.3V0.0110µA
-40˚C ≤ T
≤ 85˚C50
J
O(NOM)
Short Circuit Protection
I
SC
Short Circuit Current6A
= 10µF, VSD= 2V.
OUT
LP3856-ADJ
(Note 4)
(Note 5)
MinMax
1.216
1.198
1.180
1.234
1.253
10100nA
0.06
0.14
75
700
10
10
- 4%4.5A
Units
V
%
%
mV
mA
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Electrical Characteristics
LP3856-ADJ
Limits in standard typeface are for TJ= 25˚C, and limits in boldface type apply over the full operating temperature range.
Unless otherwise specified: V
SymbolParameterConditionsTyp
Shutdown Input
V
SDT
T
dOFF
T
dON
I
SD
AC Parameters
PSRRRipple Rejection
ρ
n(l/f
e
n
Note 1: Absolute maximum ratings indicate limits beyond which damage to the device may occur. Operating ratings indicate conditions for which the device is
intended to be functional, but does not guarantee specific performance limits. For guaranteed specifications and test conditions, see Electrical Characteristics. The
guaranteed specifications apply only for the test conditions listed. Some performance characteristics may degrade when the device is not operated under the listed
test conditions.
Note 2: At elevated temperatures, devices must be derated based on package thermal resistance. The devices in TO220 package must be derated at θ
(with 0.5in
0.5in
Note 3: The human body model is a 100pF capacitor discharged through a 1.5kΩ resistor into each pin.
Note 4: Typical numbers are at 25˚C and represent the most likely parametric norm.
Note 5: Limits are guaranteed by testing, design, or statistical correlation.
Note 6: If used in a dual-supply system where the regulator load is returned to a negative supply, the output must be diode-clamped to ground.
Note 7: The output PMOS structure contains a diode between the V
if the voltage at the output terminal is forced to be higher than the voltage at the input terminal. This diode can typically withstand 200mA of DC current and 1Amp
of peak current.
Note 8: Output voltage line regulation is defined as the change in output voltage from the nominal value due to change in the input line voltage. Output voltage load
regulation is defined as the change in output voltage from the nominal value due to change in load current.
Note 9: Dropout voltage is defined as the minimum input to output differential voltage at which the output drops 2% below the nominal value. Dropout voltage
specification applies only to output voltages of 2.5V and above. For output voltages below 2.5V, the drop-out voltage is nothing but the input to output differential,
since the minimum input voltage is 2.5V.
Note 10: The minimum operating value for V
2
, 1oz. copper area), junction-to-ambient (with no heat sink). The devices in the TO263 surface-mount package must be derated at θjA= 60˚C/W (with
2
, 1oz. copper area), junction-to-ambient. See Application Hints.
(Continued)
IN=VO(NOM)
+ 1V, IL= 10 mA, C
= 10µF, VSD= 2V.
OUT
(Note 4)
LP3856-ADJ
(Note 5)
Units
MinMax
Shutdown Threshold
Output = HighV
IN
Output = Low00.3
2
V
Turn-off delayIL=3A20µs
Turn-on delayIL=3A25µs
SD Input CurrentVSD=V
V
IN=VOUT
= 10uF
C
OUT
= 3.3V, f = 120Hz
V
OUT
V
IN=VOUT
= 10uF
C
OUT
= 3.3V, f = 120Hz
V
OUT
IN
+1V
+ 0.5V
1nA
73
57
dB
Output Noise Densityf = 120Hz0.8µV
150
100
µV (rms)
= 50˚C/W
jA
Output Noise Voltage
BW = 10Hz – 100kHz
V
BW = 300Hz – 300kHz
V
is equal to either [V
IN
= 2.5V
OUT
= 2.5V
OUT
and V
IN
OUT(NOM)+VDROPOUT
terminals. This diode is normally reverse biased. This diode will get forward biased
OUT
] or 2.5V, whichever is greater.
LP3856-ADJ
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Typical Performance Characteristics Unless otherwise specified: T
= 10µF, S/D pin is tied to VIN,V
C
IN
LP3856-ADJ
Dropout Voltage vs Output Load Current
= 2.5V, VIN=V
OUT
+ 1V, IL=10mA.
O(NOM)
Ground Current vs Output Load Current
= 25˚C, C
J
V
OUT
=5V
OUT
= 10µF,
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Ground Current vs Output Voltage
IL=3AShutdown I
20074254
vs Junction Temperature
Q
DC Load Reg. vs Junction TemperatureDC Line Regulation vs Temperature
20074253
20074255
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LP3856-ADJ
Typical Performance Characteristics Unless otherwise specified: T
= 10µF, S/D pin is tied to VIN,V
C
IN
V
vs V
IN
OUT
Load Transient Response
C
IN=COUT
Over TemperatureNoise vs Frequency
= 10µF, OSCON
= 2.5V, VIN=V
OUT
20074260
+ 1V, IL= 10 mA. (Continued)
O(NOM)
Load Transient Response
CIN=C
OUT
= 25˚C, C
J
OUT
= 100µF, OSCON
= 10µF,
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Load Transient Response
C
IN=COUT
= 100µF, POSCAP
2007427120074272
Load Transient Response
CIN=C
20074273
= 10µF, TANTALUM
OUT
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Typical Performance Characteristics Unless otherwise specified: T
= 10µF, S/D pin is tied to VIN,V
C
IN
= 2.5V, VIN=V
OUT
+ 1V, IL= 10 mA. (Continued)
O(NOM)
= 25˚C, C
J
OUT
= 10µF,
LP3856-ADJ
Load Transient Response
C
IN=COUT
= 100µF, TANTALUM
Load Transient Response
C
IN=COUT
= 100µF, OSCON
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Load Transient Response
CIN=C
= 10µF, OSCON
OUT
Load Transient Response
CIN=C
= 100µF, POSCAP
OUT
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Load Transient Response
C
IN=COUT
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= 10µF, TANTALUM
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Load Transient Response
CIN=C
= 10µF, TANTALUM
OUT
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LP3856-ADJ
Typical Performance Characteristics Unless otherwise specified: T
= 10µF, S/D pin is tied to VIN,V
C
IN
Load Transient Response
C
= 4 x 10µF CERAMIC
IN
= 3 x 10µF CERAMIC
C
OUT
Load Transient Response
= 2 x 10µF CERAMIC
C
IN
= 2 x 10µF CERAMIC
C
OUT
= 2.5V, VIN=V
OUT
20074291
+ 1V, IL= 10 mA. (Continued)
O(NOM)
Load Transient Response
C
= 4 x 10µF CERAMIC
IN
= 3 x 10µF CERAMIC
C
OUT
Load Transient Response
C
= 2 x 10µF CERAMIC
IN
= 2 x 10µF CERAMIC
C
OUT
= 25˚C, C
J
OUT
= 10µF,
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Application Hints
SETTING THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE
The output voltage is set using the resistors R1 and R2 (see
Typical Application Circuit). The output is also dependent on
LP3856-ADJ
the reference voltage (typically 1.216V) which is measured
at the ADJ pin. The output voltage is given by the equation:
V
OUT=VADJ
This equation does not include errors due to the bias current
flowing in the ADJ pin which is typically about 10 nA. This
error term is negligible for most applications. If R1 is
100kΩ , a small error may be introduced by the ADJ bias
current.
The tolerance of the external resistors used contributes a
significant error to the output voltage accuracy, with 1%
resistors typically adding a total error of approximately 1.4%
to the output voltage (this error is in addition to the tolerance
of the reference voltage at V
EXTERNAL CAPACITORS
Like any low-dropout regulator, external capacitors are required to assure stability. these capacitors must be correctly
selected for proper performance.
INPUT CAPACITOR: An input capacitor of at least 10µF is
required. Ceramic or Tantalum may be used, and capacitance may be increased without limit
OUTPUT CAPACITOR: An output capacitor is required for
loop stability. It must be located less than 1 cm from the
device and connected directly to the output and ground pins
using traces which have no other currents flowing through
them (see PCB Layout section).
The minimum amount of output capacitance that can be
used for stable operation is 10µF. For general usage across
all load currents and operating conditions, the part was
characterized using a 10µF Tantalum input capacitor. The
minimum and maximum stable ESR range for the output
capacitor was then measured which kept the device stable,
assuming any output capacitor whose value is greater than
10µF (see Figure 1 below).
x(1+R1/R2)
).
ADJ
suming that sufficient ceramic input capacitance is provided.
This will allow stable operation using ceramic output capacitors (see next section).
OPERATION WITH CERAMIC OUTPUT CAPACITORS
LP385X voltage regulators can operate with ceramic output
capacitors if the values of input and output capacitors are
selected appropriately. The total ceramic output capacitance
>
must be equal to or less than a specified maximum value in
order for the regulator to remain stable over all operating
conditions. This maximum amount of ceramic output capacitance is dependent upon the amount of ceramic input capacitance used as well as the load current of the application.
This relationship is shown in Figure 2, which graphs the
maximum stable value of ceramic output capacitance as a
function of ceramic input capacitance for load currents of 1A,
2A, and 3A. For example, if the maximum load current is 1A,
a 10µF ceramic input capacitor will allow stable operation for
values of ceramic output capacitance from 10µF up to about
500µF.
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20074270
FIGURE 1. ESR Curve for C
(with 10µF Tantalum
OUT
Input Capacitor)
It should be noted that it is possible to operate the part with
an output capacitor whose ESR is below these limits, as-
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FIGURE 2. Maximum Ceramic Output Capacitance vs
Ceramic Input Capacitance
If the maximum load current is 2A and a 10µF ceramic input
capacitor is used, the regulator will be stable with ceramic
output capacitor values from 10µF up to about 50µF. At 3A of
load current, the ratio of input to output capacitance required
approaches 1:1, meaning that whatever amount of ceramic
output capacitance is used must also be provided at the
input for stable operation. For load currents between 1A, 2A,
and 3A, interpolation may be used to approximate values on
the graph. When calculating the total ceramic output capacitance present in an application, it is necessary to include any
ceramic bypass capacitors connected to the regulator output.
(Feed Forward Capacitor)
C
FF
The capacitor C
is required to add phase lead and help
FF
improve loop compensation. The correct amount of capacitance depends on the value selected for R1 (see Typical
Application Circuit). The capacitor should be selected such
that the zero frequency as given by the equation shown
below is approximately 45 kHz:
Fz = 45,000=1/(2xπ xR1xC
)
FF
Application Hints (Continued)
A good quality ceramic with X5R or X7R dielectric should be
used for this capacitor.
SELECTING A CAPACITOR
It is important to note that capacitance tolerance and variation with temperature must be taken into consideration when
selecting a capacitor so that the minimum required amount
of capacitance is provided over the full operating temperature range. In general, a good Tantalum capacitor will show
very little capacitance variation with temperature, but a ceramic may not be as good (depending on dielectric type).
Aluminum electrolytics also typically have large temperature
variation of capacitance value.
Equally important to consider is a capacitor’s ESR change
with temperature: this is not an issue with ceramics, as their
ESR is extremely low. However, it is very important in Tantalum and aluminum electrolytic capacitors. Both show increasing ESR at colder temperatures, but the increase in
aluminum electrolytic capacitors is so severe they may not
be feasible for some applications (see Capacitor Characteristics Section).
CAPACITOR CHARACTERISTICS
CERAMIC: For values of capacitance in the 10 to 100 µF
range, ceramics are usually larger and more costly than
tantalums but give superior AC performance for bypassing
high frequency noise because of very low ESR (typically less
than 10 mΩ). However, some dielectric types do not have
good capacitance characteristics as a function of voltage
and temperature.
Z5U and Y5V dielectric ceramics have capacitance that
drops severely with applied voltage. A typical Z5U or Y5V
capacitor can lose 60% of its rated capacitance with half of
the rated voltage applied to it. The Z5U and Y5V also exhibit
a severe temperature effect, losing more than 50% of nominal capacitance at high and low limits of the temperature
range.
X7R and X5R dielectric ceramic capacitors are strongly recommended if ceramics are used, as they typically maintain a
capacitance range within
ing ratings of temperature and voltage. Of course, they are
typically larger and more costly than Z5U/Y5U types for a
given voltage and capacitance.
TANTALUM: Solid Tantalum capacitors are typically recommended for use on the output because their ESR is very
close to the ideal value required for loop compensation.
Tantalums also have good temperature stability: a good
quality Tantalum will typically show a capacitance value that
varies less than 10-15% across the full temperature range of
125˚C to −40˚C. ESR will vary only about 2X going from the
high to low temperature limits.
The increasing ESR at lower temperatures can cause oscillations when marginal quality capacitors are used (if the ESR
of the capacitor is near the upper limit of the stability range at
room temperature).
ALUMINUM: This capacitor type offers the most capacitance for the money. The disadvantages are that they are
larger in physical size, not widely available in surface mount,
and have poor AC performance (especially at higher frequencies) due to higher ESR and ESL.
Compared by size, the ESR of an aluminum electrolytic is
higher than either Tantalum or ceramic, and it also varies
±
20% of nominal over full operat-
greatly with temperature. A typical aluminum electrolytic can
exhibit an ESR increase of as much as 50X when going from
25˚C down to −40˚C.
It should also be noted that many aluminum electrolytics only
specify impedance at a frequency of 120 Hz, which indicates
they have poor high frequency performance. Only aluminum
electrolytics that have an impedance specified at a higher
frequency (between 20 kHz and 100 kHz) should be used for
the LP385X. Derating must be applied to the manufacturer’s
ESR specification, since it is typically only valid at room
temperature.
Any applications using aluminum electrolytics should be
thoroughly tested at the lowest ambient operating temperature where ESR is maximum.
PCB LAYOUT
Good PC layout practices must be used or instability can be
induced because of ground loops and voltage drops. The
input and output capacitors must be directly connected to the
input, output, and ground pins of the LP3856-ADJ using
traces which do not have other currents flowing in them
(Kelvin connect).
The best way to do this is to lay out C
device with short traces to the V
IN,VOUT
and C
IN
, and ground pins.
OUT
near the
The regulator ground pin should be connected to the external circuit ground so that the regulator and its capacitors
have a "single point ground".
It should be noted that stability problems have been seen in
applications where "vias" to an internal ground plane were
used at the ground points of the IC and the input and output
capacitors. This was caused by varying ground potentials at
these nodes resulting from current flowing through the
ground plane. Using a single point ground technique for the
regulator and it’s capacitors fixed the problem.
Since high current flows through the traces going into V
and coming from V
, Kelvin connect the capacitor leads to
OUT
these pins so there is no voltage drop in series with the input
and output capacitors.
RFI/EMI SUSCEPTIBILITY
RFI (radio frequency interference) and EMI (electromagnetic
interference) can degrade any integrated circuit’s performance because of the small dimensions of the geometries
inside the device. In applications where circuit sources are
present which generate signals with significant high fre-
>
quency energy content (
1 MHz), care must be taken to
ensure that this does not affect the IC regulator.
If RFI/EMI noise is present on the input side of the regulator
(such as applications where the input source comes from the
output of a switching regulator), good ceramic bypass capacitors must be used at the input pin of the IC.
If a load is connected to the IC output which switches at high
speed (such as a clock), the high-frequency current pulses
required by the load must be supplied by the capacitors on
the IC output. Since the bandwidth of the regulator loop is
less than 100 kHz, the control circuitry cannot respond to
load changes above that frequency. The means the effective
output impedance of the IC at frequencies above 100 kHz is
determined only by the output capacitor(s).
In applications where the load is switching at high speed, the
output of the IC may need RF isolation from the load. It is
recommended that some inductance be placed between the
output capacitor and the load, and good RF bypass capacitors be placed directly across the load.
LP3856-ADJ
IN
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Application Hints (Continued)
PCB layout is also critical in high noise environments, since
RFI/EMI is easily radiated directly into PC traces. Noisy
circuitry should be isolated from "clean" circuits where pos-
LP3856-ADJ
sible, and grounded through a separate path. At MHz frequencies, ground planes begin to look inductive and RFI/
EMI can cause ground bounce across the ground plane.
In multi-layer PCB applications, care should be taken in
layout so that noisy power and ground planes do not radiate
directly into adjacent layers which carry analog power and
ground.
OUTPUT NOISE
Noise is specified in two waysSpot Noise or Output noise density is the RMS sum of all
noise sources, measured at the regulator output, at a specific frequency (measured with a 1Hz bandwidth). This type
of noise is usually plotted on a curve as a function of frequency.
Total output Noise or Broad-band noise is the RMS sum
of spot noise over a specified bandwidth, usually several
decades of frequencies.
Attention should be paid to the units of measurement. Spot
noise is measured in units µV/
noise is measured in µV(rms).
The primary source of noise in low-dropout regulators is the
internal reference. In CMOS regulators, noise has a low
frequency component and a high frequency component,
which depend strongly on the silicon area and quiescent
current. Noise can be reduced in two ways: by increasing the
transistor area or by increasing the current drawn by the
internal reference. Increasing the area will decrease the
chance of fitting the die into a smaller package. Increasing
the current drawn by the internal reference increases the
total supply current (ground pin current). Using an optimized
trade-off of ground pin current and die size, LP3856-ADJ
achieves low noise performance and low quiescent current
operation.
The total output noise specification for LP3856-ADJ is presented in the Electrical Characteristics table. The Output
noise density at different frequencies is represented by a
curve under typical performance characteristics.
SHORT-CIRCUIT PROTECTION
The LP3856-ADJ is short circuit protected and in the event of
a peak over-current condition, the short-circuit control loop
will rapidly drive the output PMOS pass element off. Once
the power pass element shuts down, the control loop will
rapidly cycle the output on and off until the average power
dissipation causes the thermal shutdown circuit to respond
to servo the on/off cycling to a lower frequency. Please refer
to the section on thermal information for power dissipation
calculations.
SHUTDOWN OPERATION
A CMOS Logic level signal at the shutdown ( SD) pin will
turn-off the regulator. Pin SD must be actively terminated
through a 10kΩ pull-up resistor for a proper operation. If this
pin is driven from a source that actively pulls high and low
(such as a CMOS rail to rail comparator), the pull-up resistor
is not required. This pin must be tied to Vin if not used.
√
Hz or nV/√Hz and total output
DROPOUT VOLTAGE
The dropout voltage of a regulator is defined as the minimum
input-to-output differential required to stay within 2% of the
nominal output voltage. For CMOS LDOs, the dropout voltage is the product of the load current and the Rds(on) of the
internal MOSFET.
REVERSE CURRENT PATH
The internal MOSFET in LP3856-ADJ has an inherent parasitic diode. During normal operation, the input voltage is
higher than the output voltage and the parasitic diode is
reverse biased. However, if the output is pulled above the
input in an application, then current flows from the output to
the input as the parasitic diode gets forward biased. The
output can be pulled above the input as long as the current
in the parasitic diode is limited to 200mA continuous and 1A
peak.
POWER DISSIPATION/HEATSINKING
The LP3856-ADJ can deliver a continuous current of 3A over
the full operating temperature range. A heatsink may be
required depending on the maximum power dissipation and
maximum ambient temperature of the application. Under all
possible conditions, the junction temperature must be within
the range specified under operating conditions. The total
power dissipation of the device is given by:
=(VIN−V
P
D
where I
OUT)IOUT
is the operating ground current of the device
GND
+(VIN)I
GND
(specified under Electrical Characteristics).
The maximum allowable temperature rise (T
on the maximum ambient temperature (T
Rmax
) of the appli-
Amax
) depends
cation, and the maximum allowable junction temperature
):
(T
Jmax
T
Rmax=TJmax−TAmax
The maximum allowable value for junction to ambient Thermal Resistance, θ
θ
JA=TRmax/PD
, can be calculated using the formula:
JA
LP3856-ADJ is available in TO-220 and TO-263 packages.
The thermal resistance depends on amount of copper area
or heat sink, and on air flow. If the maximum allowable value
calculated above is ≥ 60 ˚C/W for TO-220 package
of θ
JA
and ≥ 60 ˚C/W for TO-263 package no heatsink is needed
since the package can dissipate enough heat to satisfy these
requirements. If the value for allowable θ
falls below these
JA
limits, a heat sink is required.
HEATSINKING TO-220 PACKAGE
The thermal resistance of a TO220 package can be reduced
by attaching it to a heat sink or a copper plane on a PC
board. If a copper plane is to be used, the values of θ
will
JA
be same as shown in next section for TO263 package.
The heatsink to be used in the application should have a
heatsink to ambient thermal resistance,
θ
HA≤θJA
In this equation, θ
to the surface of the heat sink and θ
tance from the junction to the surface of the case. θ
about 3˚C/W for a TO220 package. The value for θ
pends on method of attachment, insulator, etc. θ
− θCH− θJC.
CH
is the thermal resistance from the case
is the thermal resis-
JC
JC
de-
CH
varies
CH
between 1.5˚C/W to 2.5˚C/W. If the exact value is unknown,
2˚C/W can be assumed.
is
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Application Hints (Continued)
HEATSINKING TO-263 PACKAGE
The TO-263 package uses the copper plane on the PCB as
a heatsink. The tab of these packages are soldered to the
copper plane for heat sinking. Figure 3 shows a curve for the
of TO-263 package for different copper area sizes, using
θ
JA
a typical PCB with 1 ounce copper and no solder mask over
the copper area for heat sinking.
20074232
FIGURE 3. θJAvs Copper (1 Ounce) Area for TO-263
package
As shown in the figure, increasing the copper area beyond 1
square inch produces very little improvement. The minimum
value for θ
for the TO-263 package mounted to a PCB is
JA
32˚C/W.
Figure 4 shows the maximum allowable power dissipation
for TO-263 packages for different ambient temperatures,
assuming θ
LP3856-ADJ 3A Fast Response Ultra Low Dropout Linear Regulators
TO263 5-Lead, Molded, Surface Mount Package (TO263-5)
NS Package Number TS5B
For Order Numbers, refer to the “Ordering Information” section of this document.
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the right at any time without notice to change said circuitry and specifications.
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