Synchronous buck regulators for PoL conversion applications

Intersil has introduced a family of monolithic synchronous buck regulators that step-down 5V and 3.3V primary rails to point-of-load (PoL) inputs as low as 0.6V for GPUs, FPGAs, DSPs and SOCs. The highly-efficient ISL78233, ISL78234 and ISL78235 deliver 3A, 4A and 5A, respectively, of continuous output current to infotainment head units and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) employing forward-looking smart cameras to detect and classify objects. The pin-compatible sync buck regulators allow system designers to make a simple BOM change and drop in the right device to their PCB to address the varying load requirements of entry-level to luxury car models. The ISL7823x synchronous step-down DC-DC converters use a current-mode control architecture to deliver fast transient response and excellent loop stability. They integrate low RDSon high-side PMOS and low-side NMOS MOSFETs to reduce external component count and power losses while offering 100% duty cycle operation. The ISL7823x combine a switching frequency of 2MHz with guaranteed 100ns (max) minimum on time to avoid AM radio channel interference and allow designers to use lower value inductors and smaller capacitors. The ISL7823x family’s guaranteed minimum on time provides the wide step-down ratio necessary to deliver a 1V POL supply at high switching frequencies. Competing solutions often do not guarantee the low duty cycle needed to deliver very low outputs to the applications processor at switching frequencies above the AM band. This increases the risk of failing the system designer’s electromagnetic interference (EMI) requirements, which leads to costly redesigns and further testing, says the company. “The pin-compatible ISL7823x family provides automotive customers a reliable point-of-load solution to manage different stuffing options with the same PCB layout for their entire new vehicle line up,” said Philip Chesley, senior vice president, precision products, Intersil. “Our sync buck regulators address the load requirements of single-, dual- and quad-core processors in a single footprint, allowing carmakers to easily differentiate models.”