High current density DC-DC modules offer top efficiency

Artesyn has introduced the LGA80D, a new DC-DC power module, which offers one of the highest current density ratings in the industry and market-leading efficiency of 95.5 percent typical, says the company.

With a footprint of just 25.4mm x 12.5mm, the innovative non-isolated unit offers two independent and configurable 40A, 100W outputs, which can also be combined to a single configurable 80A, 200 output. Design engineers can also generate higher current rated rails by connecting up to four units in parallel so that up to 320A can be supplied as a single power rail.

Both analog control and digital control functions are enabled on the unit, so the LGA80D can be controlled with resistors or controlled and monitored by using the industry-standard PMBus digital interface. Applications such as graphics, data or video processing, using high-power devices, such as server processors, FPGAs, supercomputers, network, storage and telecom equipment, can benefit from the current density, efficiency and flexibility of control of the LGA80D.

"As the circuit boards in telecom and data centre systems have become more complex and densely populated, every component is under pressure to provide maximum value with the additional target of reducing the physical size," said Andy Brown, DC-DC technical marketing director, Artesyn Embedded Technologies. "The key is to increase the amps per square inch current density of non-isolated converters with the objective of freeing up space that can be used to increase the computing power of a board by reducing the amount of real estate used for power conversion. Adding one square inch can make a significant difference, with the released space available to be used for additional processing functions."

The input voltage and output voltage specifications remain the same in any configuration, so the input is defined as 7.5V to 14V and the output voltage can always be adjusted within the range of 0.6V to 5.2V meaning that a broad range of semiconductor devices and applications can be supported.

For simple evaluation, configuration and monitoring, Artesyn offers a PC-based graphical software package in conjunction with an evaluation kit. Two intuitive tabs allow developers to enter the required settings for individual converters and monitor the status and parameters. The demonstration board is fitted with two LGA80D modules allowing design engineers to test independent channel, or stacked-module operation, says the company.