Synchronous buck converter offers high-frequency operation in a small package

Texas Instruments TPS546D24A SWIFT Synchronous Buck Converter is a highly integrated, non-isolated DC-DC converter offering high-frequency operation and 40A current output in a 7mm x 5mm package. Two to four of these devices can be interconnected to produce up to 160A on a single output. The device provides an option to overdrive the internal 5V LDO with an external 5V supply through the VDD5 pin to increase efficiency and decrease the power dissipation of the converter. The device employs a proprietary fixed-frequency current-mode control with input feedforward and selectable internal compensation components for minimum size and stability across a broad range of output capacitances.

The PMBus interface with 1MHz clock support provides a convenient, standardised digital interface for converter configuration. It also monitors key parameters, comprising output current, output voltage, and internal die temperature. Response to fault conditions can be set to latch-off, restart, or ignore, depending on system demands. Back-channel communication within stacked devices facilitates all converters powering a single output rail to share a single address to simplify the system software/firmware design. Key parameters incorporate output voltage, soft-start time, switching frequency, and overcurrent fault limits can also be set through BOM selection with no PMBus communication to support program-free power-up.