New series of 300mA LDO voltage regulators introduced

Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH has introduced the TCR3DMxxA and TCR3EMxxA series of general-purpose, single-output voltage regulators with an on/off control input, providing a low dropout voltage and fast transient response. Both series are housed in the ultra-small DFN4D package (1mm x 1mm x 0.37mm), which allows the use of small ceramic input and output capacitors (≥1µF). This makes them appropriate for industrial applications or battery-powered systems needing high-density board assembly. Moreover, the devices provide a control pin threshold voltage (VCTH) of 0.8V (min) and support 1.2V I/Os, assisting in extending the device’s battery life.

The TCR3DMxxA series operates over a wide input voltage of 1.5V to 5.5V. The devices are obtainable in fixed output voltages between 1V and 4.5V (±1%) and can drive up to 300mA. Within the series, the dropout voltage is 216mV (typ.) with a low output noise voltage of 38µVRMS, and the ripple rejection ratio is 72dB (typ.). This allows the devices to maintain the output voltage even when the battery voltage drops. Also, since a large current output is possible at a low input voltage, devices in the series accomplish low power consumption and high-power supply efficiency. The quiescent current is 86µA (typ.), and the standby current is 0.1µA, maximising battery life.

The TCR3EMxxA series of LDO regulators operate over a wide 1.3V to 5.5V input voltage range. The devices have fixed output voltages between 0.8V and 5V (±1%) and can drive up to 300mA. Compared to the TCR3DMxxA series, the typical dropout voltage is much lower at 160mV (2.5V/150mA) with a low output noise voltage of 50µVRMS, and the ripple rejection ratio is 68dB (typ.). The ultra-low quiescent current is 35µA (typ.), and the standby current is 0.1µA for even longer battery life.

The TCR3DMxxA and TCR3EMxxA series provide overcurrent protection, thermal shutdown, an inrush current protection circuit, and an auto-discharge function to protect the power supply circuit. A reference design that employs the series of LDO regulators for a power supply circuit application is available.