Intersil - Synchronous buck regulators for PoL conversion applications

Intersil has introduced a series of monolithic synchronous buck regulators. This series of step-down 5V and 3.3V main power rails has as low as 0.6V point-of-load (PoL) input to GPU, FPGA, DSP and SOC. The highly efficient ISL78233, ISL78234, and ISL78235 provide 3A, 4A, and 5A continuous output currents to infotainment hosts and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), respectively, and these currents are detected and classified using forward-looking smart cameras. Pin-compatible synchronous buck regulators allow system designers to simply change the BOM and place the right device in their PCB to address the changing load requirements of entry-level to luxury car models. The ISL7823x synchronous step-down DC-DC converter uses a current-mode control architecture to provide fast transient response and excellent loop stability. They integrate low-RDSon high-end PMOS and low-side NMOS MOSFETs to reduce the number of external components and power loss while providing 100% duty cycle operation. The ISL7823x combines a 2MHz switching frequency with a guaranteed minimum 100ns (maximum) on-time to avoid AM radio channel interference and allows designers to use low resistance inductors and smaller capacitors. The guaranteed minimum on-time of the ISL7823x series provides the wide step-down ratio required to provide a 1V POL power supply at high switching frequencies. Competitive solutions often cannot guarantee the low duty cycle required to provide application processors with very low outputs at switching frequencies higher than the AM band. The company says this increases the risk of failing to meet system designers' electromagnetic interference (EMI) requirements, resulting in costly redesigns and further testing. Philip Chesley, senior vice president of Intersil Precision Products, said: "The pin-compatible ISL7823x family provides automotive customers with a reliable point-of-load solution, manages different fill options with the same PCB layout, and provides the same PCB layout. "Our synchronous buck regulators meet the load requirements of single-, dual-, and quad-core processors in a single footprint, enabling automakers to easily distinguish models. "