PCB LAYOUT GUIDELINES As in any switching regulator, the layout of the printed circuit board is very important.

Rapidly switching currents associated with wiring inductance, stray capacitance and parasitic inductance of the printed circuit board traces can generate voltage transients which can generate electromagnetic interferences (EMI) and affect the desired operation. As indicated in the igure !", to minimi#e inductance and ground loops, the length of the leads indicated by heavy lines should be $ept as short as possible. or best results, single%point grounding (as indicated) or ground plane construction should be used. &n the other hand, the '() area connected to the 'in * (emitter of the internal switch) of the +M*,-, should be $ept to a minimum in order to minimi#e coupling to sensitive circuitry. Another sensitive part of the circuit is the feedbac$. It is important to $eep the sensitive feedbac$ wiring short. .o assure this, physically locate the programming resistors near to the regulator, when using the ad/ustable version of the +M*,-, regulator.

Input Capacitor (Cin) .he Input (apacitor 0hould 1ave a +ow E0R . or stable operation of the switch mode converter a low E0R (E2uivalent 0eries Resistance) aluminium or solid tantalum bypass capacitor is needed between the input pin and the ground pin to prevent large voltage transients from appearing at the input. It must be located near the regulator and use short leads. 3ith most electrolytic capacitors, the capacitance value decreases and the E0R increases with lower temperatures. or reliable operation in temperatures below %*,4( larger values of the input capacitor may be needed. Also paralleling a ceramic or solid tantalum capacitor will increase the regulator stability at cold temperatures. RM0 (urrent Rating of (in .he important parameter of the input capacitor is the RM0 current rating. (apacitors that are physically large and have large surface area will typically have higher RM0 current ratings. or a given capacitor value, a higher voltage electrolytic capacitor will be physically larger than a lower voltage capacitor, and thus be able to dissipate more heat to the surrounding air, and therefore will have a higher RM0 current rating. .he conse2uence of operating an electrolytic capacitor above the RM0 current rating is a shortened operating life. In order to assure ma5imum capacitor operating lifetime, the capacitor6s RM0 ripple current rating should be7

I rms >!.* d I Load where d is the duty cycle, for a buc$ regulator

d=

ton Vout = T Vin

t V

out on = and d = T for a buc$boost regulator. Vout +Vin Output Capacitor (Cout) or low output ripple voltage and good stability, low E0R output capacitors are recommended. An output capacitor has two main functions7 it filters the output and provides regulator loop stability. .he E0R of the output capacitor and the pea$%to%pea$ value of the inductor ripple current are the main factors contributing to the output ripple voltage value. 0tandard aluminium electrolytics could be ade2uate for some applications but for 2uality design low E0R types are recommended. An aluminium electrolytic capacitor6s E0R value is related to many factors such as the capacitance value, the voltage rating, the physical si#e and the type of construction. In most cases, the higher voltage electrolytic capacitors have lower E0R value. &ften capacitors with much higher voltage ratings may be needed to provide low E0R values that are re2uired for low output ripple voltage. The Output Capacitor Require an ESR !a"ue That #a an Upper an$ Lo%er Li&it As mentioned above, a low E0R value is needed for low output ripple voltage, typically !8 to *8 of the output voltage. )ut if the selected capacitor6s E0R is e5tremely low (below 9.9, ), there is a possibility of an unstable feedbac$ loop, resulting in oscillation at the output. .his situation can occur when a tantalum capacitor, that can have a very low E0R, is used as the only output capacitor. At Lo% Te&perature ' Put in Para""e" A"u&iniu& E"ectro"(tic Capacitor %ith Tanta"u& Capacitor Electrolytic capacitors are not recommended for temperatures below %*,4(. .he E0R rises dramatically at cold temperatures and typically rises : times at %*,4( and as much as !9 times at %"94(. 0olid tantalum capacitors have much better E0R spec at cold temperatures and are recommended for temperatures below %*,4(. .hey can be also used in parallel with aluminium electrolytics. .he value of the tantalum capacitor should be about !98 or *98 of the total capacitance. .he output capacitor should have at least ,98 higher RM0 ripple current rating at ,* $1# than the pea$%to%pea$ inductor ripple current. Catch Dio$e Locate the Catch Dio$e C"o e to the L)*+,+ .he +M*,-, is a step%down buc$ converter; it re2uires a fast diode to provide a return path for the inductor current when the switch turns off. .his diode must be located close to the +M*,-, using short leads and short printed circuit traces to avoid EMI problems. U e a Schott-( or a So.t S%itchin/

U"tra01a t Reco2er( Dio$e 0ince the rectifier diodes are very significant source of losses within switching power supplies, choosing the rectifier that best fits into the converter design is an important process. 0chott$y diodes provide the best performance because of their fast switching speed and low forward voltage drop. .hey provide the best efficiency especially in low output voltage applications (,.9 < and lower). Another choice could be ast%Recovery, or =ltra% ast Recovery diodes. It has to be noted, that some types of these diodes with an abrupt turnoff characteristic may cause instability or EMI troubles. A fast%recovery diode with soft recovery characteristics can better fulfill a 2uality, low noise design re2uirements. .able " provides a list of suitable diodes for the +M*,-, regulator. 0tandard ,9>?9 1# rectifier diodes such as the !@"99! series or !@,"99 series are @&. suitable. In$uctor .he magnetic components are the cornerstone of all switching power supply designs. .he style of the core and the winding techni2ue used in the magnetic component6s design has a great influence on the reliability of the overall power supply. =sing an improper or poorly designed inductor can cause high voltage spi$es generated by the rate of transitions in current within the switching power supply, and the possibility of core saturation can arise during an abnormal operational mode. <oltage spi$es can cause the semiconductors to enter avalanche brea$down and the part can instantly fail if enough energy is applied. It can also cause significant R I (Radio re2uency Interference) and EMI (Electro%Magnetic Interference) problems.