Analog Devices Dual Buck Regulator Reduces Component Count & Board Space in Portable Systems
Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) introduced the industry’s smallest dual buck (step-down) regulator for space-constrained portable electronic systems. At just 2 x 2 x 0.6mm, the dual 600mA ADP5022 high performance step-down converter is half the size of competing devices yet includes an additional 150mA on-chip LDO (low dropout regulator), a convenient feature for powering auxiliary rails.
According to the company, the high level of integration and small package size enables a cost-effective, ultra-small, power management unit for portable instruments, smart energy meters, smart phones and other power-sensitive equipment that requires thin packages. The combination of small size, low-noise architecture and high switching frequency also make the ADP5022 ideal for powering sensitive analog circuits like high-resolution ADCs (analog-to-digital converters).
The 3-MHz (megahertz) regulators included in the ADP5022 provide fixed-voltage outputs and internal compensation, delivering exceptional efficiency and performance while minimizing the external filter size and eliminating as many as 12 discrete components from system board design.
To maintain high efficiency at both light and heavy loads, the ADP5022 automatically shifts between PWM (pulse-width modulation) mode and PSM (power-save mode). The MODE pin can be used to force the device into PWM mode across all loads.
The ADP5022 provides important features that help enable the design of high efficiency noise sensitive analog and RF systems. A key to designing sensitive analog circuits is getting the regulator physically close to the load. The compact size of ADP5022 allows the system designer to place the power regulation right alongside the point of load, minimizing PCB parasitics. The buck regulators employ a low-noise driver technique, high switching speed and out of phase clocking to further reduce noise. These features, along with the integrated high PSRR LDO, provide an ideal solution to power high-performance analog and digital loads (high-speed, high-resolution data converters, for example).
Key features include: small 2 x 2mm 16-lead WLCSP package; dual buck regulators feature current mode architecture for what is described as excellent transient response; out-of-phase operation for reduced input filtering; low-noise driver architecture for lower high-frequency switching content; low, 24A typical quiescent current per channel, no switching; 150mA LDO enables auxiliary analog rail, high PSRR (power supply rejection ratio) of 60 dB up to 10 kHz, and low 65V rms output noise at VOUT3 = 3.3V.
The ADP5022 is priced (per 100,000) at $0.65.
