Enpirion Introduces Ultra-Integrated DC-DC Buck Converter for Low-Power and Portable Applications
Enpirion, Inc. unveiled its new line of ultra-integrated buck converters for low-power and portable applications, Which the company claims moves the footprint versus efficiency curve to its theoretical limit. The result halves the footprint area without compromising power efficiency. Enpirion also claims that its low-power products are the world's smallest power systems on silicon, integrating a PWM controller, MOSFET switches, compensation network, and a power inductor, in a single 5 mm x 4 mm x 1.1 mm QFN package. They are well-suited for portable handheld applications like smart phones, personal media players, mobile gaming platforms, and any products where space is at a premium.
Enpirion claims that its power devices represent the first major innovation in integrated power conversion technology in over a decade. The small footprint and low part count of the EP53x2Q chips make them a suitable choice for flexible portable system architectures where designers need to populate a diverse range of features tailored to specific customer requirements. The Enpirion devices are key in the ongoing trend to replace inefficient linear regulators with switching converters, extending battery life as performance and functionality increase.
"Enpirion has targeted an important segment of the market with these new products," stated Jeff Shepard, President of Darnell Group, Inc. "These three devices span about 30% of the market for discrete dc-dc converters. Sales of discrete converters between 0.5A and 1A will be about 2.2 billion units in 2006."
The EP53x2Q converters operate at up to 5 MHz switching frequency, which reduces the size of filter components and enables an order of magnitude improvement in transient performance. The 5mV peak-to-peak output voltage ripple is suitable to portable applications with sensitive RF subsystems. The integrated compensation network affords stability over all operating conditions with 10uF to 60 uF of output filter capacitance. The EP53x2Q family of buck converters requires two ceramic filter capacitors for a complete solution. These devices have impressive transient performance and low output ripple.
The EP53x2Q family supports load currents of 500 mA, 600 mA, and 800 mA. The voltage output for the EP53x2Q is programmed using a 3-pin voltage select scheme allowing the designer to chose from one of seven pre-defined voltages, or an external divider may be used. The voltage select pins can be changed on the fly to implement dynamic voltage scaling.
The EP53x2Q power devices are available immediately. Pricing in quantities of 1,000 units is $1.61 for the 800 mA version, $1.55 for the 600 mA version and $1.50 for the 500 mA version.
