ON Semi Offers New High Current Integrated Switchers for Telecom and Datacom Applications

ON Semiconductor introduced the NCP3101 and NCP3102 – two new switching regulators designed to simplify embedded designs in high density applications. The level of integration provided by these devices is said to enable customers to replace dc-dc modules with embedded designs to reduce system cost while increasing power density.

According to an industry report by Darnell Group Inc., dc-dc modules in the 5 to 10A range are experiencing the greatest dynamics and market growth. While the market for non-isolated dc-dc converter modules in this range is either declining or experiencing slowed growth, the integrated converter/regulator IC market, is expected to grow 16% between 2006 and 2011.

The NCP3102 and NCP3101 are both integrated switching regulators that are said to address the industry’s growing need for efficient high power density designs.

The NCP3102 is a 10A synchronous switching regulator that enables high efficiency power conversion from a +5 or +12V. The internal 8mΩ high-side FET (HS-FET) and 8mΩ low-side FET (LS-FET) enable efficiencies greater than 92% for typical buck applications. The NCP3102 also features an internal voltage reference of 0.8V for sub 1V operation which is now being required.

The NCP3101 is a 6A synchronous switching regulator that is pin-for-pin compatible with the NCP3102. This pin compatibility allows design engineers to scale their power solutions without having to redesign their printed circuit board (PCB). In many designs that use an FPGA for example, the final power requirements are not known until late in the design cycle. By offering true design flexibility, the NCP3101 allows the design engineer to scale up or scale down the power requirement based on the system need.

"The NCP3101 and NCP3102 enable our customers to quickly and easily reduce the cost of their systems by simply switching from an existing dc-dc module to an embedded design," said Tim Kaske, ON Semiconductor Product Line Marketing Manager for the Power Regulation Product Group. "This is especially true in FPGA designs where the current consumption is typically higher and our customers currently use a dc-dc module or other expensive integrated solution. In some cases, we have helped our customers reduce their system cost by as much as 50% with our new solution."

The NCP3102 and NCP3101 are available in commercial temperature grade as well as industrial temp grade as the NCP3102B and NCP3101B. The NCP3102 and NCP3101 are offered in a 6 x 6mm QFN package and priced at $1.90 and $1.75 respectively per unit in 10,000 unit quantities.