New Industry Products

TI Unveils New Power Management IC To Maximize Energy In Multi-Kilowatt Systems

November 26, 2007 by Jeff Shepard

Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) introduced what it claims is the industry’s first single-chip, interleaved power factor correction (PFC) control circuit for multi-kilowatt communications, server and industrial systems. The new UCC28070 two-phase, average current-mode controller is said to allow designers to simplify power design, increase system reliability and achieve a greater than 0.9 power factor rating, which improves energy efficiency.

"The increasing need for better energy management is apparent in every area of our lives, especially at the business operations level. The magnitude of power requirements for data centers and telecom systems continues to drive industry-wide efforts to reduce wasted energy and improve power quality," said Bob Mammano, power management staff technologist and TI Fellow. "Today’s announcement gives power engineers an innovative solution that raises the bar toward more efficient power supply control."

TI’s UCC28070 continuous conduction-mode controller is claimed to provide unprecedented performance and reduce system cost in applications where high efficiency and high power factor requirements are important. These range from high-end communications systems to embedded white goods motor drives in refrigerators and air conditioners to HID lighting ballasts. In line-operated systems with power levels from 75W to 1kW and above, the UCC28070 is said to help reduce total harmonic distortion, allowing today’s systems to better maximize usable outlet power and accommodate extreme variations and disturbances in various ac line voltage levels used around the world.

The device is said to help increase system reliability by incorporating a unique 180 degree interleaving method, which reduces the amount of input and output current ripple and distributes the magnetics to improve thermal management. Average current mode interleaving allows a system to achieve between 50 and 100% reduction in ripple compared to today’s typical non-interleaved PFC architectures.

The UCC28070 is available in a 20-pin TSSOP package. It is currently sampling, with volume production scheduled for January 2008. Suggested resale pricing in quantities of 100 units is $2.45.