TI Unveils New Thin 500mA Step-down DC-DC Converter

Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) announced what it describes as the industry’s smallest and thinnest 500mA, step-down dc-dc converter solution for space-constrained applications. The power management integrated circuit (IC) is said to be the first 6 MHz, 500mA converter to achieve a 13mm² solution size with a thin 0.6mm total height.

Leveraging TI’s analog manufacturing technology, the new TPS62601 converter achieves up to 89% power efficiency and only 30µA typical operating quiescent current – all from a 0.9 x 1.3mm chip scale package. The company claims that the synchronous, switch-mode device’s fixed frequency of 6 MHz allows the use of only one 0.47µH inductor with a height of 0.6mm and two low-cost ceramic capacitors, without compromising performance and efficiency.

"Portable system designers continue to desire more features on their devices, which require smaller, efficient dc-dc converters to maintain long battery life and system run-times," said Steve Anderson, Senior Vice President of Power Management, TI. "The TPS62601 gives portable designers access to the smallest, thinnest 500mA dc-dc solution, which simplifies design and reduces board space and time-to-market."

The TPS62601 can deliver dc voltage regulation accuracy of +/- 1.5%. In addition, the device’s excellent load transient response, wide input voltage range of 2.3 to 5.5V and 1.8 V of output allows it to effectively support single-rail voltage requirements as designers add new features and functionality. The TPS62601 supports many applications, such as memory modules, GPS modules, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules or other wireless micro-modules used in ultra-thin smart phones, digital still cameras, portable disk drives and media players.

The converter is also said to apply energy-saving techniques to help maximize battery run-time. For example, the converter automatically enters a power save mode during light-load operating conditions via an automatic pulse frequency modulation and pulse width modulation switching feature. In shutdown mode, the device’s current consumption is reduced to less than 1µA.

The TPS62601 is available in volume, and comes in a six-pin, wafer chip scale (0.9 x 1.3mm) package with a suggested resale price of $1.45 each in quantities of 1,000 units.