New Industry Products

Vicor Launches Half-Chip PRM Regulator

June 20, 2010 by Jeff Shepard

V·I Chip, a subsidiary of Vicor Corp. announced its half-chip PRM™ regulator, the newest member of the company’s V·I Chip product line. According to the company, the PRM48BH480T200A00 offers the most power-dense solution for applications with limited space – a well suited solution for medium- to low-power applications. In its half-chip package (16.5 x 22.0 x 6.7 mm), this converter is 97% efficient at 200W with the same power density as a 400W full-size PRM.

The PRM48BH480T200A00 operates from 48Vdc (38 to 55V) to generate a regulated, adjustable 5 to 55V output. The ZVS Buck – Boost topology and high switching frequency (~1 MHz) operation are said to enable high efficiency and reduced size to reach power density over 1,300W/in3. The half-chip PRM can be used as a stand-alone, non-isolated voltage regulator or combined with full-chip or half-chip V™™ current multipliers for a complete, isolated dc-dc solution direct to the point-of-load, with extremely fast transient response and isolation to 2,250 Vdc. The half-chip PRM is well suited for server processor and memory, ATE system, and LED driver applications that require high efficiency, fast transient response, low profile, and overall design flexibility.

An external control loop and current sensor maintain regulation and enable flexibility in the design of voltage and current compensation loops for precise power delivery. All V.I Chips are compatible with standard pick-and-place and surface mount assembly processes.

"This new member of the V.I Chip portfolio not only provides power designers with a better low-power option, but offers them a building block for entire high efficiency dc-dc systems as well," said Stephen Oliver, VP of Marketing and Sales. "The new 200 W PRM regulator is scalable, can be mixed and matched with full- and half- size V.I Chips, solves complex power design challenges with a higher efficiency, and is up to 6 times smaller than previous best-in-class converters."