
Design of Power Management Integrated Circuits
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Comprehensive resource on power management ICs affording new levels of functionality and applications with cost reduction in various fields
Design of Power Management Integrated Circuits is a comprehensive reference for power management IC design, covering the circuit design of main power management circuits like linear and switched-mode voltage regulators, along with sub-circuits such as power switches, gate drivers and their supply, level shifters, the error amplifier, current sensing, and control loop design. Circuits for protection and diagnostics, as well as aspects of the physical design like lateral and vertical power delivery, pin-out, floor planning, grounding/supply guidelines, and packaging, are also addressed. A full chapter is dedicated to the design of integrated passives. The text illustrates the application of power management integrated circuits (PMIC) to growth areas like computing, the Internet of Things, mobility, and renewable energy.
Includes numerous real-world examples, case studies, and exercises illustrating key design concepts and techniques.
Offering a unique insight into this rapidly evolving technology through the author's experience developing PMICs in both the industrial and academic environment, Design of Power Management Integrated Circuits includes information on:
* Capacitive, inductive and hybrid DC-DC converters and their essential circuit blocks, covering error amplifiers, comparators, and ramp generators
* Sensing, protection, and diagnostics, covering thermal protection, inductive loads and clamping structures, under-voltage, reference and power-on reset generation
* Integrated MOS, MOM and MIM capacitors, integrated inductors
* Control loop design and PWM generation ensuring stability and fast transient response; subharmonic oscillations in current mode control (analysis and circuit design for slope compensation)
* DC behavior and DC-related circuit design, covering power efficiency, line and load regulation, error amplifier, dropout, and power transistor sizing
* Commonly used level shifters (including sizing rules) and cascaded (tapered) driver sizing and optimization guidelines
* Optimizing the physical design considering packaging, floor planning, EMI, pinout, PCB design and thermal design
Design of Power Management Integrated Circuits is an essential resource on the subject for circuit designers/IC designers, system engineers, and application engineers, along with advanced undergraduate students and graduate students in related programs of study.
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Bernhard Wicht, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany.
Bernhard Wicht is a Full Professor of mixed-signal integrated circuit design at Leibniz University Hannover. Between 2003 and 2010, he was with Texas Instruments in Freising, Germany, responsible for the design of automotive power management ICs. He has been a member of the Technical Program Committee of the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) since 2018, serving as the chair of the Power Management subcommittee since 2023. He was a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society in 2020-2021.
Content
Preface xvii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 What Is a Power Management IC and What Are the Key Requirements? 1
1.2 The Smartphone as a Typical Example 3
1.3 Fundamental Concepts 4
1.4 Power Management Systems 7
1.5 Applications 8
1.6 IC Supply Voltages 16
1.7 Power Delivery 17
1.8 Technology, Components, and Co-integration 22
1.9 A Look at the Market 27
References 28
2 The Power Stage 31
2.1 Introduction 31
2.2 On-Resistance and Dropout 32
2.3 Parasitic Capacitances 34
2.4 The Body Diode 35
2.5 Switching Behavior 37
2.6 Gate Current and Gate Charge 46
2.7 Losses 49
2.8 Dead Time Generation 57
2.9 Soft-Switching 59
2.10 Switch Stacking 61
2.11 Back-to-Back Configuration 63
References 63
3 Semiconductor Devices 65
3.1 Discrete Power Transistors 65
3.2 Power Transistors in Integrated Circuits 72
3.3 Parasitic Effects 78
3.4 Safe Operating Area (SOA) 83
3.5 Integrated Diodes 85
References 88
4 Integrated Passives 89
4.1 Capacitors 89
4.2 Inductors 93
References 104
5 Gate Drivers and Level Shifters 107
5.1 Introduction 107
5.2 Gate Driver Configurations 108
5.3 Driver Circuits 110
5.4 DC Characteristics 111
5.5 Driving Strength 113
5.6 The CMOS Inverter as a Gate Driver 114
5.7 Gate Driver with a Single-Stage Inverter 120
5.8 Cascaded Gate Drivers 126
5.9 External Gate Resistor 136
5.10 dv/dt Triggered Turn-On 137
5.11 Bootstrap Gate Supply 140
5.12 Level Shifters 143
5.13 Common-Mode Transient Immunity 156
References 159
6 Protection and Sensing 161
6.1 Overvoltage Protection 161
6.2 Overvoltage Protection for Inductive Loads 162
6.3 Temperature Sensing and Thermal Protection 165
6.4 Bandgap Voltage and Current Reference 167
6.5 Short Circuits and Open Load 171
6.6 Current Sensing 173
6.7 Zero-Crossing Detection 187
6.8 Under-Voltage Lockout 189
6.9 Power-on Reset 190
References 193
7 Linear Voltage Regulators 195
7.1 Fundamental Circuit and Control Concept 195
7.2 Dropout Voltage 198
7.3 DC Parameters 199
7.4 The Error Amplifier 203
7.5 Frequency Behavior and Stability 205
7.6 Transient Behavior 210
7.7 Noise in Linear Regulators 214
7.8 Power Supply Rejection 216
7.9 Soft-Start 217
7.10 Capacitor-Less LDO 218
7.11 Flipped Voltage Follower LDO 220
7.12 The Shunt Regulator 222
7.13 Digital LDOs 223
References 227
8 Charge Pumps 229
8.1 Introduction 229
8.2 Analysis of the Fundamental Charge Pump 231
8.3 Influence of Parasitics 234
8.4 Charge Pump Implementation 235
8.5 Power Efficiency 239
8.6 Cascading of Pumping Stages 242
8.7 Other Charge Pump Configurations 243
8.8 Current-Source Charge Pumps 244
8.9 Charge Pumps Suitable as a Floating Gate Supply 245
8.10 Closed-loop Control 247
References 248
9 Capacitive DC-DC Converters 249
9.1 Introduction 249
9.2 Realizable Ratios 252
9.3 Switched-Capacitor Topologies 253
9.4 Gate Drive Techniques 256
9.5 Charge Flow Analysis 257
9.6 Output Voltage Ripple 267
9.7 Topology Selection 268
9.8 Capacitor and Switch Sizing 268
9.9 Loss Analysis and Efficiency 273
9.10 Multi-phase SC Converters 278
9.11 Multi-ratio SC Converters 282
9.12 Multi-phase Interleaving 290
9.13 Control Methods 291
References 293
10 Inductive DC-DC Converters 297
10.1 The Fundamental Buck Converter 297
10.2 Losses and Power Conversion Efficiency 302
10.3 Closing the Loop 304
10.4 Hysteretic Control 305
10.5 Voltage-Mode Control (VMC) 306
10.6 Current-Mode Control (CMC) 313
10.7 Constant On-Time Control 322
10.8 Frequency Compensation 325
10.9 Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM) 335
10.10 The Boost Converter 341
10.11 The Buck-Boost Converter 351
10.12 The Flyback Converter 356
10.13 Rectifier Circuits 360
10.14 Multi-phase Converters 363
10.15 Single-Inductor Multiple-Output Converters (SIMO) 371
References 375
11 Hybrid DC-DC Converters 379
11.1 Hybridization of Capacitive and Inductive Concepts 380
11.2 The Benefit of Soft-Charging 381
11.3 Basic Resonant SC Converter Stages 385
11.4 Frequency Generation and Tuning 387
11.5 Equivalent Output Resistance 388
11.6 Control of Hybrid Converters 394
11.7 From SC to Hybrid Converters 398
11.8 Multi-phase Converters 405
11.9 Multi-Ratio Converters 406
11.10 The Three-Level Buck Converter 406
11.11 The Flying-Capacitor Multi-Level Converter (FCML) 412
11.12 The Double Step-Down (DSD) Converter 414
11.13 Inductor-First Topologies 417
References 419
12 Physical Implementation 423
12.1 Layout Floor Planning 423
12.2 Packaging 424
12.3 Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) 428
12.4 Interconnections 431
12.5 Pinout 433
12.6 IC-Level Wiring 435
12.7 PCB Layout Design 437
12.8 Power Delivery 439
12.9 Thermal Design 444
References 446
Index 449
1
Introduction
Power management integrated circuits (PMICs) are essential in today's electronic devices. They manage power delivery and consumption, provide efficient power supplies, and drive power switches that control actuators and motors, as illustrated in Fig. 1.1. PMICs can be integrated into complex integrated circuits (ICs) or implemented as dedicated ICs. In this book, the term PMIC will refer to any type of power integrated circuit.
The importance of PMICs has grown significantly in recent years, driving innovation and progress in various industries, from consumer electronics to automotive and industrial applications. With the progress of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), intelligent power management is critical to supplying complex processors and sensors.
PMICs have enabled the development of smaller, more energy-efficient, and reliable electronic solutions. They also play an essential role in environmental aspects and sustainability. By regulating the power supply of electronic devices, PMICs can reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Moreover, PMICs are crucial for the development of renewable energies, such as solar and wind power, by enabling efficient power conversion and management.
1.1 What Is a Power Management IC and What Are the Key Requirements?
A PMIC is an electronic component that delivers one or more supply voltages to other circuit blocks at a sufficient power level out of an electrical energy source, as shown in Fig. 1.1. The power conversion can happen in a linear way (usually the more straightforward method) or a switched-mode fashion, delivering energy portions at a specific frequency (usually the more energy-efficient approach).
The PMIC aims to utilize the energy source at maximum efficiency, while the input and output voltage may vary during operation. It also reacts to varying load currents from a few microamperes (standby) to several amperes (full-power operation).
The voltage conversion ratio is the relation between the output and input voltage. The input voltage can be greater or lower than the output voltage , defining a step-down converter (buck converter) or a step-up converter (boost converter). Buck-boost converters allow to vary over a wide range below and above .
Figure 1.1 The role of power management: placed between the energy source and the electronics, it provides one or multiple supply voltages at the correct power level required by the application.
Source: Brunbjorn/Adobe Stock; daniiD/Adobe Stock; Ruslan Kudrin/Adobe Stock; estionx/Adobe Stock.
The power conversion efficiency (sometimes also called ) is defined as the ratio between the output power delivered to the load and the input power dissipated from the energy source,
(1.1)where accounts for the power dissipated within the power management circuit. It needs to be delivered from the input but does not contribute to the output power. We want to keep as low as possible. For , the efficiency reaches its maximum, . It is common to express the efficiency in percent. In that case, we multiply Eqn. (1.1) by 100%.
PMICs typically include various features like voltage regulators, battery chargers, and power management control algorithms. They may also include monitoring and protection against overcurrent, overheating, and other failure cases. In some applications such as automotive, PMICs are alternatively called smart power ICs, emphasizing the combination of power devices with smart control and monitoring features, all integrated on a single chip.
One major trend is the increasing integration of PMICs. As more functions are combined onto a single chip, the resulting system becomes smaller, more efficient, reliable, and less expensive.
To summarize, the key requirements of PMICs are
- Size, volume, footprint, and weight: The PMIC, including external passive components, must often fit into a confined space like in smartphones or wearables. In portable devices, also the weight is critical. The lower weight is also crucial in automotive as it reduces gas and energy consumption.
- Power conversion efficiency: High efficiency means low losses. The lower the power losses, the longer the battery time. It also causes reduced heat and lower cooling effort, which, in turn, reduces the size and weight of the power management solution.
- Reliability, no disturbances, and low noise: PMICs are noise sources that may impact other sensitive electronic parts due to their switching nature. Handling high voltages and currents causes stress and reliability issues at the component, package, and assembly levels.
- Cost: Like most microelectronic products, there is always some pressure to reduce the cost of the IC and the overall bill of materials at the system level. Power management is not always considered a key differentiator. At the same time, physics cannot be cheated, and PMICs are a fastly growing market with good margins.
1.2 The Smartphone as a Typical Example
Looking at Fig. 1.2a), it is impressive to see how far mobile phones have come since the early 1990s. Back then, phones could only make voice calls and had a standby time of about a day or less. The picture is not to scale, but it was bulky and about 500 g in weight. It is incredible to think about all the features and functions that modern smartphones have today, illustrated in Fig. 1.2b). It is a remarkable example of the outstanding advancements in modern microelectronics. Today's smartphones are much smaller, lighter (typically 150 g), and more powerful. They have considerable computing power, 4K video capture, high-end gaming, virtual reality functions, and higher display resolution. This achievement in performance is thanks to ultra-low-power microelectronics and dedicated power management. Additionally, it is noteworthy that making a phone call is no longer the primary use case for these advanced devices.
Now we do what we usually do not want to; we drop our precious smartphone and look at the electronics inside. Figure 1.2c) shows a printed circuit board of the iPhone 13. The entire electronics is implemented on a layered motherboard sandwich of which Fig. 1.2c) shows a major part. The white frame boxes indicate some of the many PMICs inside the phone. There are more PMICs on the reverse side and other printed circuit board (PCB) parts, including ICs for the audio amplifier and wireless charging. PMICs are a considerable part of the smartphone. Connected to the Li-ion battery with a typical cell voltage of 3.7 V, multi-phase DC-DC converters supply the application processor that comprises multicore CPU and GPU blocks. The voltage levels are dynamically scaled in the range of typically 0.25-1.5 V at load currents of more than 10 A (see dynamic voltage and frequency scaling in Section 1.7). The typical power consumption is in the range of a few watts. In comparison, desktop PC processors dissipate more than 100 W. Running at high switching frequencies of tens of MHz, the voltage converters achieve small size, ultralow profile, and near-load integration at high conversion efficiency. No active cooling is required.
Looking closely, we identify hundreds of tiny passive components surrounding the ICs, mainly capacitors and inductors. As they are energy-storing components, their size can be reduced by decreasing the storing times, in other words, by increasing the switching frequency of the power conversion. It defines one of the leading research goals of today's power management solutions - achieving faster switching while keeping the conversion efficiency high. We will continuously address this topic throughout this book.
Figure 1.2 a) The mobile phone in the early 1990s, b) the smartphone today, and c) the electronics of the iPhone 13 with PMICs marked by white boxes.
Source: a,b) aquatarkus/Adobe Stock; c) ifixit.
1.3 Fundamental Concepts
There are different ways to implement DC-DC converters that convert an input DC voltage to another voltage level. To keep it more practical, we consider a scenario of how to convert 12 to 2 V.
1.3.1 Using a Resistor - The Linear Regulator
We can use a simple resistor to convert 12 to 2 V, as shown in Fig. 1.3. For a load current of 1 A, a resistor of 10 results in . In reality, the resistor is replaced by a controlled transistor such that its conductance is adjusted depending on the operating conditions like input voltage and load current. This approach works very well. However, the voltage drop between input and output is converted into heat. That is why there is significant power dissipation in the resistor, in this example. The power loss is even larger than the output power . In terms of energy efficiency, this concept has a significant drawback.
Nevertheless, it is the fundamental principle of a linear voltage regulator and, by far, the most used power management circuit today. On the positive side, besides its simplicity, it gives a "clean" output voltage with a fast transient response.
Without the excessive losses, there would be no need for alternative power conversion concepts, as discussed in Sections 1.3.2-1.3.4 below. The lower the voltage drop across the resistor (the controlled transistor), the lower the power loss. For this reason, linear regulators are often called...
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