Texas Instruments introduced the industry’s first 12-V, 10-A, 10-MHz series-capacitor buck converter that achieves more than 50 A/cm3 in current density, which is four times higher than any other 12 V power management component or solution available today. The unique topology of the TPS54A20 SWIFT synchronous DC/DC converter enables high-frequency operation at up to 5 MHz per phase without special magnetics or compound semiconductors, which designers can use for 8-V to 14-V input and 10-A output applications. By using the step-down converter together with TI’s WEBENCH Power Design tool, engineers can get their space- and height-constrained point-of-load (POL) telecom and networking power-supply designs to market faster.
The TPS54A20 features a unique two-phase, series-capacitor DC/DC buck topology that merges a switched-capacitor circuit with a multiphase buck converter. This capacitive conversion technology enables efficient, high-frequency operation and measures as much as seven times smaller than conventional converters. For a quick introduction, watch the video “How to decrease inductor size in a 10-A DC/DC converter design” and read the white paper, “Breakthrough power delivery for space-constrained applications.” Read the application note “Introduction to the Series Capacitor Buck Converter” that analyzes the technology and presents example results for a 12-V input, 1.2-V/10-A output application demonstrating higher peak efficiency than a conventional buck converter, while operating at four times higher switching frequency.
TPS54A20 key features and benefits
• Tiny solution: Small HotRod™ quad flat no-lead (QFN) packaging and inexpensive, tiny 2- to 5-MHz inductors enable a 131-mm2 solution size that consumes 50 percent less area than similar 500-kHz DC/DC converter designs. Read the blog post, “No small matter: How to reduce voltage regulator size.”
• Low profile: Measuring less than 2 mm in height, the reduced size, weight and bill of materials (BOM) allows placement of tiny 10-A voltage regulators on the back side of a printed circuit board (PCB), enabling engineers to take advantage of the small size that the TPS54A20 offers for industrial servers or other space-constrained applications.
• Multi-megahertz operation: A 14-ns minimum on-time allows for 4-/7-/10-MHz operation without compromising efficiency or electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance. Download the “Three Different Buck Converter Circuits to Convert 12V to 1.2V at >6A Load Current Reference Design,” which includes a 1.2-V output voltage for double-data-rate (DDR) 4 memory applications.
Availability, packaging and pricing
The new DC/DC converter is available in volume now from TI and its authorized distributors. Offered in a 20-pin, 3.5-mm-by-4-mm-by-1-mm thermally enhanced HotRod QFN package, the TPS54A20 is priced at US$3.25 in 1,000-unit quantities. Order the 4-MHz, 10-A TPS54A20EVM-770 synchronous dual-phase converter evaluation module and download the PSpice transient models.
