•  
• EDN Europe MAGAZINE
•  
• Free SUBSCRIPTION
• Subscription Renewal
• View Media Kit

• EDN
• EDN Australia
• EDN Asia
• EDN China
• EDN Japan

Three-phase DC/DC controller operates up to 140ºC

Linear Technology has introduced the LTC3731H, a PolyPhase, high-efficiency, synchronous DC/DC controller with assured operation for junction temperatures as high as 140ºC offered in a 5x5mm QFN package. This device is expandable from 3- to 12-phase operation for 60A to 240A power supply designs. The precision ±5% output phase current matching simplifies thermal management by evenly spreading the heat among the output stages. Applications include high current ASIC and FPGA supplies, power distribution buses, automotive engine control units, and network servers. The device can be configured as a buck or boost converter and operates with all N-channel MOSFETs from an input voltage ranging from 4.5 to 28V. The onboard gate drivers minimise MOSFET switching losses and allow the use of multiple MOSFETs connected in parallel. A fixed operating frequency can be programmed for each phase from 250 to 600kHz or can be synchronised to an external clock with its phase-locked loop. The device's minimum on-time of 110ns makes the device suitable for high step-down ratio applications. The reference voltage maintains ±2% accuracy over the full -40 to +140ºC operating junction temperature range. The device incorporates a power-saving Stage Shedding technique to increase the efficiency and improve battery life at light loads.