
AAT3119
High Efficiency 2X Charge Pump
3119.2007.02.1.2
11
In the operating state, the AAT3119 typically con-
sumes 2mA of quiescent operating current. The
enable pin (EN) is an active high input. When
pulled low, the AAT3119 is shut down, the quies-
cent current drops to less than 1
μ
A, and the output
is disconnected from the input.
Charge Pump Efficiency
The core of the AAT3119 is a regulated output volt-
age doubling charge pump. The efficiency (
η
) for
an ideal voltage doubling charge pump can typical-
ly be expressed as the output power divided by the
input power:
In addition, with an ideal voltage doubling charge
pump, the output current may be expressed as half
the input current. The expression to define the ideal
efficiency (
η
) can be rewritten as:
-or-
For a charge pump with an output of 5.0 volts and
a nominal input of 3.0 volts, the theoretical efficien-
cy is 83.3%. Due to internal switching losses and
IC quiescent current consumption, the actual effi-
ciency can be measured at approximately 82%.
Efficiency will decrease as the level of V
IN
approaches that of the regulated V
OUT
. Refer to
the device typical characteristics curves for expect-
ed actual efficiency based on either input voltage or
load current.
Capacitor Selection
Careful selection of the three external capacitors
(C
IN
, C
FLY
, and C
OUT
) is important because they will
affect turn-on time, output ripple, efficiency, and
load transient response. Optimum performance will
be obtained when low equivalent series resistance
(ESR) ceramic capacitors are used. In general, low
ESR may be defined as less than 100m
Ω
. A value
of 1
μ
F for all three capacitors is a good starting
point when designing with the AAT3119. This not
only provides for a very small printed circuit board
area, but cost is further reduced by the minimized
bill of materials.
Input Capacitor
A 1
μ
F multilayer ceramic chip capacitor is suggest-
ed for the input. This capacitor should be connect-
ed between the IN pin and ground. 1
μ
F should be
suitable for most applications. Even though the
AAT3119 switching ripple and noise are very low,
back-injected line noise may be further reduced by
increasing the value of C
IN
. Other types of capaci-
tors may be used for C
IN
at the cost of compro-
mised circuit performance.
Output Capacitor
The output capacitor (C
OUT
) should be connected
between the OUT pin and ground. A 1
μ
F ceramic
capacitor is also suggested in this position.
Switching noise and ripple seen on the charge
pump output increases with load current. Typically
1
μ
F is sufficient for minimizing output ripple seen
by the load circuit. If the load current in an appli-
cation is low, or if higher levels of switching ripple
can be tolerated, C
OUT
can be reduced as low as
0.33
μ
F. If application circuits with greater load cur-
rent demands require lower switching ripple ampli-
tudes, C
OUT
may be increased to values above
1
μ
F. Capacitor types other than ceramic capaci-
tors can be used for C
OUT
. However, capacitors
comprised of materials other than ceramic will typ-
ically have a greater value of ESR, resulting in
increased output switching ripple.
η
(%) = 100
V
OUT
2V
IN
η
= P
OUT
= V
OUT
×
I
OUT
= V
OUT
P
IN
V
IN
×
2I
OUT
2V
IN
η
= P
OUT
P
IN