
Rev. 10-6-00
SP6642/6643 High Efficiency Step-Up DC-DC Converter Copyright 2000 Sipex Corporation
14
It is suggested designers select the largest
inductor value possible that will satisfy the load
requirement and minimize peak switching
current and any resultant noise and voltage
ripple. A closed-core inductor, such as a toroid
or shielded bobbin, will minimize any fringe
magnetic fields or EMI.
APPLICATION NOTES
Printed circuit board layout is a critical part of
design. Poor designs can result in excessive
EMI on the voltage gradients and feedback
paths on the ground planes with applications
involving high switching frequencies and large
peak currents. Excessive EMI can result in
instability or regulation errors.
All power components should be placed on the
PC board as closely as possible with the traces
kept short, direct, and wide (>50mils or 1.25mm).
Extra copper on the PC board should be integrated
into ground as a pseudo-ground plane. On a
multilayer PC board, route the star ground using
component-side copper fill, then connect it to
the internal ground plane using vias.
For the SP6642/6643 devices, the inductor and
input and output filter capacitors should be
soldered with their ground pins as close together
as possible in a star-ground configuration. The
V
pin must be bypassed directly to ground as
close to the SP6642/6643 devices as possible
(within 0.2in or 5mm). The DC-DC converter
and any digital circuitry should be placed on the
opposite corner of the PC board as far away
from sensitive RF and analog input stages. The
external voltage-feedback network should be
placed very close to the FB pin (within 0.2in or
5mm). Any noisy traces, such as from the LX
pin, should be kept away from the voltage-
feedback network and separated from it using
grounded copper to minimize EMI.
Capacitor equivalent series resistance is a major
contributor to output ripple, usually greater than
60%. Low ESR capacitors are recommended.
Ceramic capacitors have the lowest ESR.
Low-ESR tantalum capacitors may be a more
acceptable solution having both a low ESR and
lower cost than ceramic capacitors. Designers
should select input and output capacitors with a
rating exceeding the peak inductor current. Do
not allow tantalum capacitors to exceed their
ripple-current ratings. A 22
μ
F, 6V, low-ESR,
surface-mount tantalum output filter capacitor
typically provides 60mV output ripple when
stepping up from 1.3V to 3.3V at 20mA. An
input filter capacitor can reduce peak currents
drawn from the battery and improve efficiency.
Low-ESR aluminum electrolytic capacitors are
acceptable in some applications but standard
aluminum electrolytic capacitors are not
recommended.
Designers should add LC pi filters, linear
post-regulators, or shielding in applications
necessary to address excessive noise, voltage
ripple, or EMI concerns. The LC pi filter's cutoff
frequency should be at least a decade or two
below the DC-DC converters's switching
frequency for the specified load and input voltage.
INDUCTANCE
(
μ
H)
VENDOR/PART
RESISTANCE
(
)
I
SAT
(
m
A)
68
Coilcraft DO1608-683
Sumida CD54-680
Coilcraft DO1608-104
Sumida CD54-101
TDK NLC565050T-101K
Coilcraft DO1608-154
Sumida CD54-151
TDK NLC565050T-151K
Coilcraft DO1608-224
Sumida CD54-221
0.75
0.46
1.1
0.7
1.6
1.7
1.1
2.2
2.3
1.57
400
610
310
520
250
270
400
210
220
350
100
150
220
INDUCTOR SPECIFICATION
Table 1. Surface-Mount Inductor Information