RT6238A/B
Detailed Description
The RT6238A/B is a high-performance 500kHz 8A step-
down regulators with internal power switches and
synchronous rectifiers. It features an Advanced Constant
On-Time (ACOT
TM
) control architecture that provides
stable operation with ceramic output capacitors without
complicated external compensation, among other benefits.
The ACOT control mode also provides fast transient
response, especially for low output voltages and low duty
cycles.
The input voltage range is from 4.5V to 18V and the output
is adjustable from 0.7V to 8V. The proprietary ACOT
TM
control scheme improves upon other constant on-time
architectures, achieving nearly constant switching
frequency over line, load, and output voltage ranges. The
RT6238A/B are optimized for ceramic output capacitors.
Since there is no internal clock, response to transients is
nearly instantaneous and inductor current can ramp quickly
to maintain output regulation without large bulk output
capacitance.
Constant On-Time (COT) Control
The heart of any COT architecture is the on-time one shot.
Each on-time is a pre-determined
“fixed”
period that is
triggered by a feedback comparator. This robust
arrangement has high noise immunity and is ideal for low
duty cycle applications. After the on-time one-shot period,
there is a minimum off-time period before any further
regulation decisions can be considered. This arrangement
avoids the need to make any decisions during the noisy
time periods just after switching events, when the
switching node (SW) rises or falls. Because there is no
fixed clock, the high-side switch can turn on almost
immediately after load transients and further switching
pulses can ramp the inductor current higher to meet load
requirements with minimal delays.
Traditional current mode or voltage mode control schemes
typically must monitor the feedback voltage, current
signals (also for current limit), and internal ramps and
compensation signals, to determine when to turn off the
high-side switch and turn on the synchronous rectifier.
Weighing these small signals in a switching environment
TM
is difficult to do just after switching large currents, making
those architectures problematic at low duty cycles and in
less than ideal board layouts.
Because no switching decisions are made during noisy
time periods, COT architectures are preferable in low duty
cycle and noisy applications. However, traditional COT
control schemes suffer from some disadvantages that
preclude their use in many cases. Many applications require
a known switching frequency range to avoid interference
with other sensitive circuitry. True constant on-time control,
where the on-time is actually fixed, exhibits variable
switching frequency. In a step-down converter, the duty
factor is proportional to the output voltage and inversely
proportional to the input voltage. Therefore, if the on-time
is fixed, the off-time (and therefore the frequency) must
change in response to changes in input or output voltage.
Modern pseudo-fixed frequency COT architectures greatly
improve COT by making the one-shot on-time proportional
to VOUT and inversely proportional to VIN. In this way, an
on-time is chosen as approximately what it would be for
an ideal fixed-frequency PWM in similar input/output
voltage conditions. The result is a big improvement but
the switching frequency still varies considerably over line
and load due to losses in the switches and inductor and
other parasitic effects.
Another problem with many COT architectures is their
dependence on adequate ESR in the output capacitor,
making it difficult to use highly-desirable, small, low-cost,
but low-ESR ceramic capacitors. Most COT architectures
use AC current information from the output capacitor,
generated by the inductor current passing through the
ESR, to function in a way like a current mode control
system. With ceramic capacitors the inductor current
information is too small to keep the control loop stable,
like a current mode system with no current information.
ACOT
TM
Control Architecture
Making the on-time proportional to VOUT and inversely
proportional to VIN is not sufficient to achieve good
constant-frequency behavior for several reasons. First,
voltage drops across the MOSFET switches and inductor
cause the effective input voltage to be less than the
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©
2017 Richtek Technology Corporation. All rights reserved.
www.richtek.com
4
DS6238A/B-08 July 2017
RICHTEK [ RICHTEK TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION ]
