Digital hybrid PWM controllers are PMBus compatible

22nd March 2016

Nat Bowers

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Offering PoL conversions for FPGAs, DSPs, ASICs, processors and general purpose system rails, Intersil has launched two digital hybrid DC/DC controllers. The ISL68200 with integrated MOSFET drivers and ISL68201 with PWM output simplify power supply designs for data centre routers, servers and storage, as well as wireless infrastructure equipment.

The ISL68200 can drive external MOSFETs directly, while the ISL68201 is paired with Intersil's DrMOS (Integrated Driver and MOSFET) power stage to create a complete voltage regulator solution.

The single-phase, PMBus compatible ISL68200 and ISL68201 digital hybrid controllers provide the performance of Intersil's R4 control loop with the benefits of a digital PMBus interface. Both controllers are fully configurable with external pin-strap resistors, which provide a familiar engineering design flow and eliminate the need for non-volatile memory. Designers can use the PMBus interface and Intersil's PowerNavigator GUI software to read back V_IN, V_OUT, I_OUT and temperature telemetry, monitor fault reporting bits and conduct on the fly changes to the V_OUT setpoint. For systems where PMBus functionality is not required, the interface can be used to debug the power supply during board bring-up, and then left disconnected in final production. This feature speeds development by allowing designers to quickly modify important parameters like switching frequency, output voltage and loop gain to fine-tune power supply performance without using a soldering iron to change components.

The ISL68200 and ISL68201 leverage Intersil's proprietary R4 modulation technology, which provides a compensation free control loop that eliminates external compensation resistors and capacitors. The R4 modulator includes energy saving light-load efficiency modes of operation, and has industry-leading transient performance, adjusting both duty cycle and switching frequency in response to load transients. The R4 control loop's fast response time significantly reduces the amount of output capacitance required versus competing technologies. This, coupled with the ISL68200/01's small 4x4mm package size, enables a smaller total solution size than competitive products.

Mark Downing, Senior Vice President, Infrastructure and Industrial Power products, Intersil, commented: "We see an increasing need for DC/DC controllers with a digital interface that allows customers to monitor power supply health, output current/voltage and change output voltage on the fly. The ISL68200 and ISL68201 digital hybrid controllers deliver higher PoL performance than competing analogue controllers, while offering a familiar design flow and the PMBus functionality found on high-end full digital products."

The ISL68200 with integrated MOSFET drivers is available now in a 4x4mm, 24-lead QFN package and is priced at $1.95 each in 1,000 unit quantities. An ISL68200DEMO1Z evaluation board can be purchased for $129.

The ISL68201 with PWM output for pairing with an ISL99140 DrMOS power stage is available now in a 4x4mm, 24-lead QFN package and is priced at $1.80 in 1,000 quantities. An ISL68201-99140DEMO1Z evaluation board can be purchased for $129.