Distribution Switches

Micrel Semiconductor’s MIC204x family offers the highest performance, smallest size and most efficient power management solution for electronic power control in the industry today. MIC2044/45, the first two members in this new family of monolithic high-side power switches, achieve record-setting performance in both current handling ability and low-voltage operation. Until now, power-switching solutions handling currents in excess of 3 A required the use of external power FETs. The MIC2044/45 improve that by integrating a unique, high-efficiency NMOS pass element with control circuitry into a TSSOP package to control load currents in excess of 6 A. Furthermore, MIC2044/45 operate with input voltages as low as 0.8 V.

A rich feature set makes MIC2044/45 ideal for a wide range of applications. First and foremost, MIC2044/45 are current-limiting devices, and the user has full control over the limiting point by the selection of a single external reference resistor. The power switches are fully self-protected, incorporating on-chip temperature sensing and shutdown circuitry to keep both the device and the load safe under short-circuit or catastrophic failure conditions. Response to a fault can be either to limit the load current supplied, as in the case of the MIC2044, or to act like a circuit breaker (MIC2045) and shut off all current to the load until the fault condition has cleared and then re-energize (auto-retry).

For system applications requiring soft start, to limit RFI and prevent glitching the system power mains, MIC2044/45 offer slew rate control, allowing the load to be brought online gracefully instead of abruptly.

User-controlled UVLO ensures no power is applied to the load until the input supplies have reached their full operational value, and a Power Good output comparator signals when the load has achieved its intended operating voltage.

For more information, visit www.micrel.com.