TI introduced the TPS62740, the smallest and lowest power buck converter for 300-mA output current designs, providing 360 nA of quiescent current during active operation and 70 nA during standby. The converter achieves greater than 90-percent efficiency down to 10 µA. Achieving a total solution size of 31 mm2, the converter uses a programmable output voltage feature and DCS-Control functionality to power microcontrollers, such as TI's ultra-low power MSP430FR59xx microcontrollers (MCUs) and Bluetooth® low energy solutions, such as the SimpleLink CC2541 wireless MCU. The TPS62740's integrated load switch also conserves the power of components like LEDs or sensors that are used temporarily.
For lower current designs, TI's new TPS62737 converter for 200-mA designs and TPS62736 for 50-mA designs provide an ultra-low 370 nA quiescent current during active operation and 15 nA during sleep, while achieving 90 percent efficiency at output currents lower than 15 µA.
The TPS62740 comes in a tiny 2-mm by 3-mm SON package, and is priced at US$1.10 in 1,000-unit quantities. The TPS62737 and TPS62736 are available in a 3.5-mm by 3.5-mm QFN package, and are priced at US$1.00 and $0.80, respectively, in 1,000-unit quantities.