Device Plus A Handful Of Passives Creates High-Efficiency Buck Converter

Replacing up to 20 discrete components, the iP1001 iPOWIR device integrates nearly all of the components needed to build a 20A, single-phase synchronous buck converter. The new device consists of power semiconductors, a controller IC and most of the passive components found in the buck converters. All that is required to complete the design are I/O capacitors and an output inductor.By using the tiny iP1001 module, synchronous buck converters can be built using 90% fewer components and have a 5% higher efficiency. By integrating layout-critical components in the iP1001, stray parastic effects are reduced, thereby increasing peak efficiency to up to 94% in a 12V input, sub-2V output buck converter. Housed in a tiny, 14 mm x 14 mm x 3 mm BGA package, the device also reduces the area required on pc boards by the converters by up to 40%. Other features of iP1001 include: a maximum output current of 20A at board temperatures up to 96¡C for inputs of 5V to 16V; d/a converter-selectable output voltages of 0.925V to 2.0V to within ±1% regulation, with output voltages up to 3.3V achievable with an external circuit; switching frequency of 200 or 300 kHz; and an operating temperature range of -40¡C to +125¡C. Price is $14.44 each/10,000. For more details, contact Joe Engle at INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER, El Segundo, CA. (310) 252-7019.