Multi-Level Converter Facilitates Fast Charging for Portable Devices
Designed to solve power challenges in low-profile, high-energy-density applications, pSemi, a Murata company, unveiled a multi-level buck regulator technology that advances mobile battery charging. The multi-level technology is capable of high efficiency and fast battery charging in a package less than 1 mm high. Operating with an input from 4.5 to 18 V, the solution addresses USB and wireless-charging applications.
In operation, a four-level buck mode is enabled for higher input voltages, and a three-level mode targets mid-to-low input voltages. The device can be operated in fixed-ratio, capacitor divider mode with divider ratios 2 and 3 when the input voltage is a programmable power source. Current delivery is up to 6 A per device, with the option to parallel devices to achieve faster charging times in all operation modes using a 1-mm-height inductor.