Micrel to preview first multi-mode DC/DC controller

SAN JOSE, USA: Micrel Inc. would be previewing the MIC2111 DC/DC multi-mode controller at the Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition, APEC 2014. The industry conference will be held March 16-20, at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

The device to be showcased is capable of operating in a valley current mode or a voltage mode configuration. This controller provides the necessary PWM signal to interface with industry standard DrMOS. It also interfaces with fully discrete power stages to deliver a high current, low voltage solution to high performance power demanding core rails in the server, communication, and networking markets. The MIC2111 will be available in production and volume quantities starting in the second quarter of 2014 with 1,000 quantities pricing starting at $0.95.

"The MIC2111 is Micrel's first multi-mode controller capable of operating in either a valley current or voltage mode configuration. This device offers design flexibility to optimize for a specific power requirement while minimizing the need to use different controllers, thus eliminating the component qualification process and simplifying inventory management," noted Brian Hedayati, VP of marketing for high performance linear and power solutions at Micrel. "Moreover, the MIC2111 addresses the design challenge of delivering high power to low voltage core power rails in a constrained space."

In a valley current mode configuration, the MIC2111 allows high frequency operation (up to 2MHz) even under low duty cycle conditions. This resolves a common challenge often present when powering high current, low-voltage core power rails associated with FPGAs, ASICs, and processors from a 12V bus supply.

The higher frequency enables a wider operating bandwidth, thereby improving the load transient response while reducing the amount of output capacitance and the size of the inductor. As a benefit, board space and cost are minimized. The same device can also be configured in a voltage mode operation, providing for even better immunity in noise sensitive applications.