Peregrine Semiconductors intros DC-DC Buck Regulators

BANGALORE, INDIA: With an aim to target at high reliability space applications, Peregrine Semiconductor has launched UltraCMOS-based Point-of-Load (POL) DC-DC Buck Regulators with integrated switches. Based on Peregrine's CMOS-on-sapphire technology, the trio of radiation hardened highly integrated devices, PE99151, PE99153 and PE99155 are available for sampling.

As claimed by Peregrine, the PE9915x POL DC-DC synchronous buck regulators are industry’s smallest space-grade monolithic non-isolated distributed power solution. It has replaced traditional multi-chip modules that power field-programmable gate array (FPGA), digital signal processor (DSP), ASIC and SRAM power management designs.

Due to its small size, high levels of integration and efficiency, its total system weight and associated costs is reduced. These regulators are ideal for space, defence and commercial/industrial applications such as space systems, military radios, radar, engine control module (ECM), down hole drilling and other high-reliability systems.

The PE9915x devices operate from a wide 5V rail. It provides an output voltage of 1V to 3.6V supply rails for analogue, digital and RF payloads while delivering up to 2A, 6A or 10A of continuous output current.

The devices operate over an input voltage range of 4.6V to 6V with a switching frequency range from 100kHz to 5MHz, achieving high peak efficiency of greater than 93 per cent through monolithic integration by reducing switch loss.

In addition to all these features, there is an internal oscillator which operates at 500kHz or 1MHz.  There is also an external resistor in PE9915x devices which comes with an adjustable slope compensation. It enables the devices to optimise closed loop bandwidth across output voltage and switching frequency range.

PE9915x soft-start function and the integrated power-good-enable feature addresses the complex start-up conditions and sequencing requirements. An internal under voltage lockout (UVLO) feature prevents the PE9915x devices from powering up before input voltage rises above the UVLO threshold limit. The PE99151, PE99153, and PE99155 are sampling now with flight parts available in July 2012.