MAX15035
15A Step-Down Regulator with Internal Switches
Ceramic capacitors have a high-ESR zero frequency, but
applications with sufficient current-sense compensation
may still take advantage of the small size, low ESR, and
high reliability of the ceramic chemistry. Using the inductor
DCR, applications using ceramic output capacitors may
be compensated using either a DC compensation or AC
compensation method (Figure 11).
The DC-coupling requires fewer external compensa-
tion capacitors, but this also creates an output load line
that depends on the inductor’s DCR (parasitic resis-
tance). Alternatively, the current-sense information may
be AC-coupled, allowing stability to be dependent only on
the inductance value and compensation components and
eliminating the DC load line.
OPTION A: DC-COUPLED CURRENT-SENSE COMPENSATION
IN
INPUT
BST
CIN
PWR
DC COMPENSATION
<> FEWER COMPENSATION COMPONENTS
<> CREATES OUTPUT LOAD LINE
<> LESS OUTPUT CAPACITANCE REQUIRED
FOR TRANSIENT RESPONSE
LX
PGND
MAX15035
PWR
FB
GND
AGND
PWR
RSENA
L
RSENB
CSEN
COUT
PWR
OUTPUT
STABILITY REQUIREMENT
(R SENA
||
L
R SENB
)
C
SEN
C
OUT
≥
1
2fSW
AND LOAD LINE =
R SENBR DCR
R SENA + R SENB
FEEDBACK RIPPLE IN PHASE WITH INDUCTOR CURRENT
OPTION B: AC-COUPLED CURRENT-SENSE COMPENSATION
IN
CIN
BST
PWR
INPUT
AC COMPENSATION
<> NOT DEPENDENT ON ACTUAL DCR VALUE
<> NO OUTPUT LOAD LINE
LX
PGND
MAX15035
PWR
FB
GND
AGND
PWR
RSEN
L
CSEN
COUT
PWR
OUTPUT
CCOMP
RCOMP
STABILITY REQUIREMENT
R
L
SENC SEN
C
OUT
≥
1
2fSW
AND R COMPC COMP
≥1
fSW
FEEDBACK RIPPLE IN PHASE WITH INDUCTOR CURRENT
Figure 11. Feedback Compensation for Ceramic Output Capacitors
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