Datasheet

LTC1871-1
9
18711fb
OPERATION
MOSFET R
DS(ON)
. If the I
TH
pin drops below 0.175V, the
Burst Mode comparator B1 will turn off the power MOSFET
and scale back the quiescent current of the IC to 250µA
(sleep mode). In this condition, the load current will be
supplied by the output capacitor until the I
TH
voltage rises
above the 50mV hysteresis of the burst comparator. At
light loads, short bursts of switching (where the average
inductor current is 20% of its maximum value) followed
by long periods of sleep will be observed, thereby greatly
improving converter effi ciency. Oscilloscope waveforms
illustrating Burst Mode operation are shown in Figure 3.
Pulse-Skip Mode Operation
With the MODE/SYNC pin tied to a DC voltage above 2V,
Burst Mode operation is disabled. The internal, 0.525V
buffered I
TH
burst clamp is removed, allowing the I
TH
pin to directly control the current comparator from no
load to full load. With no load, the I
TH
pin is driven below
0.175V, the power MOSFET is turned off and sleep mode
is invoked. Oscilloscope waveforms illustrating this mode
of operation are shown in Figure 4.
When an external clock signal drives the MODE/SYNC
pin at a rate faster than the chip’s internal oscillator, the
oscillator will synchronize to it. In this synchronized mode,
Burst Mode operation is disabled. The constant frequency
associated with synchronized operation provides a more
controlled noise spectrum from the converter, at the ex-
pense of overall system effi ciency of light loads.
Programming the Operating Mode
For applications where maximizing the effi ciency at very
light loads (e.g., <100µA) is a high priority, the current
in the output divider could be decreased to a few micro-
amps and Burst Mode operation should be applied (i.e.,
the MODE/SYNC pin should be connected to ground).
In applications where fi xed frequency operation is more
critical than low current effi ciency, or where the lowest
output ripple is desired, pulse-skip mode operation should
be used and the MODE/SYNC pin should be connected
to the INTV
CC
pin. This allows discontinuous conduction
mode (DCM) operation down to near the limit defi ned
by the chip’s minimum on-time (about 175ns). Below
this output current level, the converter will begin to skip
cycles in order to maintain output regulation. Figures 3
and 4 show the light load switching waveforms for Burst
Mode and pulse-skip mode operation for the converter
in Figure 1.
Burst Mode Operation
Burst Mode operation is selected by leaving the MODE/
SYNC pin unconnected or by connecting it to ground. In
normal operation, the range on the I
TH
pin corresponding to
no load to full load is 0.30V to 1.2V. In Burst Mode opera-
tion, if the error amplifi er EA drives the I
TH
voltage below
0.525V, the buffered I
TH
input to the current comparator
C1 will be clamped at 0.525V (which corresponds to 25%
of maximum load current). The inductor current peak is
then held at approximately 30mV divided by the power
Figure 3. LTC1871-1 Burst Mode Operation
(MODE/SYNC = 0V) at Low Output Current
Figure 4. LTC1871-1 Low Output Current Operation with
Burst Mode Operation Disabled (MODE/SYNC = INTV
CC
)
V
OUT
50mV/DIV
I
L
5A/DIV
10µs/DIV
18711 F03
V
IN
= 3.3V
V
OUT
= 5V
I
OUT
= 500mA
MODE/SYNC = 0V
(Burst Mode OPERATION)
V
OUT
50mV/DIV
I
L
5A/DIV
2µs/DIV
18711 F04
V
IN
= 3.3V
V
OUT
= 5V
I
OUT
= 500mA
MODE/SYNC = INTV
CC
(PULSE-SKIP MODE)