Datasheet

LTC3823
18
3823fd
Differential Amplifi er
This amplifi er provides true differential output voltage
sensing. Sensing both the positive and negative terminals
of the output voltage benefi ts regulation in high current
applications and/or applications having electrical intercon-
nection losses. Precision feedback resistors are integrated
in the IC with the amplifi er already confi gured as a unity-gain
differential amplifi er. It has a GBW product of 3.5MHz and
an open-loop gain of >120dB. The amplifi er can source
>2mA of current, and can be used in applications with
up to 3.3V output voltage. The amplifi er is not capable of
sinking signifi cant current, and must be resistively loaded.
A load of 20kΩ or less is recommended for stability. The
amplifi er is not designed to drive capacitive loads.
Phase-Locked Loop and Frequency Synchronization
The LTC3823 has a phase-locked loop comprised of an
internal voltage controlled oscillator and phase detector.
This allows the top MOSFET turn-on to be locked to the
rising edge of an external source. The frequency range
of the voltage controlled oscillator is ±30% around the
center frequency, f
O
. The center frequency is the operat-
ing frequency discussed in the previous section. The
LTC3823 incorporates a pulse detection circuit that will
detect a clock on the PLLIN pin. In turn, it will turn on the
phase-locked loop function. The pulse width of the clock
has to be greater than 400ns and the amplitude of the
clock should be greater than 2V.
During the start-up phase, phase-locked loop function is
disabled. When LTC3823 is not in synchronization mode,
PLLFLTR pin voltage is set to around 1.18V. Frequency
synchronization is accomplished by changing the internal
on-time current according to the voltage on the PLLFLTR
pin.
The phase detector used is an edge sensitive digital type
which provides zero degrees phase shift between the ex-
ternal and internal pulses. This type of phase detector will
not lock up on input frequencies close to the harmonics
of the VCO center frequency. The PLL hold-in range, Δf
H
,
is equal to the capture range, Δf
C
:
Δf
H
= Δf
C
= ±0.3 f
O
The output of the phase detector is a complementary pair of
current sources charging or discharging the external fi lter
network on the PLLFLTR pin. A simplifi ed block diagram
is shown in Figure 10.
If the external frequency (f
PLLIN
) is greater than the oscil-
lator frequency f
O
, current is sourced continuously, pull-
ing up the PLLFLTR pin. When the external frequency is
less than f
O
, current is sunk continuously, pulling down
the PLLFLTR pin. If the external and internal frequencies
are the same but exhibit a phase difference, the current
sources turn on for an amount of time corresponding to
the phase difference. Thus the voltage on the PLLFLTR
pin is adjusted until the phase and frequency of the external
and internal oscillators are identical. At this stable operating
point the phase comparator output is open and the fi lter
capacitor C
LP
holds the voltage. The LTC3823 PLLIN pin
must be driven from a low impedance source such as a
logic gate located close to the pin.
The loop fi lter components (C
LP
, R
LP
) smooth out the cur-
rent pulses from the phase detector and provide a stable
input to the voltage controlled oscillator. The fi lter compo-
nents C
LP
and R
LP
determine how fast the loop acquires
lock. Typically R
LP
=10k and C
LP
is 0.01μF to 0.1μF.
Dead Time Control
To further optimize the effi ciency, the LTC3823 gives us-
ers some control over the dead time of the Top gate low
and Bottom gate high transition. By applying a DC voltage
on the Z0 pin, the TG low BG high dead time can be pro-
grammed. Because the dead time is a strong function of
APPLICATIONS INFORMATION
DIGITAL
PHASE/
FREQUENCY
DETECTOR
PLLIN
PLLFLTR
2.4V
C
LP
3823 F10
R
LP
VCO
Figure 10. Phase-Locked Loop Block Diagram