TI unveils industry's thinnest 500-mA power converter solution

Tiny 6-MHz step-down DC/DC converter supports ultra-thin, feature-rich smart phones, wireless modules and portable electronics DALLAS (Aug. 18, 2008) - Giving portable designers the ability to add more features and functions on a handheld device, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) announced today the industry's smallest and thinnest 500-mA, step-down DC/DC converter solution for space-constrained applications. The high-efficiency power management integrated circuit (IC) is the first 6-MHz, 500-mA converter to achieve a 13-mm2 solution size with an ultra-thin 0.6-mm total height. See: www.ti.com/tps62601-pr.

Leveraging TI's analog manufacturing technology, the new TPS62601 converter achieves up to 89-percent power efficiency and only 30-uA typical operating quiescent current - all from a 0.9-mm x 1.3-mm chip scale package roughly the size of a flake of pepper. The synchronous, switch-mode device's fixed frequency of 6-MHz allows the use of only one 0.47-uH inductor with a height of 0.6-mm and two low-cost ceramic capacitors, without compromising performance and efficiency.

"Portable system designers continue to desire more features on their devices, which require smaller, efficient DC/DC converters to maintain long battery life and system run-times," said Steve Anderson, senior vice president of Power Management, TI. "The TPS62601 gives portable designers access to the smallest, thinnest 500-mA DC/DC solution, which simplifies design and reduces board space and time-to-market."

The TPS62601 can deliver DC voltage regulation accuracy of +/- 1.5-percent. In addition, the device's excellent load transient response, wide input voltage range of 2.3-V to 5.5-V and 1.8-V of output allows it to effectively support single-rail voltage requirements as designers add new features and functionality. The TPS62601 supports many applications, such as memory modules, GPS modules, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules or other wireless micro-modules used in ultra-thin smart phones, digital still cameras, portable disk drives and media players.

The converter also applies energy-saving techniques to help maximize battery run-time. For example, the converter automatically enters a power save mode during light-load operating conditions via an automatic pulse frequency modulation and pulse width modulation switching feature. In shutdown mode, the device's current consumption is reduced to less than 1-uA.

Pricing and availability

The TPS62601 is available today in volume from TI and its authorized distributors. The device comes in a highly reliable, six-pin, wafer chip scale (0.9-mm x 1.3-mm) package and has a suggested resale price of $1.45 each in quantities of 1,000 units. The TPS62601EVM-327 evaluation module, application notes and TI's online Power Management selection tool are available through power.ti.com.

Innovative power management for portable electronics

In addition to the TPS62601, TI provides a broad range of power management battery management solutions for handheld devices. Examples include the new 3-MHz bq24150, switch-mode battery charger integrated circuit, the system-side bq27500 battery fuel gauges, and TI's DC/DC converters that support RF power amplifiers and core supply voltages. Complete system block diagrams with analog and digital solutions for OMAPTM 3 processor-based applications can be found at: www.ti.com/omap3.