Date: 02/09/2011

Pre-bias safe 7 Amp buck regulator targets 5V and 3.3V rails

Micrel Inc., has launched MIC22705, a new family of pre-bias safe, fully integrated buck regulators targeting the 5V and 3.3V rails, which can supply a maximum output load current of 7A, while the MIC22405 and MIC22205 can handle up to 4A and 2A respectively. These buck regulators achieve more than 95 percent efficiency while switching at high frequencies, utilizing very small external components, according to Micrel. Applications such as servers, routers, 4G/LTE base stations, Blu-ray players, computer peripherals and FPGA/ASIC voltage supply can take advantage of this family of buck regulators.

"High power density in small footprints combined with 95 percent efficiency offer terrific benefits in advanced applications," noted Doyle Slack, director of analog marketing, Micrel. ? The MIC22x05 family saves significant BOM costs while setting a new standard for performance."

Micrel explains that the operating frequency of MIC22705 is fixed at 1MHz, while the MIC22205 and MIC22405 can be programmed from 300kHz up to 4MHz, The output voltage is pre-bias safe and can be adjusted down to 0.7V, to address all low-voltage power needs. The ultra-high speed control loop keeps the output voltage within regulation even under the extreme transient load conditions commonly found in FPGAs and low-voltage ASICs. The MIC22x05 family offers a full range of sequencing and tracking options. The Enable/Delay (EN/DLY) pin, combined with the Power Good (PG) pin, allows multiple outputs to be sequenced in any way during turn-on and turn-off. The MIC22705 is available in a 24-pin 4mm x 4mm MLF package while the MIC22405 and MIC22205 come in 20-pin 3mm x 4mm MLF and 12-pin 3mm x 3mm MLF packages respectively.

Availability and pricing: The MIC22705, MIC22405 and MIC22205 are available in volume quantities with pricing starting at $2.20, $1.53 and $0.83 respectively, for 1K units.