Date: 22/12/2011
Small sized power ICs for SSDs and hybrid disk-drives
Enpirion has recently announced a new member of its power ICs for flash memory based solid-state drives. The Enpirion EN5339 3 Amp power system-on-a-chip (PowerSoC) integrates the controller, power MOSFETs, compensation network and inductor. Enpirion says EN5339 has already landed more than 20 design wins ahead of its official market release.
"Enpirion's portfolio of PowerSoCs supports our hardware designers in easing the process of bringing to market numerous platforms, form factors and capacities," said Jonathan Hinkle, memory system architect, Viking Technology, a leader in SSD, DRAM and hybrid technologies for the enterprise storage market. "The EN5339 is a nice addition to Enpirion's lineup and helps streamline our power design efforts by eliminating cumbersome steps and needless iterations."
The EN5339 fits into a 55 mm2 solution area with a 1.1 mm profile - setting the bar for the smallest 3 Amp solution available, claims Enpirion.
Enpirion's EN5339 device is sampling now, with volume production by December 2011. It is available direct from Enpirion (www.enpirion.com) or through distribution for $1.88 at volumes of 1k units. More details available at www.enpirion.com
For nearly the similar application, Texas Instruments has also introduced the new LM10504, LM10503 and LM10506 power supply ICs for flash memory based SSDs, hybrid storage drives and any such flash memory integrated storage systems which need multiple voltages. TI says these ICs feature power-saving deep sleep mode, built-in current limit and thermal protection, and power-down data protection.
TI's new PMICs integrate three programmable 2.25-MHz DC/DC step-down converters with 95-percent peak efficiency that support core processor, memory and I/O voltages, along with a general-purpose, 3-V, 250-mA low-dropout (LDO) regulator for host controller reference.
The LM10504 is a flexible PMIC for use in a variety of large and small, client and consumer SSD form factors including 3.5-inch, 2.5-inch, 1.8-inch, mSATA, Micro SATA, Half-Slim SATA, mini PCIe and integrated SSD.
The LM10503 is a higher current, 2-A PMIC designed for power-hungry controllers used in enterprise SSDs. The LM10503 features the National PowerWise adaptive voltage scaling technology from TI for reducing the power consumption of SSD controllers and increasing system power efficiency.
The LM10506 is the smallest PMIC designed for ultra-portable applications in space-constrained, client and consumer SSDs including mSATA, Half-Slim SATA, mini PCIe and integrated SSD.
Availability: Now in volumes
Price and package: The LM10504 and LM10506 PMICs are offered in a 34-pin micro SMD package measuring 2.8-mm by 2.8-mm with 0.4-mm pitch. The suggested retail price is $1.90 and $1.60 respectively in 1,000-unit quantities. The LM10503 is offered in a 36-pin LLP package measuring 6-mm by 6-mm and is priced at $3.90.
To know more on TI products visit www.ti.com