Date: 13/02/2012

20 MHz buck type switching regulator can work with PCB trace inductors

Semtech has introduced a new buck regulator SC220 that enables designers to draw their own inductors directly on the PC board (PCB). This switching regulator switching at 20MHz allows PCB trace inductors to meet or exceed the EMI performance of chip inductors. SC220 is an ideal solution for set top box, HDTV, automotive, industrial, and white goods power management applications. But this device is not efficient as other buck regulators. At very light loads, the device maintains greater than 80% efficiency to help meet global eco regulations, otherwise the power effeciency is rated up to 90%, where as devices upto 95% are available in the market with normal inductor.

"Semtech's groundbreaking X-EMI and SC220 combination slashes BOM (bill of materials) cost by as much as $0.20 and, for the first time, makes drawing inductors in standard, single, dual or multilayer PCB material a reality," said Athar Zaidi, Director of Marketing in Semtech's Power Management Group. "For example, in a highly EMI-sensitive automotive power management application, X-EMI technology combined with the SC220 enabled a non-shielded inductor to be used for the first time."

Semtech's X-EMI inductor technology solves EMI problems associated with PCB trace inductor and said to meets, or exceeds the EMI performance of chip inductors. X-EMI technology works by placing two small air-core inductors adjacent to one another in anti-phase position, where the magnetic fields of each inductor partially cancel one another to reduce EMI.

The SC220 step-down regulator features an adjustable output voltage down to 1.0V and an output current of up to 650mA. Protection features include inrush protection, along with output current limit, short-circuit and thermal shutdown protection.

VIN range: 2.7V to 5.5V
>80% light-load efficiency
Hundreds of ns transient response
Packaging: SOIC, 8-pin
Applications
Set Top Box: Switching Regulators
HDTV: Switching Regulators
Game Consoles: Switching Regulators
Automotive: Switching Regulators (especially EMI-sensitive console applications)
Industrial Modules: Power Supplies
White Goods: Switching Regulators
Pricing and Availability: The SC220 is available immediately in production quantities and is priced at $0.78 each (order code SC220STRT) in 2,500-piece lots. Evaluation boards (order code SC220EVB) are also available.

More info at http://www.semtech.com