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LM2676
SNVS031L –APRIL 2000–REVISED JUNE 2020
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Application Information (continued)
8.1.5 Catch Diode
When the power switch in the LM2676 turns OFF, the current through the inductor continues to flow. The path for
this current is through the diode connected between the switch output and ground. This forward-biased diode
clamps the switch output to a voltage less than ground. This negative voltage must be greater than –1 V so a low
voltage drop (particularly at high current levels) Schottky diode is recommended. Total efficiency of the entire
power supply is significantly impacted by the power lost in the output catch diode. The average current through
the catch diode is dependent on the switch duty cycle (D) and is equal to the load current times (1-D). Use of a
diode rated for much higher current than is required by the actual application helps minimize the voltage drop
and power loss in the diode.
During the switch ON time, the diode is reversed biased by the input voltage. The reverse voltage rating of the
diode must be at least 1.3 times greater than the maximum input voltage.
8.1.6 Boost Capacitor
The boost capacitor creates a voltage used to overdrive the gate of the internal power MOSFET. This improves
efficiency by minimizing the on-resistance of the switch and associated power loss. For all applications, TI
recommends a 0.01-µF, 50-V ceramic capacitor.
8.1.7 Additional Application Information
When the output voltage is greater than approximately 6 V and the duty cycle at minimum input voltage is greater
than approximately 50%, the designer must exercise caution in selection of the output filter components. When
an application designed to these specific operating conditions is subjected to a current limit fault condition, it can
be possible to observe a large hysteresis in the current limit. This can affect the output voltage of the device until
the load current is reduced sufficiently to allow the current limit protection circuit to reset itself.
Under current limiting conditions, the LM267x is designed to respond in the following manner:
1. At the moment when the inductor current reaches the current limit threshold, the ON-pulse is immediately
terminated. This happens for any application condition.
2. However, the current limit block is also designed to momentarily reduce the duty cycle to below 50% to avoid
subharmonic oscillations, which can cause the inductor to saturate.
3. Thereafter, once the inductor current falls below the current limit threshold, there is a small relaxation time
during which the duty cycle progressively rises back above 50% to the value required to achieve regulation.
If the output capacitance is sufficiently large, it can be possible that as the output tries to recover. The output
capacitor charging current is large enough to repeatedly re-trigger the current limit circuit before the output has
fully settled. This condition is exacerbated with higher output voltage settings because the energy requirement of
the output capacitor varies as the square of the output voltage (½ CV2), thus requiring an increased charging
current.
A simple test to determine if this condition might exist for a suspect application is to apply a short circuit across
the output of the converter, then remove the shorted output condition. In an application with properly selected
external components, the output recovers smoothly.
Practical values of external components that have been experimentally found to work well under these specific
operating conditions are COUT = 47 µF, L = 22 µH. Note that even with these components, for a current limit of
ICLIM of the device, the maximum load current under which the possibility of the large current limit hysteresis can
be minimized, is ICLIM / 2. For example, if the input is 24 V and the set output voltage is 18 V, then for a desired
maximum current of 1.5 A, the current limit of the chosen switcher must be confirmed to be at least 3 A.
Under extreme overcurrent or short-circuit conditions, the LM267x employs frequency foldback in addition to the
current limit. If the cycle-by-cycle inductor current increases above the current limit threshold (due to short circuit
or inductor saturation for example), the switching frequency is automatically reduced to protect the IC. Frequency
below 100 kHz is typical for an extreme short-circuit condition.