Tewksbury, Mass. — Touting the first digital power solution for high-volume computing, CHiL Corp. has unveiled the first device in a new family of digital mixed-signal, multi-phase buck converters. By integrating innovative digital control techniques into a mixed-signal multi-phase synchronous buck controller, the CHL8100 offers complete support for core voltage and load requirements for Intel VR11.x processors. It is also said to significantly reduce system component count, shrink board space requirements, minimize thermal management issues, and lower manufacturing and inventory costs.
The CHL8100 is targeted at VR designs using up to four interleaved synchronous buck phases and is capable of delivering up to 150 A. It allows designers to digitally configure the switching frequency of each phase from 200 kHz up to 1 MHz. By storing device parameters in embedded non-volatile memory, designers can optimize their design without changing external components, CHiL said. It also features a customized Intuitive Power Designer GUI that can be used to access, set, modify and monitor parameters.
The controller generates a PWM frequency using a very stable and highly accurate digital clock. Unlike analog techniques that rely on phase-lag-limited feedback loops, the CHL8100 uses new advanced non-linear digital PWM control techniques to reduce jitter and noise and address the fast transients generated by high-performance microprocessors, CHiL said. In most cases, the non-linear response of the CHL8100 allows designers to eliminate two or more bulk capacitors as well as several ceramic capacitors needed in comparable analog solutions.
The CHL8100 controller also delivers several innovative features including a current balancing algorithm, and a tri-level PWM input.
To help designers deliver a complete voltage regulator (VR) solution, CHiL has also introduced the CHL8500, a high-frequency dual-MOSFET gate driver specifically designed to be used with the CHL81xx family of digital controllers. The MOSFET driver supports switching frequencies up to 1 MHz and each driver is capable of driving at least a 3 nF load with a 3-A sink current. The CHL8500 improves power efficiency and features a unique high-speed interface to optimize system transient response.
Pricing: The CHL8100 (6 x 6-mm, 40-pin QFN package) is priced at $1.49 and the companion CHL8500, available in either a Pb-free, 8-pin SOIC package or a Pb-free, thermally-enhanced, 10-pin DFN package, is priced at $0.39, in quantities of 1,000.
Product information: multiphase buck controllers and MOSFET drivers
CHiL Semiconductor, www.chilsemi.com
