A 10-MHz 2-800-mA 0.5-1.5-V 90% Peak Efficiency Time-Based Buck Converter with Seamless Transition between PWM/PFM Modes

Seong Joong Kim; Woo Seok Choi; Robert Pilawa-Podgurski; Pavan Kumar Hanumolu

doi:10.1109/JSSC.2017.2776298

A 10-MHz 2-800-mA 0.5-1.5-V 90% Peak Efficiency Time-Based Buck Converter with Seamless Transition between PWM/PFM Modes

Seong Joong Kim, Woo Seok Choi, Robert Pilawa-Podgurski, Pavan Kumar Hanumolu

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Time-based controllers are well suited for implementing both single- and multi-phase wide bandwidth high switching frequency pulsewidth modulation (PWM)-based dc-dc converters. They also consume very little quiescent current but their light load efficiency is severely degraded by switching losses. We explore pulse frequency modulation (PFM) that is commonly used to improve light load efficiency in voltage-mode controllers and extend its operation to time-based controllers. To maintain high efficiency even in the presence of dynamic load variations, we present techniques to perform automatic and seamless switching between PWM/PFM modes. Fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS, the prototype buck converter using the time-based PWM/PFM control achieves 90% peak efficiency and >80% efficiency over a load current range of 2-800 mA. Output voltage changes by less than 40 mV during PWM to PFM transitions.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	814-824
Number of pages	11
Journal	IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits
Volume	53
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/JSSC.2017.2776298
State	Published - Mar 2018

Keywords

Buck converter
high switching frequency
light load efficiency
mode switching
pulse frequency modulation (PFM)
pulsewidth modulation (PWM)
time-based control

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Online availability

10.1109/JSSC.2017.2776298

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title = "A 10-MHz 2-800-mA 0.5-1.5-V 90% Peak Efficiency Time-Based Buck Converter with Seamless Transition between PWM/PFM Modes",

abstract = "Time-based controllers are well suited for implementing both single- and multi-phase wide bandwidth high switching frequency pulsewidth modulation (PWM)-based dc-dc converters. They also consume very little quiescent current but their light load efficiency is severely degraded by switching losses. We explore pulse frequency modulation (PFM) that is commonly used to improve light load efficiency in voltage-mode controllers and extend its operation to time-based controllers. To maintain high efficiency even in the presence of dynamic load variations, we present techniques to perform automatic and seamless switching between PWM/PFM modes. Fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS, the prototype buck converter using the time-based PWM/PFM control achieves 90% peak efficiency and >80% efficiency over a load current range of 2-800 mA. Output voltage changes by less than 40 mV during PWM to PFM transitions.",

keywords = "Buck converter, high switching frequency, light load efficiency, mode switching, pulse frequency modulation (PFM), pulsewidth modulation (PWM), time-based control",

author = "Kim, {Seong Joong} and Choi, {Woo Seok} and Robert Pilawa-Podgurski and Hanumolu, {Pavan Kumar}",

note = "Funding Information: Manuscript received July 16, 2017; revised October 6, 2017; accepted November 6, 2017. Date of publication December 12, 2017; date of current version February 21, 2018. This paper was approved by Guest Editor Sam Palermo. This work was supported by Texas Instruments and Systems on Nanoscale Information Fabrics, one of the six SRC STARnet Centers, sponsored by MARCO and DARPA. (Corresponding author: Seong Joong Kim.) The authors are with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL 61801 USA (e-mail: skim464@illinois.edu). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 1966-2012 IEEE.",

year = "2018",

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language = "English (US)",

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AU - Hanumolu, Pavan Kumar

N1 - Funding Information: Manuscript received July 16, 2017; revised October 6, 2017; accepted November 6, 2017. Date of publication December 12, 2017; date of current version February 21, 2018. This paper was approved by Guest Editor Sam Palermo. This work was supported by Texas Instruments and Systems on Nanoscale Information Fabrics, one of the six SRC STARnet Centers, sponsored by MARCO and DARPA. (Corresponding author: Seong Joong Kim.) The authors are with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL 61801 USA (e-mail: skim464@illinois.edu). Publisher Copyright: © 1966-2012 IEEE.

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A 10-MHz 2-800-mA 0.5-1.5-V 90% Peak Efficiency Time-Based Buck Converter with Seamless Transition between PWM/PFM Modes

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