JP7221221B2 - Chip-embedded power converter - Google Patents

Description

[Cross reference to related applications]
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. This is a continuation of US patent application Ser. No. 15/669,838, filed on Jan. The entire contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[Technical field]
The present disclosure relates to electronic systems, direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) converters, electronic device design, and electronic device manufacturing techniques.

Various DC-DC converters are known, but these DC-DC converters consist of non-ideal components and/or structures subject to parasitic losses and inefficiencies. There is a need for improved power converters.

Some embodiments are disclosed for a direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter comprising a lower printed circuit board (PCB) portion having a bottom surface and a top surface, and a bottom surface and a top surface. and embedded circuitry between the top surface of the bottom PCB section and the bottom surface of the top PCB section, the embedded circuitry comprising a pulse width modulator and at least a switch; one or more vias extending through the upper PCB portion; and an inductor positioned on the top surface of the upper PCB portion, wherein the one or more vias are connected to the inductor. and electrically coupled to the embedded circuit. This embodiment may feature any combination of the following. i.e.
- said embedded circuit comprises an integrated circuit (IC);
- the footprint of the inductor at least partially overlaps the footprint of the integrated circuit;
- wire bonds do not electrically interconnect the inductor and the embedded circuit;
- the circuit has a switching speed of at least 1 MHz;
- the circuit has a switching speed of at least 3 MHz;
• The circuit has a switching speed of at least 5 MHz.
• The circuit has a switching speed of up to 7 MHz.
- said at least one switch comprises an enhanced gallium nitride field effect transistor (eGaNFET);
• further comprising one or more capacitors provided on said top surface of said upper PCB portion;
- further comprising a core provided between said upper surface of said lower PCB portion and said lower surface of said upper PCB portion, said core comprising one or more pockets formed therein, said embedded circuit; are provided in said one or more pockets.
- Said DC-DC power converter has a footprint of less than ^25mm2 .
- said DC-DC power converter has a footprint of less than ^10mm2 ;
- said DC-DC power converter has a footprint of less than 5 ^mm2 ;
- The DC-DC power converter has a footprint as small as ^2mm2 .
• Said DC-DC power converter has a footprint area that is between 0.5 mm ² and 10 mm ² per amperage of current.

Some embodiments are disclosed for a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter package, which includes an integrated circuit ( an IC chip, the IC chip comprising a driver; an inductor positioned outside the chip-embedded package and coupled to a surface of the chip-embedded package; and electrically coupling the inductor to the IC chip. and a via, wherein the footprint of the inductor at least partially overlaps the footprint of the IC chip. This embodiment may be characterized by any of the following. a transistor is embedded in the at least one PCB; the inductor is electrically coupled to the transistor; the IC chip comprises a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller coupled to the driver; further comprising a switch comprising enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN) comprising a switching transistor coupled to an output of and a switch comprising at least one of silicon or gallium arsenide.

Some embodiments are disclosed for a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter in a single package, the direct current to direct current power converter being embedded, at least partially, inside a mounting substrate. an enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN) component mounted on the substrate; an inductor mounted on the outside of the mounting substrate; and a via coupling the inductor to the eGaN component, the footprint of the inductor at least partially overlap the footprint of This embodiment may feature any combination of the following. i.e.
- The mounting substrate is a multi-layer PCB.
- the eGaN component is a switch comprising eGaN, and the DC-DC power converter further comprises a driver circuit for driving the switch;
• the driver and the switch are part of an IC chip;
- the IC chip further comprises a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller;

Some embodiments are disclosed for direct-current-to-direct-current (DC-DC) power converters that utilize chip-embedded packages, which include enhanced gallium nitride ( a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller; and a driver embedded within said PCB, said PWM controller and said driver configured to drive said eGaN switch at a frequency of 1 MHz or higher. and the DC-DC converter comprises an inductor located outside the chip-embedded package and coupled to the surface of the PCB, and a via electrically coupling the inductor to the eGaN switch. These embodiments can be characterized in that the driver is configured to drive the eGaN switch at a frequency of 5 MHz or greater.

Some embodiments are disclosed for a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter comprising a printed circuit board and an integrated circuit inside said printed circuit board, said The integrated circuit has a driver. This embodiment may feature any combination of the following. i.e.
• further comprising an inductor electrically coupled to said integrated circuit by one or more vias extending through said printed circuit board;
- the inductor has a footprint that at least partially overlaps the footprint of the integrated circuit;

Some embodiments are disclosed for a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter comprising an integrated circuit comprising a driver and a footprint of the inductor an inductor vertically stacked on the integrated circuit to at least partially overlap the footprint, the inductor electrically coupled to the integrated circuit. This embodiment may feature any combination of the following. i.e.
- further comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first side and a second side opposite said first side, said integrated circuit being mounted on said first side of said PCB; Mounted on the second side of the PCB.
- the inductor is electrically coupled to the integrated circuit by one or more vias extending through the printed circuit board;

Some embodiments are disclosed for a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) buck converter, the direct current to direct current power converter driving one or more switches and the one or more switches a driver and an inductor electrically coupled to the switch, wherein the footprint of the DC-DC buck converter is less than 65 mm ² and the DC-DC buck converter receives a current of at least 20 amps; and the DC-DC buck converter is configured to output a current of at least 20 amps.

Some embodiments are disclosed for a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter comprising one or more switches and switching the one or more switches to 1 MHz a driver configured to drive at a frequency greater than or equal to 5 MHz and less than or equal to 5 MHz; and an inductor electrically coupled to the one or more switches, wherein the footprint of the DC-DC converter is less than or equal to 10 mm ² . and wherein the DC-DC converter is configured to receive a current of at least 5 Amps and the DC-DC converter is configured to output a current of at least 5 Amps.

Some embodiments are disclosed for a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter, the direct current to direct current power converter having a first switch coupled with a first inductor and a second inductor. and an integrated circuit chip embedded in a printed circuit board, wherein the first switch and the second switch are coupled with a modulator, and the first inductor and the second inductor are voltage output connected to the node. This embodiment may feature any combination of the following. i.e.
- the modulator is included in the integrated circuit chip;
- the modulator is arranged to operate the first switch and the second switch to output a phase in a synchronous period;
- the output signal at the output node is superimposed on a first signal via a first inductor and a second signal via a second inductor;

Some embodiments are disclosed for a direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter, which is an integrated circuit chip embedded in a printed circuit board and comprising a driver. A circuit chip, a first switch coupled to the driver, an inductor coupled to the first switch, and a feedback path from an output node to a modulation circuit. This embodiment may feature any combination of the following. i.e.
- said modulation circuit is a voltage mode modulation circuit;
- the modulation circuit is an always-on-time or always-off-time modulation circuit;
- the modulation circuit is included in the integrated circuit chip;
- the modulation circuit and the inductor are included in a package with the integrated circuit chip;

Some embodiments are disclosed for a direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter, which is an integrated circuit chip embedded in a printed circuit board and comprising a driver. A circuit chip, a first switch coupled with the driver, an inductor coupled with the first switch, a feedback path from an output node to a modulation circuit, and a ramp generator. This embodiment may feature any combination of the following. i.e.
• the feedback path and the output from the ramp generator are coupled to a comparator;
• further comprising a reference voltage source connected to the comparator;
- the ramp generator is configured to emulate a ripple current through the inductor;
- the ramp generator comprises a first current source, a second current source and a capacitor;
- the first current source and the second current source are configured to be trimmed at least in part based on the inductance of the inductor;
- The ramp generator and the inductor are included in the same DC-DC power converter package.
- the ramp generator is configured to generate an output signal that is unaffected by an output capacitor coupled to the inductor;
- the ramp generator is configured to generate an output signal independent of the equivalent series resistance (ESR) of an output capacitor coupled to the inductor;
• further comprising an output capacitor with a sufficiently low ESR to ensure that the ripple voltage of said output capacitor is not too small to be provided to the modulation circuit;

Some embodiments are disclosed for a ramp generator comprising: a. That is, it comprises a first current source connected to a supply voltage, a second current source connected to ground, and a capacitor connected between the first current source and the second current source. This embodiment may feature any combination of the following. i.e.
- the ramp generator is configured to emulate a ripple current through an inductor in a DC-DC converter;
- said output of said first current source is based at least in part on an input voltage to a DC-DC converter;
- the output of the first current source is based at least in part on the inductance of an inductor in a DC-DC converter;
- the output of the second current source is based at least in part on the inductance of an inductor in a DC-DC converter;
• the output of the second current source is based at least in part on the inductance of an inductor in a DC-DC converter;
• the first current source is configured to be trimmed based at least in part on the inductance of an inductor in the DC-DC converter;
• the second current source is configured to be trimmed based at least in part on the inductance of an inductor in the DC-DC converter;

Some embodiments are disclosed for methods for making chip-embedded DC-DC converters, including: An integrated circuit chip is embedded in a printed circuit board, a first inductor is connected to the printed circuit board, a second inductor is connected to the printed circuit board, and both the first inductor and the second inductor are connected to an output node. including being

Some embodiments are disclosed for methods of converting a first DC voltage to a second DC voltage, including: a. That is, a first switch connected to a first inductor is driven, a second switch connected to a second inductor is driven, the first switch and the second switch are connected to an output node, and the first switch is connected to the output node. Modulating the switch and said second switch out of phase, at least one of the driver or modulator being included in a chip embedded in a printed circuit board.

Some embodiments are disclosed for methods for making chip-embedded DC-DC converters, including: An integrated circuit chip is embedded in a printed circuit board, an inductor is coupled between the integrated circuit chip and an output node to provide a feedback path from the output node to a modulation circuit, the modulation circuit driving a ramp generator. include. This embodiment may feature any combination of the following. i.e.
- The modulation circuit is included in the printed circuit board.
- the modulation circuit is an always-on-time or always-off-time modulation circuit;
- the ramp generator is included in the integrated circuit;
• further comprising trimming the ramp generator based at least in part on the characteristics of the inductor;
- the ramp generator is the ramp generator of any of the above embodiments;

Some embodiments are disclosed for methods for use of DC-to-DC converters, including: That is, receiving input power at an input node, providing power through a switch to an inductor, storing energy in the output capacitor such that an output voltage appears across the output capacitor, and providing output power to the output node at said output voltage. providing said output voltage to a modulation circuit; generating a ripple voltage independent of an output capacitor; providing said ripple voltage to said modulation circuit; and configuring said switch based at least in part on the output of said modulation circuit. modulate. This embodiment may feature any combination of the following. i.e.
- further comprising comparing at least two of said ripple voltage, a reference voltage and said output voltage;
- further comprising trimming a current source based at least in part on the inductance of said inductor;
- the ripple voltage is generated by a ramp generator configured to emulate the current through the inductor;

Some embodiments are disclosed for a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter package, the direct current to direct current power converter package comprising an integrated circuit ( IC) chip, the IC chip comprising a driver, an inductor positioned outside the chip-embedded package and coupled to the surface of the chip-embedded package, and when the current provided to the inductor exceeds a limit. an overcurrent protection circuit configured to detect This embodiment may feature any combination of the following. i.e.
- the overcurrent protection circuit comprises a current source configured at least in part to be regulated or trimmed based on inter-integrated circuit or power management bus commands;
• the saturated inductance of the inductor exceeds the limit and exceeds the limit by less than 50%;
• Said limit exceeds the maximum specified DC current specification plus maximum AC current ripple specification by less than 50%.

Some embodiments disclosed herein relate to a direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter package, which includes an integrated circuit embedded in at least one printed circuit board (PCB). An (IC) chip comprising: said IC chip with drivers; an inductor positioned outside said chip-embedded package and coupled to a surface of said chip-embedded package; and an inter-integrated circuit or power management bus. This embodiment may have any combination of the following. i.e.
- the inter-integrated circuit or power management bus is coupled to at least one current source and is configured to provide protocol commands to adjust or trim the current source;
- the inter-integrated circuit or power management bus is coupled to at least one current source and configured to provide protocol commands to set or adjust the reference value provided to the comparator;
the inter-integrated circuit or power management bus can turn on or off the DC-DC power converter package, change the low power or sleep mode of the DC-DC power converter package, at least one of reading information about current settings, reading diagnostic and/or technical information about the DC-DC power converter package, and setting or changing the output voltage provided by the DC-DC power converter package. It is configured to communicate a protocol including instructions to implement.
• Implement the power management protocol as a wiring layer above the inter-integrated circuit implementation.

Some embodiments disclosed herein feature power converters comprising: a printed circuit board (PCB), said printed circuit board comprising a lower printed circuit board (PCB) portion having a bottom surface and a top surface, and an upper printed circuit board (PCB) portion having a bottom surface and a top surface; Embedded circuitry between the top surface and the bottom surface of the upper PCB portion (drivers configured to generate one or more driver signals and to be driven by the one or more driver signals) one or more vias extending through the upper PCB portion; and an inductor positioned on the top surface of the upper PCB portion. , the one or more vias are electrically coupled to the inductor and the embedded circuit, and the footprint of the inductor at least partially overlaps the footprint of the embedded circuit. This embodiment may have any combination of the following. i.e.
- the power converter is configured with an isolation topology configured to isolate a direct electrical connection between an input and an output of the power converter;
- said isolation topology comprises at least one of a flyback topology, a forward converter topology, a two-transistor forward, an LLC resonant converter, a push-pull topology, a full-bridge, a hybrid, a PWM resonant converter, and a half-bridge topology; .
• further comprising a transformer comprising said first inductor and said second inductor configured such that a modified current through said first inductor induces a modified current in said second inductor;
• further comprising a wireless communication system in the same package as the embedded circuit;
- the output of said power converter is arranged to be adjusted in response to a radio signal received by said radio signal system; Further comprising a feedback system having a ramp generator configured to generate a signal emulating current ripple through the inductor, the feedback system being trimmed in response to a radio signal received by the radio communication system. or with a current source configured to be regulated.
- the embedded circuit comprises the wireless communication system;
• further comprising a communication interface configured to receive a control signal for regulating the output of said power converter;
- The communication interface comprises a power management bus (PMBUS).
- the communication interface is configured to implement an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) protocol;
- further comprising a feedback system having a ramp generator configured to generate a signal emulating a current ripple through the inductor, the feedback system being responsive to commands received via the communication interface; configured to trim the ramp generator;
- the embedded circuit comprises a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller configured to generate one or more PWM signals, the PWM controller coupled to the driver, the driver comprising at least one A unit is configured to generate one or more driver signals based on said PWM signal.
- said inductor has a rated current, said inductor has a saturation rating, said saturation rating being less than 50% higher than said rated current;
- said inductor has a rated current, said inductor has a saturation rating, said saturation rating being less than 20% higher than said rated current;
• further comprising an overcurrent protection circuit configured to prevent current through said inductor from exceeding said saturation rating;
• further comprising an overcurrent protection circuit configured to open at least one of said one or more switches in response to detection of an overcurrent condition;
- said power converter is a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter;
- said power converter is an alternating current to direct current (AC-DC) power converter;
• further comprising a feedback system comprising a current source, said current source being configured to be trimmed or adjusted based at least in part on radio signals received by said wireless communication system;
- further comprising an overcurrent protection system configured to provide an indication of the current through the inductor, the overcurrent system comprising a current source, the current source responsive to a radio signal received by the wireless communication system; configured to be trimmed or adjusted based at least in part.

Some embodiments disclosed herein feature items comprising: the power converter of the previous paragraph; a first system configured to perform a physical action using power; an electrical system configured to control a first system, the power converter configured to provide power to one or both of the first system and the electrical system, the electrical system comprising: configured to control the first system based at least in part on radio signals received by the wireless communication system co-packaged with the embedded circuitry of the power converter. In some embodiments, the item is an Internet of Things device. Some embodiments feature a power delivery system comprising: That is, a plurality of power converters, each power converter responsive to the power converters of the previous paragraph, and a shared pulse width modulator (PWM) controller configured to generate a plurality of PWM signals. , the PWM controller is coupled to the drivers of the plurality of power converters to deliver the plurality of PWM signals to the corresponding drivers of the power converters, the drivers at least in part to the PWM signals; and generating the one or more driver signals based on. Some embodiments feature a power supply system comprising a first power converter according to the power converter of claim 1 and a second power converter coupled in parallel with the first power converter. and a power converter. The power supply system may feature a control system configured to regulate the output of the first power converter and the output of the second power converter for current balancing.

Some embodiments disclosed herein feature power converters comprising: a printed circuit board (PCB) having a lower printed circuit board (PCB) portion having a bottom surface and a top surface and an upper printed circuit board (PCB) portion having a bottom surface and a top surface; and an input port configured to receive an input voltage. and an output port configured to provide an output voltage different from the input voltage, and embedded circuitry between the top surface of the lower PCB portion and the bottom surface of the upper PCB portion, wherein the input an embedded circuit coupled to a port and configured to vary the input voltage; a via extending through the upper PCB portion; an inductor or capacitor positioned on the top surface of the upper PCB portion; The one or more vias are electrically coupled to the inductor or capacitor and the embedded circuit, and the footprint of the inductor or capacitor at least partially overlaps the footprint of the embedded circuit. This embodiment may have any combination of the following. i.e.
- the inductor is positioned on the top surface of the upper PCB portion, the one or more vias are electrically coupled to the inductor and the embedded circuit, and the generator footprint of the inductor is embedded in the embedded circuit; a driver configured to generate one or more driver signals, the embedded circuit being configured to be driven by the one or more driver signals; and one or more switches.
- said power converter is a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter;
- said power converter is an alternating current to direct current (AC-DC) converter;
• further comprising a transformer comprising said first inductor and said second inductor configured such that a modified current through said first inductor induces a modified current in said second inductor;
- said implantable circuit comprises a rectifying circuit configured to change an alternating current (AC) input voltage into a pulsed DC voltage;
- a smoothing circuit configured to smooth the pulsed DC voltage to a more stable DC voltage, the smoothing circuit comprising the capacitor or the inductor positioned on top of the upper side of the upper PCB portion;
- the rectifier circuit comprises one or more switches;
- the rectifier circuit comprises a diode bridge;

Some embodiments disclosed herein feature a direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter comprising a lower printed circuit board (PCB) portion having a bottom surface and a top surface; an upper printed circuit board (PCB) portion having a bottom surface and a top surface; and embedded circuitry between the top surface of the bottom PCB portion and the bottom surface of the top PCB portion, the embedded circuitry generating a PWM signal. a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller configured to: a driver configured to receive the PWM signal and configured to generate one or more driver signals; and the one or more a first switch configured to be driven by at least one of the driver signals of the upper PCB; a second switch configured to be driven by at least one of the one or more driver signals; and an inductor positioned on the top surface of the upper PCB portion, the one or more vias electrically coupling the inductor and the embedded circuitry. a generator with a footprint of the inductor at least partially overlapping a footprint of the embedded circuit, and a wireless communication system in the same package as the embedded circuit; A switch is configured to provide a signal to at least one of the switches to affect the output of the DC-DC converter.

Some embodiments disclosed herein feature direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power comprising an integrated circuit positioned inside a printed circuit board (PCB), said integrated The circuit includes a first gallium nitride (GaN) switch configured to be driven by a first signal from a driver, a second GaN switch configured to be driven by a second signal from the driver, and the An inductor positioned on the integrated circuit to have a footprint that at least partially overlaps a footprint of the integrated circuit, and a via electrically coupling the inductor to the GaN switch. Some embodiments may include: the first GaN switch is a first enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN) switch and the second GaN switch is a second eGaN switch.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary circuit-level schematic of a chip-embedded DC-DC converter package. FIG. 2 shows a package-level schematic of an exemplary embodiment of a chip-embedded DC-DC converter package. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of an exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter. FIG. 4A shows a perspective view of an exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter with stacked inductors. FIG. 4B shows a reverse perspective view of an exemplary rendered on-chip DC-DC converter with stacked inductors. FIG. 4C shows a side view of an exemplary chip-embedded DC-DC converter with an embedded stacked inductor. FIG. 4D shows a side view of an exemplary chip-embedded DC-DC converter with embedded inductors. FIG. 5 shows a transparent perspective view 500 of an exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter. FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of an exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter. FIG. 7A shows an example of a DC-DC converter used in a storage device. FIG. 7B shows an example of a chip-embedded DC-DC converter used in a memory device. FIG. 8A shows an exemplary application of a DC-DC converter in a circuit board. FIG. 8B shows an exemplary application of a chip-embedded DC-DC converter in a circuit board. FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for making and using an on-chip DC-DC converter. FIG. 10 shows an exemplary dual inductor design for a dual Buck converter using an on-chip DC-DC converter. FIG. 11A shows a first exemplary layout design for an embedded chip in a dual buck converter. FIG. 11B shows a second exemplary layout design for an embedded chip in a dual buck converter. FIG. 11C shows a third exemplary layout design for embedded chips in a dual buck converter. FIG. 11D shows a fourth exemplary layout design for an embedded chip in a dual buck converter. FIG. 12 shows an exemplary circuit level schematic of a dual buck converter including a chip-embedded DC-DC converter. FIG. 13A shows an exemplary circuit-level schematic of a DC-DC converter, including a chip-embedded DC-DC converter. FIG. 13B shows an exemplary circuit-level schematic of a DC-DC converter, including a chip-embedded DC-DC converter. FIG. 14 shows an exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter with an external ripple voltage feedback circuit. FIG. 15 shows an exemplary graph of inductor current I _L versus time and equivalent series resistance voltage V _ESR (also referred to as ripple voltage) versus time. FIG. 16 shows an exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter with an external ripple voltage feedback circuit. FIG. 17 shows an exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter with an internal ripple voltage feedback circuit. FIG. 18 shows an exemplary circuit level schematic of a ramp generator. FIG. 19 shows an exemplary method for making and using a DC-DC converter. FIG. 20 shows an exemplary circuit-level schematic of a chip-embedded DC-DC converter package having an isolated topology. FIG. 21A shows an exemplary DC-DC converter with a wireless communication system in a package. FIG. 21B shows an exemplary DC-DC converter with a wireless communication system in a package. FIG. 21C shows an exemplary package comprising a wireless communication system and two DC-DC converters. FIG. 21D shows an exemplary wireless enabled power source configured to communicate with an external wireless device. FIG. 21E shows an exemplary DC-DC converter with wireless communication system in package. FIG. 22 shows an exemplary Internet of Things (IoT) device. FIG. 23A shows an exemplary DC-DC converter system including multiple DC-DC converters. FIG. 23B shows an exemplary DC-DC converter system including multiple DC-DC converters. FIG. 24A shows a DC-DC converter with multiple power stages. FIG. 24B shows an exemplary layout of inductors in a DC-DC converter. FIG. 25 shows an exemplary side view of a DC-DC converter. FIG. 26A shows an exemplary block diagram of an AC-DC converter. FIG. 26B shows an exemplary AC-DC converter. FIG. 26C shows an exemplary AC-DC converter.

Introduction A direct current (DC) to direct current (DC-DC) converter is a type of electronic circuit. A DC-DC converter can receive input power at a first voltage and can provide output power at a second voltage. DC-DC converters include, for example, boost converters (which can have an output voltage higher than the input voltage), buck converters (which can have an output voltage lower than the input voltage), buck-boost converters, and Various other topologies are included.

Some DC-DC converters suffer from non-ideal component characteristics. These include wirebond and quad flat leadless (QFN) packages, power quad flat leadless (PQFN) packages, dual flat leadless (DFN) packages, and micro leadframe (MLF) packages. It may include parasitic inductance, parasitic capacitance, and/or parasitic resistance caused by components such as leadframe packages. Additionally, interconnections between internal components of the DC-DC converter, eg drivers to switches, can also contribute to parasitic effects. These parasitic effects can limit the efficiency and/or switching speed of DC-DC converters. A package may refer to a DC-DC converter level package. A package may encapsulate one or more ICs included in the DC-DC converter. The package may provide support and protection for the components in the DC-DC converter, and the package may provide electrical contacts for connecting to the DC-DC converter. In various embodiments, the package may include one or more inductors and/or capacitors provided within the package and/or externally coupled to the package.

This disclosure includes examples of highly integrated solutions, in which DC-DC converters can switch more efficiently, switch at relatively high frequencies, and/or have reduced packaging. Provides improved performance with a footprint. Many DC-DC configurations such as pulse width modulator controllers, drivers, and/or one or more enhanced gallium arsenide switches (also known as enhancement mode gallium arsenide switches and eGaN FETs) An integrated circuit chip that integrates the components may be included in the package. Integrated circuits may be embedded in or between printed circuit boards. The package may include inductors and/or capacitors in a vertical design to reduce the package footprint. Certain features can reduce parasitic effects that prevent achieving higher switching speeds and/or higher efficiencies. By efficiently achieving relatively high switching speeds, inductor size can be reduced. DC-DC converters can operate at relatively high frequencies, can provide better transient performance, can have relatively low ripple, and can use fewer capacitors. and/or the overall footprint can be reduced.

Certain aspects, advantages, and novel features have been introduced to provide an introduction. It is understood that not necessarily all such aspects, advantages and novel features of the introduction will be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Accordingly, one or more aspects, advantages and novel features may be achieved without necessarily achieving other aspects, advantages and novel features described herein. It is understood that not all aspects, advantages and novel features are disclosed in the introduction.

Exemplary Schematic FIG. 1 shows an exemplary circuit-level schematic of a chip-embedded DC-DC converter package 100 . The schematic shows power input port 101, power supply 103, input capacitor 105, ground port 106, ground 107, voltage output port 109, output capacitor 111, integrated circuit (IC) chip 113A, and alternate IC 113B. , a driver 117, a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller 119, a first electrical path 121, a first switch (eg, a first enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN) switch) 123, a second electrical path 125; A second switch (eg, a second eGaN switch) 127, a third electrical path 129, an inductor 131, and an AC bypass capacitor 133 are shown. Dashed line 135 indicates an alternative separate packaging for switches 123,127. Switches 123, 127 are also referred to as power switches, switching FETs, and/or switching transistors. The schematic also shows current source 137 , comparator 139 , fault logic and/or overcurrent protection circuit 141 .

Chip embedded DC-DC converter package 100 may be coupled to power source 103 through power input port 101 and may also be coupled to ground 107 through input capacitor 105 . Chip embedded DC-DC converter package 100 may also include a power input port 109 that may be coupled to ground 107 via an input capacitor 111 . Chip embedded DC-DC converter package 100 may also include a ground reference port 106 coupled to ground 107 .

Chip embedded DC-DC converter package 100 may comprise a printed circuit board (PCB) containing an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip 113A or 113B. The IC may include a driver 117 and/or a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller 119. For example, a first electrical path 121 couples the IC to the gate of a first eGaN switch 123 . A second electrical path 125 couples the IC to the gate of a second eGaN switch 127 . A third electrical path 129 couples the IC to the source of the first eGaN switch 123 , the drain of the second eGaN switch 127 and the inductor 131 . Inductor 131 may be coupled to voltage output port 109 . An AC bypass capacitor 133 may be coupled from the drain of the first eGaN switch 123 to the source of the second eGaN switch 127 to short the AC signal to ground 107 .

Although FIG. 1 shows driver 117 and PWM controller 119 as part of IC 113A, in various embodiments an IC may include either PWM controller 119 or driver 117, while PWM controller 119 and The other of drivers 117 is individually coupled to IC 113A. In some embodiments, an eGaN switch 123, 127 or one of a pair of eGaN switches 123, 127 may be integrated with each electrical path 121, 125, and/or 129 into IC 113A. IC 113A may be a semiconductor. IC 113A may be silicon, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, eGaN, or other III-V semiconductor. Therefore, any integrated components may also be made of the same or similar materials as IC 113A. Switches 123, 127, electrical paths 121, 129, 125, driver 117, and PWM controller 119 may also be formed of the same or similar materials as IC 113A.

The pair of switches 123, 127 may be monolithic eGaN field effect transistors (FETs). In some embodiments, the pair of switches 123, 127 may be separate devices and include two independent eGaN FETs. In some embodiments, switches 123, 127 are metal oxide field effect transistors (MOSFETs). Various other multiples or types of switches may be used in various other embodiments. Although embodiments describe switches 123, 127 as eGaN switches, other suitable materials may be used in place of or in addition to eGaN.

In some embodiments, the electrical paths 121, 129, 125 have vias such as copper pillars, wiring, and/or low parasitic effects (e.g., low parasitic inductance, low parasitic resistance, and/or low parasitic capacitance) Other electrical pathways may also be implemented. Wire bonds may have relatively high parasitic effects (eg, relatively high parasitic inductance, relatively high parasitic resistance, and/or relatively high parasitic capacitance).

Ports, including power input port 101, ground port 106, and voltage output port 109, are pads, pins, or other electrical connections that have low parasitic effects (e.g., low parasitic inductance, low parasitic resistance, and/or low parasitic capacitance). It may also be embodied as a conductor. A port may be designed to interface with wiring on another device such as a motherboard, PCB, or the like.

Many variations are possible. In some embodiments, bypass capacitor 133 may be omitted. Some embodiments may feature different inductors, capacitors, magnets, and/or resonant structures. Although the various components shown in the exemplary circuit diagram of FIG. 1 form a DC-DC converter, the DC-DC converter may have other variations. It will be appreciated that the teachings disclosed herein may be extended to other variations of DC-DC converters.

For example, DC-DC converter 110 may receive a power signal from power supply 103 via power input port 101 . The power signal may be filtered through a shunt input capacitor 105, which may act as a decoupling capacitor to filter noisy alternating current (AC) signal components. A power signal is provided to the drain of a first switch 123 of a pair of switches 123,127.

Driver 117 provides a first control signal to the gate of a first switch (eg, eGaN switch) 123 via electrical path 121 . The driver also provides a second control signal to the gate of a second switch (eg, eGaN switch) 127 via electrical path 125 . Using control signals, the driver can alternately turn the switches 123, 127 on and off. The driver may control the signals such that the on/off state of the first switch 123 is the opposite of the on/off state of the second switch 127 . The on/off duty cycle of the control signal may be set by PWM controller 119 . PWM controller 119 may control the pulse width or period via the PWM signal provided to the driver.

Switches 123, 127, IC 113A (eg, including PWM controller 119 and/or driver 117), and inductor 131 may be arranged to form part of a non-isolated synchronous power converter or power stage. When driver 117 drives first switch 123 on and second switch 127 off, power may be provided from power supply 103 to an energy storage circuit such as inductor 131 and/or capacitor 111 . Well, the DC output voltage at voltage output port 109 is increased. Power from the energy storage circuit may flow through the second switch 127 to ground 107 while the driver 117 drives the first switch 123 off and the second switch 127 on, Reduce the DC output voltage at voltage output port 109 . Thus, the pair 123 of switches 123 , 127 are rapidly switched to control the DC output voltage at the voltage output port 109 . Inductor 131 and capacitor 111 also act as a resonant filter to help control the DC voltage.

Comparator 139 has a first input coupled to the drain of second switch 127 . Comparator 139 has a second input coupled to the source of second switch 127 . Therefore, the comparator 139 may be connected across the second switch 127 . In some embodiments, comparator 139 may have an inverting terminal as a first input. A first input of comparator 139 may also be coupled to current source 137 . I2C and/or PMBUS (described further in connection with FIG. 2) may be used to trim and/or adjust the output current of current source 137 . Accordingly, overcurrent limits may be set and/or adjusted. The output of comparator 139 may be provided to fault logic and overcurrent protection (OCP) circuitry 141 .

Comparator 139, along with fault logic and OCP circuit 141, is configured to sense drain-source resistance _Rds when switch 127 is on. The voltage drop across switch 127 caused by _Rds is compared to a reference value that can be adjusted by trimming or adjusting current source 137 . The output of comparator 139 can trip when an overcurrent condition occurs. Overcurrent protection circuit 141 may turn off switches 123, 127 and/or drivers when an overcurrent condition is detected and a failure mode is entered. In various embodiments, the OCP circuit may be coupled directly to the gates of switches 123, 127 to switch off, shorting one or more alternate energy paths (not shown) to dissipate energy. It may discharge, affect the output of PWM controller 119 in response to an overcurrent condition, and/or affect the output of driver 117 in response to an overcurrent condition. In failure mode, the system may periodically attempt recovery by turning on the switches 123, 127 and/or drivers for short periods of time and may attempt to detect an overcurrent condition, the overcurrent condition still persisting. If so, turn off switches 123, 127 and/or driver 117 and wait a period of time before attempting recovery again.

An overcurrent condition may also occur as a result of inductor saturation. An inductor, such as inductor 131, can saturate and lose its magnetic properties if too much current is provided to the inductor for too long. In such cases, the inductance of the inductor drops by 10%, 30%, or more. A fully saturated inductor can effectively act as a wire, creating a potential short circuit in the circuit. During saturation, the effective resistance of the inductor can drop, causing the output current to rise above specification to potentially dangerous levels. The LC resonance of the circuit can also be affected if the inductor no longer stores energy effectively, so overvoltage and/or voltage conditions can occur.

Inductor 131 may be selected to tolerate load current (DC output current) as well as AC ripple. Therefore, the saturation current limit of inductor 131 may be selected to exceed a specified DC output current plus maximum AC ripple. For example, if the on-chip DC-DC converter produces a DC current of 10A and a ripple of +/-5A, the maximum total current is 15A and the inductor saturation limit will be above 15A. An inductor with a relatively high inductance may have a relatively high saturation limit and may be relatively large in size.

In some designs, overcurrent protection limit determination and inductor sizing may occur independently of each other, and one or the other may be overspecified. This can occur, for example, when a second party selects and connects an inductor to a DC-DC converter made by the manufacturer. In some cases, a second party may overspec the inductor outside of due diligence, e.g., 5A AC current, 10A DC current, and 100% DC overcurrent. By allowance, such inductors are selected to have a saturation limit of 25A or higher. In some cases, the second party may be unaware of the OCP limit and so resort to overspecifying the inductor to make it relatively large inductance and size so that the inductor does not saturate. There is Or, in some cases, a second user may use a relatively small inductor for overcurrent protection limits that are too high, and thus use an inductor with a minimum size and a larger inductance than necessary. In some cases, the manufacturer may set the overcurrent limit too high or too low. Some embodiments of the DC-DC converters disclosed herein may have adjustable overcurrent limits. Some embodiments of the DC-DC converter disclosed herein may include both an overcurrent protection circuit and an inductor, wherein the overcurrent limit is determined based at least on the size of the inductor and The current limit may be set equal to and/or lower than the saturation limit of the inductor. Some embodiments of the DC-DC converters disclosed herein may include both an overcurrent protection circuit and an inductor, the size of the inductor being based at least in part on the overcurrent limit: The saturation limit of the inductor is equal to the overcurrent limit, or the overcurrent limit is less than or equal to 50%, less than or equal to 40%, less than or equal to 30%, less than or equal to 20%, less than or equal to 10%, or any value in between, or is selected to be over a narrow band, such as the range defined by any of the values of . Some embodiments of the DC-DC converters disclosed herein have a DC overcurrent of 90% or less, a DC overcurrent of 75% or less, a DC overcurrent of 50% or less, a DC overcurrent of 50% or less, DC overcurrent of 40% or less, DC overcurrent of 30% or less, DC overcurrent of 20% or less, DC overcurrent of 10% or less, or any value in between, or any of these values It may have an overcurrent limit set at less than twice the expected maximum AC current plus the expected DC current, such as a specified range. In some embodiments, a single designer may provide the components and select values for both the OCP circuit and limits as well as the inductor and its saturation limit. Thus, in some embodiments, the DC-DC converter can operate without the inductor reaching saturation while having a relatively low footprint, relatively low inductor DC resistance, and increased efficiency.

Packaging FIG. 2 shows a package level schematic diagram of an embodiment of an embedded chip DC-DC converter package 100 . A chip-embedded DC-DC converter package may comprise an input port 101 , a ground port 106 and an output port 109 . As described in connection with FIG. 1, power input port 101 may be coupled to power source 103, such as by input capacitor 105 coupled to ground. Voltage output port 109 may provide a DC output voltage to a load coupled to node 201 , such as by output capacitor 111 coupled to ground 107 . Enable port 205 may be configured to receive a signal to enable the DC-DC converter. Test port 203 may be used to check the status of the device. In some embodiments, an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) and/or power management bus (PMBUS) provides a communication path to/from chip-embedded DC-DC converter package 100 .

The footprint of package 100 may include all components of the DC-DC converter. In some embodiments, the footprint of package 100 comprises IC 113A or 113B and inductor 131, for example, so that the package can operate as a DC-DC converter without adding an external inductor. In some embodiments, at least one or more of capacitors 105, 111, and/or 133 are also packaged such that, for example, such packages can operate as DC-DC converters without the addition of external capacitors. It may be contained within the footprint.

In some embodiments, I2C and/or PMBUS is used to receive I2C and/or PMBUS protocol communications to turn on or off the chip embedded DC-DC converter package 100 and change the low power or sleep mode of the power converter package 100; read information about the current settings of the DC-DC converter package 100; read diagnostic and/or technical information about the DC-DC converter package 100; - changing or setting the output voltage provided by the DC converter package 100 (eg, by changing the digital signal provided to the digital-to-analog controller "DAC" described in connection with FIGS. 16 and 17); , trim characteristics such as amplitude or frequency of a ramp generator (e.g., the ramp generator of FIG. 17), trim one or more current sources (e.g., the current source of FIG. 18), and other functions. One or more may be done. In some embodiments, the PMBUS protocol is implemented as a wiring layer above the I2C implementation.

Integrated and On-Chip Design DC-DC converters may be relatively highly integrated and switched at relatively high frequencies, providing improved performance compared to other DC-DC converters. be able to. In some designs, parasitic effect prevention can prevent, if at all, a DC-DC converter from operating efficiently at relatively high frequencies (relatively high switching speeds). Multiple designs of DC-DC converters are disclosed herein along with additional designs with reduced parasitic effects.

Some DC-DC converter packages include wirebond and/or leadframe packages. An example 1 mil, 1 mm long bond wire may have a parasitic inductance of 0.7 nH, a parasitic capacitance of 0.08 pF, and a parasitic resistance of 140 mΩ. Similar or higher parasitic resistances are wirebond and quad flat leadless (QFN) packages, power quad flat leadless (PQFN) packages, dual flat leadless (DFN) packages, micro leadframes (MLF) packages, such as leadframe packages. Some embodiments of the DC-DC converters disclosed herein may collectively limit or avoid the use of wirebonds and/or leadframes to reduce parasitic effects. Vias, traces, bumps and/or bump pads may alternatively be used inside the package.

Some DC-DC converter packages do not have inductors or capacitors. Such packages offer the user the flexibility of selecting specific values for the capacitors and inductors to control the quality of these components. The DC-DC converter package, inductors, and capacitors may be surface mounted to the motherboard or separate PCB, with wire bonds or long traces across the motherboard or separate PCB (e.g., as shown in FIG. 7A). to). However, coupling a DC-DC converter package with an external inductor or capacitor can introduce parasitic effects. Parasitic effects can similarly be introduced between the inductor and the load. Some embodiments of the DC-DC converter disclosed herein eliminate the parasitic effects of coupling to the inductor or capacitor by integrating the inductor or capacitor in the same package as other components of the DC-DC converter. can be reduced. In some embodiments disclosed herein, electrical paths connecting inductors or capacitors may be implemented with vias and/or traces instead of wire bonds. In some embodiments disclosed herein, electrical paths connecting one or more inductors or capacitors instead include traces on the motherboard or a separate PCB (eg, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7B). may include vias and/or traces located on the PCB of the DC-DC converter. In some embodiments disclosed herein, any combination of the PWM controller, driver, one or more inductors, one or more capacitors, and/or one or more switches are in the same package. may be included.

In some designs, parasitic effects can result from component interconnections. For example, with respect to FIG. 1, driver 117 in one integrated circuit 113A may be coupled with separate component electronics 135 including switches 123,127. Integrated circuit 113A and separate component electronics 135 may be included on a PCB. The electrical paths 121, 129, 125 between the drivers and the switches 123, 127 may be implemented using traces on the PCB, but traces on the PCB have higher parasitic effects than electrical traces within the integrated circuit. can have Some embodiments of the DC-DC converter disclosed herein reduce the interconnection between drivers and switches by integrating switches 123, 127 and driver 117 along with their interconnections on the same IC 113B. Parasitic effects can be reduced. In some embodiments disclosed herein, the PWM controller, drivers and switches are all included in the same IC 113B. In some embodiments, one or more capacitors may also be included in the same IC 113B.

In some designs, MOSFET switches may be used. However, MOSFET switches may not be very efficient at relatively high switching speeds. In some embodiments disclosed herein, switches 123, 127 may be eGaN switches. eGaN switches can switch more efficiently and at higher speeds than MOSFET switches.

Synergistic effects of the techniques described herein are possible. Parasitic capacitance and/or inductance effects can limit the maximum switching speed in DC-DC converters. The reason is that parasitic effects can cause unwanted energy to be stored, affecting energy charging and discharging and thereby affecting DC voltage regulation. Parasitic effects can also turn the switch on or off slowly. In some embodiments, the combination of techniques described herein can cause parasitic effects that will be reduced by a sufficient degree of improvement in DC-DC converter performance. Additional synergies related to DC-DC converter structure, size, and performance are also discussed later in the detailed disclosure.

Compared to some other DC-DC converters, some embodiments disclosed herein eliminate about 40 bond wires, which can reduce parasitic effects by about 20 mΩ. It is possible to reduce package leakage inductance (parasitic inductance) by 10 nH or more. Elimination of these parasitic effects can help realize the benefits of fast switching (eg, eGaN switches).

ただし、ＦＯＭは性能指数、Ｒ_{ＤＳ（ＯＮ）}は、スイッチのオン抵抗、およびＱ_Ｇはスイッチのゲート電荷である。ゲート電荷Ｑ_Ｇは、寄生インダクタンスによって影響され得る。寄生インダクタンスを低減することは、比較的低いＦＯＭ、通常は達成することが困難な設計改善という結果になり得る。 A figure of merit for the power switch may be determined based on Equation 1.

where FOM is the figure of merit, RDS _(ON) is the on-resistance of the switch, and _QG is the gate charge of the switch. Gate charge _QG can be affected by parasitic inductance. Reducing parasitic inductance can result in a relatively low FOM, a design improvement that is typically difficult to achieve.

It is further seen that some, but not all, of the overall benefits can only be realized through the simultaneous combination of sufficient parasitic effect reduction and component selection. For example, some benefits of reducing parasitic effects may not be realized under some conditions when using MOSFETs. This is because although the parasitic effects may be reduced to a sufficient level to allow higher switching speeds, the MOSFET design may not allow for efficient switching at higher speeds. Similarly, parasitic effects can limit the perfect switching performance of eGaN switches (or other faster and typically more costly switches) in DC-DC converters. Perfect switching performance may include more efficient switching at relatively high frequencies in the megahertz range, such as 1 MHz or higher, 3 MHz or higher, 4 MHz or higher, 5 MHz or higher, 7 MHz or higher, 10 MHz or higher. In some examples, switching speeds up to 15 MHz can be achieved, and switching speeds outside these specified ranges may be used in some implementations.

Therefore, engineers testing limited techniques to reduce parasitic effects may not reduce parasitic effects to impactful levels. Engineers testing combinations of parasitic reduction techniques may not achieve more significant gains when switching speed is limited by the MOSFET. Engineers who test eGaN switches without first noticing and addressing parasitic effects in DC-DC converters may be unaware of the switching speed advantage of using eGaN switches, especially eGaN switches over MOSFET switches. This is because it is costly. Moreover, as the switching speed is increased above 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 or 10 MHz, depending on other variables, the conventional wisdom is that efficiency tends to decrease at higher switching speeds. oppose.

The Integrated and Chip Embedded Design section of the detailed disclosure discusses various embodiments for reducing parasitic effects and/or achieving relatively fast switching speeds. Some embodiments include combinations of features, but embodiments with less than all features are understood in their own right.

Physical Structural Diagram FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view 300 of an exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter. Diagram 300 includes insulator 301, conductor (e.g., metal) 303, bump or pad 304, conductor microvia 305, first PCB layer 307, conductive plating 309, PCB core 311, traces 313, embedded IC chip 315, second It comprises two PCB layers 317 , an inductor 321 and a capacitor 323 .

Embedded IC chip 315 may be embedded in PCB core 311 . In various embodiments, the IC chip 315 may be embedded in one layer of a PCB, between two or more layers of a PCB, or between a lower PCB and an upper PCB. Embedded IC chip 315 may include a PWM controller, drivers, and/or one or more switches (eg, eGaN switches), eg, as discussed herein with respect to FIG. Embedded IC chip 315 may be coupled with inductor 321 and capacitor 323 via multiple vias 305 and/or traces 313 in a DC-DC converter structure.

Insulator 301 may comprise, for example, a solder mask, mold, underfill, or the like. The PCB layers 307, 317 may be PCB substrates, laminates, resins, epoxies, insulators, or the like. In diagram 300 shown in FIG. 3, PCB core 311 may be a filler, laminate, insulating mold compound, substrate, or the like. Conductors (eg, metal) 303, vias 305, and traces 313 may be various types of metals or conductive materials such as copper, aluminum, gold, and the like. Although the vias are shown as plated vias, some embodiments may use pillars or other pillars. Various embodiments may use more or less metal types and layers.

In some embodiments, IC chip 315 may be flip-chip mounted. In various embodiments, IC chip 315 faces such that connections on IC chip 315 may face inductor 321 and/or capacitor 323 or face away from inductor 321 and/or capacitor 323 . It may be up or face down. Inductor 321 and/or capacitor 323 are coupled to the distal end of IC chip 315 by vias 305 and/or traces 313 when the connections on IC chip 315 face away from inductor 321 and/or capacitor 323 . good too.

Although FIG. 3 shows a single IC chip 315 that can contain the drivers and switches, in some embodiments the switches (eg, monolithic eGaN switches) are chip-embedded in a separate PCB from the IC chip 315. It may be a chip and interconnected by drivers in an embedded IC chip 315 . Vias, pads, and/or traces may connect the various components of the DC-DC converter, and the two dies may be face-down or face-up. Inductors or other magnetics may be placed in or on the top layer to create a complete half-bridge combination in a buck converter, or any other configuration using a half-bridge schematic.

Although IC chip 315 is shown coupled with inductor 321 by both vias 305 and traces 313, in some embodiments IC chip 315 includes inductors 321 and/or Alternatively, it may be connected to the capacitor 323 . In various embodiments, the PCB assembly may have more or fewer PCB layers than shown in FIG. 3, and the IC chip 315 may be on a single layer or on multiple layers of a PCB. It may be embedded between them. In various embodiments, layers 307, 317 may be layers of a single PCB or separate PCBs. Metal 303 exposed on the bottom of the PCB may provide input/output pads for coupling with input power, ground, and/or loads.

A portion of inductor 321 and/or capacitor 323 may be laminated to IC chip 315 . In some embodiments, inductor 321 and/or capacitor 323 may be laminated entirely to IC chip 315 . Inductor 321 and IC chip 315 tend to be the larger components in a DC-DC converter package. In some embodiments, the smaller of inductor 321 or IC chip 315 may be stacked within the larger footprint of inductor 321 or IC chip 315 . Although a single IC chip 315 containing both the switch and driver is shown in FIG. 3, in various embodiments inductor 321 and/or capacitor 323 are separate components of single IC chip 315 may at least partially overlap the For example, inductor 321 may overlay one or more switches, PWM controllers, and/or drivers, and the like.

The position of inductor 321 may contribute to better thermal performance of the DC-DC converter. By providing the inductor 321 on top, the inductor 321 can be cooled by ambient air. A top-mounted inductor 321 also allows different sizes or shapes for the inductor 321 (eg, so that the inductor 321 is not constrained by PCB dimensions).

FIG. 4A shows a perspective view 400 of an exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter with stacked inductor 321. FIG. Inductor 321 may be laminated on an IC chip (not visible) embedded in core 311 between layers 317, 307 of the PCB. Inductor 321 may be coupled, at least in part, to the PCB via metal contacts 401 . In some embodiments, one or more capacitors 323 (not visible) may be coupled with PBC layer 317 .

FIG. 4B shows a reverse perspective view 425 of an exemplary rendered on-chip DC-DC converter with stacked inductor 321. FIG. The inductor 321 may be laminated on an IC chip (not visible) embedded between the layers 317, 307 of the PCB. Inductor 321 may be coupled, at least in part, to the PCB via metal trace 313 . One or more capacitors 323 A, 323 B may be coupled with PBC layer 317 . One or more capacitors 323 A, 323 B may also be coupled with inductor 321 by line 313 .

In some embodiments, the inductor may become smaller as the switching frequency increases. Additionally, some materials and techniques such as thin film technology can also reduce the size of the inductor. Thus, in some embodiments, the inductor may be embedded in the PCB, for example above or parallel to the IC. Such structures provide additional integration and increase the amount of available space, such as on the PCB mounting surface, for other peripheral components such as input and output capacitors.

FIG. 4C shows a side view 450 of an exemplary chip-embedded DC-DC converter with embedded stacked inductors. The first layer 451 can be, for example, a packaging layer or a PCB layer. The second layer 453 may be a PCB layer with an inductor embedded within the second layer 453 . The third layer 455 may be a PCB layer that includes circuitry (eg, ICs) embedded within the third layer. A circuit (eg, IC) may comprise a PWM controller, drivers, and/or switches (eg, FETs). The fourth layer 457 can be, for example, a packaging layer or a PCB layer. In FIG. 4C, the inductor may at least partially overlap the circuit (eg, IC) or may be laterally offset. The inductor may be coupled with the IC by vias and/or traces without the use of bond wires.

FIG. 4D shows a side view 475 of an exemplary on-chip embedded DC-DC converter with embedded inductors. Layers 451, 453, 455, and 457 may be the same or similar to that described for Figure 4C. In FIG. 4D, layer 455 may include inductors in addition to circuits (eg, ICs) and other circuits (eg, ICs). The IC may be connected to the inductor by wiring. Layer 453 may comprise embedded capacitors. In some embodiments, the one or more embedded capacitors may be embedded in a PCB, where the footprint of the one or more embedded capacitors is the circuit (eg, IC) and /or may be mounted to overlap the footprint of the inductor. In some embodiments, one or more embedded capacitors may be included in the same layer 455 along with embedded circuitry (eg, IC) and/or embedded inductors. In some embodiments, the capacitor may be surface mounted to layer 453 . In some embodiments, layer 453 may be omitted. In some embodiments, the capacitor may be mounted outside the PCB (eg, capacitor 323 shown in FIG. 3, etc.). Many variations are possible. A circuit (e.g., one or more ICs) that includes any combination of PWM controllers, drivers, and/or switches may be associated with either or both of one or more inductors and/or one or more capacitors. May be in layers. The IC may be an eGaN IC. A monolithic eGaN IC may include any combination of PWM controllers, drivers, and one or more switches. In some implementations, one or more capacitors and/or one or more inductors are integrated into an IC (eg, eGaN IC) along with one or more PWM controllers, drivers, and/or one or more switches. may be included in One or more inductors, one or more capacitors, or both may be provided in a separate layer embedded in the PCB, such as above or below the circuit (eg, IC). In some embodiments, one or more inductors may be on a first side of the circuit (eg, IC) and one or more capacitors may be on the opposite side of the circuit (eg, IC). May be on the second side. In some embodiments, one or more inductors and one or more capacitors may be embedded in different layers of the PCB, but on the same side of the circuit (eg, IC). . Either or both of the one or more capacitors and/or one or more inductors may be provided outside the PCB (eg, as shown in FIG. 3). In some implementations, one or more PWM controllers, drivers, and one or more switches may reside on different layers embedded in the PCB. In some embodiments, the PWM controller and driver may reside on separate ICs (eg, eGaN ICs). Components embedded in different layers in the PCB are oriented so as to at least partially or completely overlap or not overlap. Any eGaN embodiments disclosed herein may alternatively be implemented as GaN embodiments, which may include depletion mode GaN, eGaN, and/or any combination thereof.

FIG. 5 shows a transparent perspective view 500 of an exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter. FIG. 5 shows the same exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, but without inductor 321, capacitor 323, or core 311 to obscure the components. Vias 305 may connect lines 313 and/or pads 303 .

FIG. 6 shows a bottom view 600 of an exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter. FIG. 6 shows the same exemplary on-chip DC-DC converter shown in FIG. Pads of exposed metal 303 between areas of insulator 301 provide electrical contacts for supply voltage, ground, and/or voltage output. A via 305 is shown. However, in some embodiments the via does not visibly extend across the exposed metal 303 .

Reduced Footprint The physical structures and other techniques described herein may be used to reduce the footprint of DC-DC converters. In some embodiments, the footprint may be reduced by approximately 70%. Stacked components, use of smaller inductors with higher switching speeds, and single packaging of components can all contribute to the reduced footprint.

As previously mentioned, some DC-DC converter packages do not include inductors or capacitors, and some DC-DC converters are implemented alongside drivers, PWM controllers, and/or IC chips. may include an inductor. Such packages may provide the user with the flexibility of selecting specific values for the capacitors and/or inductors and controlling the quality of these components. However, by arranging the components in a stacked structure instead of side by side, the footprint of the DC-DC converter can be reduced. Some embodiments disclosed herein feature inductors that are wholly or partially vertically stacked on an IC chip. Some embodiments disclosed herein feature capacitors that are wholly or partially vertically stacked on an IC chip. Stacking inductors and/or capacitors can reduce the footprint of the DC-DC converter. Stacked components may be electrically coupled (eg, with an IC chip) via vias, which may reduce parasitic effects such as those described above. Some embodiments disclosed herein may provide design simplification as individual components do not have to be selected, placed and implemented by the user. A single package DC-DC converter can be used without configuring external capacitors or inductors. Moreover, some embodiments may integrate the inductor into a package without compromising the size of the inductor, compromising the performance of the inductor, and/or requiring a custom-made inductor.

ただし、Ｌはインダクタンス、Ｖ_ｉｎは入力電圧、Ｖ_ｏは出力電圧、ΔＩ_Ｌはインダクタリップル電流、Ｆ_ｓは切替周波数である。なお、インダクタンスは、切替速度が上昇するにつれて上昇する。したがって、低減された寄生効果および比較的高速の１つまたは複数のスイッチ（例えば、ｅＧａＮスイッチ）により、ＤＣ－ＤＣ変換器は、比較的小さいインダクタを使用することができる。ＤＣ－ＤＣ変換器において、インダクタは、最大構成要素の１つであってもよい。前記インダクタのサイズを（例えば、その元のサイズの何分の１かに）低減することにより、フットプリントを実質的に低減することができる。 As mentioned above, the parasitic effects can be reduced and the switching speed of the DC-DC converter can be efficiently increased. The inductance of the DC-DC converter can be determined based on Equation 2.

where L is the inductance, _Vin is the input voltage, _Vo is the output voltage, _ΔIL is the inductor ripple current, and _Fs is the switching frequency. Note that the inductance increases as the switching speed increases. Thus, the reduced parasitic effects and relatively fast switch or switches (eg, eGaN switches) allow the DC-DC converter to use relatively small inductors. In a DC-DC converter, the inductor may be one of the largest components. By reducing the size of the inductor (eg, to a fraction of its original size), the footprint can be substantially reduced.

Some DC-DC converters have multiple packages. For example, there may be a first package containing the driver, a second package for the switch, and a third package containing the inductor. Some embodiments disclosed herein feature a single package that includes a PWM controller, a driver, a switch (e.g., an eGaN switch), one or more inductors, and one or more It comprises all the components of a DC-DC converter, such as a plurality of capacitors. In some embodiments disclosed herein, multiple components such as PWM controllers, drivers, and/or switches (eg, eGaN switches) can be integrated into a single IC.

Therefore, the features associated with relatively high switching speed can be synergized by the physical design of the DC-DC converter so that the size of the DC-DC converter can be reduced. Smaller DC-DC converters provide higher current densities for use in a variety of applications to power modern electronic devices such as microprocessors, field programmable gate arrays, and application-specific integrated processors. be able to. Smaller DC-DC converters can be made with reduced manufacturing costs. The techniques described herein can reduce board and package parasitic effects. Smaller DC-DC converters may feature closer connections. This connection reduces parasitic effects between inductors, IC chips, and/or loads, and the DC-DC converter can be operated efficiently at higher frequencies. The techniques described herein can reduce noise, including relatively low ripple effects and relatively low radio interference.

In general, a relatively large size DC-DC converter can handle a relatively large amount of current. In some embodiments, the DC-DC converters disclosed herein can handle arbitrary amounts of current with relatively small size DC-DC converters compared to conventional methods. For example, the DC-DC converters disclosed herein have a current of less than 20 mm ² per amperage, a current of less than 15 mm ² per amperage, a current of less than 10 mm ^{2 per} amperage, a current of less than 7 mm ² per amperage, less than ⁵ mm2 per amperage, less than 4 mm2 per amperage, less than ³ mm2 per amperage, less than ^{2 mm2} per amperage, less than 1.5 ^mm2 per amperage, or amperes It can have a current footprint area of less than 1 mm ² per number. DC-DC converters may have currents as low as 1.0 mm ² or 0.5 mm ² per amperage, although values outside the ranges discussed here may be used in some implementations. .

Exemplary Applications The DC-DC converters disclosed herein may be used to provide power to electronic devices. Examples include using a DC-DC converter to convert a primary supply voltage into a DC voltage suitable for electronic devices powered by the supply voltage. For example, in some applications, state-of-the-art power management solutions use over 40 on-chip DC-DC converters to meet specifications for size, input/output ripple, efficiency, and temperature limits. The above electronic components can be powered. A DC-DC converter as disclosed herein may be made smaller and used in modern systems where space and board size are limited. DC-DC converters as disclosed herein can be used to power components in various market segments such as storage, servers, networking, telecommunications, Internet of Things, and the like. Other applications use the DC-DC converters disclosed herein to provide power to micropoints of point-of-load devices such as for processors in blade servers, solid state components, etc. including.

FIG. 7A shows an example of a DC-DC converter used in storage device 700. FIG. Storage device 700 may be, for example, a solid state device. Storage device 700 may comprise a controller 703 and multiple memory chips 705 coupled via PCB 701 . DC-DC converter 707 may receive a supply voltage via power input pin 709 and provide DC power to memory chip 705 and/or controller 703 . DC-DC converter 707 may be coupled to inductor 709 by bond wires or traces 711 through PCB 701 . The PCB 701 may be a separate PCB 701 from the DC-DC converter 707 package. The capacity of storage device 700 is limited by the number of memory chips 705, which in the implementation of FIG. 7A is six memory chips.

FIG. 7B shows an exemplary application of an on-chip DC-DC converter to memory device 750 . Chip embedded DC-DC converter 751 receives a supply voltage via power input pin 709 and provides DC power to memory chip 705 and/or controller 703 . A relatively small inductor may be included in the package footprint of the on-chip DC-DC converter 751 . On-chip DC-DC converter 751 may be substantially smaller than DC-DC converter 707 of FIG. 7A. Therefore, additional PCB space can be used for additional memory chips 753 to increase the storage capacity of storage device 750 .

FIG. 8A shows an exemplary application of a DC-DC converter on a circuit board 800. FIG. Circuit board 800 includes, for example, a plurality of power connectors 801 (PWR), a voltage regulator management (VRM) circuit 803, a plurality of random access memory (RAM) slots 805, a plurality of peripheral component interconnect express (PCIE) slots 813. , and rear input/output panel 815 or the like. Circuit board 800 also includes a plurality of DC-DC converters 807 at the point of load. DC-DC converter 807 powers central processing unit 809 or computer chip 811, respectively. DC-DC converter 807 receives power supplied via power connector 801 and/or VRM circuit 803 and converts the voltage of the supplied power to a DC voltage that meets the DC power specifications of CPU 809 or computer chip 811, respectively. can be converted to

FIG. 8B shows an exemplary application of a chip-embedded DC-DC converter in circuit board 850 . Circuit board 850 includes a plurality of chip-embedded DC-DC converters 851 (eg, at points of load). Chip embedded DC-DC converter 851 may power central processing unit 809 and/or computer chip 811, for example. DC-DC converter 851 receives power supplied via power connector 801 and/or VRM circuit 803 and converts the voltage of the supplied power to meet the DC power specifications of CPU 809 and/or computer chip 811, respectively. It can be converted to a DC voltage. Chip-embedded DC-DC converter 851 may be smaller than DC-DC converter 807 of FIG. 8A. Thus, the motherboard may have room for additional computer chips 853. FIG. The area previously occupied by the DC-DC converter 807 may in this case be an open area 855 available for other components or left open to improve airflow. can be up to

Additional Embodiments In some exemplary embodiments, one or more switches (e.g., eGaN switches) (e.g., monolithic or stand-alone) are in an on-chip DC-DC synchronous buck converter with an inductor. An embedded IC chip may be used with the PWM controller and driver. Compared to MOSFET-based DC-DC synchronous buck converters, on-chip DC-DC converters can be switched at relatively high speeds with relatively low switching losses, and high switching speeds (e.g., about 5 MHz, or , other speeds described herein), and the eGaN switch may have a _QG about 5 times lower.

Some embodiments achieve improved efficiency gains of approximately 30% lower power loss compared to alternative designs when switching at the same rate, such as 3 MHz.

An exemplary embodiment of an on-chip DC-DC converter may be packaged in a package of approximately 3 mm x 3 mm x 1.5 mm, switch between approximately 1 MHz and 5 MHz, and provide approximately 6 A of current. . In comparison, various wirebond DC-DC converter designs for similar amperage may be about 12 mm by 12 mm in area and switch at about 600 kHz.

One exemplary embodiment of an on-chip DC-DC converter can receive a 12V power supply and output a DC signal of approximately 1.2V and approximately 10A. An on-chip DC-DC converter can switch at about 1 MHz and have an inductor that is about 300 nH.

Some exemplary embodiments of on-chip DC-DC converters may include a 25A buck converter that can fit into a package that is approximately 6mm x 6mm or 7mm x 7mm.

Some embodiments of on-chip DC-DC converters include eGaN switches. The switch can operate at about 5 MHz, and the on-chip DC-DC converter can operate as efficiently as a MOSFET based DC-DC converter operating at about 1 MHz. The result is a relatively small package size and relatively fast response to transient loads resulting in relatively high overall system performance.

Exemplary Method FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 900 for making and using a chip-embedded DC-DC converter.

At block 901, an integrated circuit may be manufactured. The integrated circuit may be an IC chip, which may include at least one of a driver, a PWM controller, and one or more power switches. The IC chip may include drivers for other components of the DC-DC converter, PWM controllers, power switches, inductors, capacitors, or more. In some embodiments, the one or more power switches may be eGaN switches, gallium arsenide switches, or other types of high performance switches.

At block 903, a first PCB portion may be formed. Forming the first PCB portion may include providing a PCB layer or insulator, masking, etching, via drilling, via filling, placement of conductor traces and pads, placement of some or all of the I2C and/or PMBUS, etc. may contain

At block 905, the IC chip may be embedded using chip embedding techniques. In some embodiments, a cavity may be formed (eg, in a PCB) using, for example, machining or etching techniques, and an IC chip may be placed in the cavity. The IC chip may be coupled to the first PCB portion and into the PCB, on a PCB layer, between PCB layers, between PCBs, and the like. The IC chip may be embedded face-up or face-down. In some embodiments, the IC may be embedded using flip-chip technology. An IC chip or die may be coupled with an attachment or bonding material. In some embodiments, other components may also be embedded in the PCB. For example, in embodiments in which one or more switches (eg, monolithic eGaN power switches) are separate from the IC chip, one or more switches (eg, monolithic eGaN switches) are also embedded in the PCB. good too.

At block 907, conductive paths and insulators for the second portion of the PCB may be formed. This may include providing additional PCB layers or insulators, masking, etching, drilling or exposing vias, filling vias, placing conductor traces and pads, placing some or all of the I2C and/or PMBUS, etc. may contain In some embodiments, the work described with respect to blocks 903, 905, and 907 may be combined and/or duplicated. At blocks 903, 905, and 907, conductors (eg, vias and traces) may be formed to connect components in a DC-DC converter structure (eg, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3).

At block 909, inductors may be connected. An inductor may be coupled to the top of the PCB. The inductor may be at least partially laminated with one or more of the other components of the DC-DC converter, such as an IC chip. The inductor may be at least partially stacked with one or more of the other components of the DC-DC converter such as PWM controllers, drivers, switches, and the like. In some embodiments, other surface components such as capacitors may also be coupled. Therefore, the components of the chip-embedded DC-DC converter may also be coupled together. In some embodiments, the inductance of the inductor may be selected based, at least in part, on the overcurrent limit as described with reference to FIG. 1, for example. In some embodiments, the overcurrent limit may be determined, adjusted, and/or trimmed based at least in part on the saturation limit of the inductor. In some embodiments, inductors and overcurrent limits may be determined and/or designed by a single person, designer, design team, and/or manufacturer.

At block 911, the on-chip DC-DC converter may be packaged. This may include packaging the chip embedded DC-DC converter as a single discrete component. The package may contain inductors and capacitors so that the DC-DC converter can operate without external inductors or capacitors.

At block 913, a load may be coupled to the DC-DC converter. This may involve, for example, coupling the output of a packaged chip-embedded DC-DC converter with an electronic device via a separate motherboard wiring. In some embodiments, the DC-DC converter can be coupled near the point of load to somewhat reduce parasitic effects.

At block 915, a power supply may be coupled to the packaged on-chip DC-DC converter. An on-chip DC-DC converter may thus use the supplied power to provide a DC output voltage to power an electronic device.

Although blocks 911 and 913 describe packaging and using a packaged chip-embedded DC-DC converter with a separate PCB of the load device, in some embodiments , the techniques described herein may be applied to the PCB of the terminal device.

Multi-Inductor Chip Embedded DC-DC Converter The chip embedded DC-DC converter technology described herein may be extended to multi-inductor implementations. This may include, for example, dual buck converters, dual boost converters, and voltage converters, with 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 16, or any number of inductors. Multiple inductors may be arranged in parallel. The outputs of multiple inductors (eg, in a parallel arrangement) may be coupled with an energy storage circuit such as a capacitor or LC resonant circuit. Each inductor may be associated with a respective pair of switches. Each pair of switches may be driven by a respective driver. Each driver may be driven by a PWM signal that is out of phase with the PWM signal provided to the other drivers. Each PWM signal may have an on-time, which is a small enough percentage of the common period so that the superimposed combination of driver signals has a shorter effective period than the common period. In some embodiments, the multi-inductor chip-embedded DC-DC converter is part of the components disclosed herein (e.g., shown in FIG. 1) (e.g., switches, inductors, part of an integrated circuit) or It can be formed by duplicating everything.

Various embodiments disclosed herein may have one, some combination, or all of the following features. A multi-inductor chip embedded DC-DC converter can operate faster and more efficiently than a single inductor chip embedded DC-DC converter. The current through the DC-DC converter may be split along multiple inductors. Heat may be distributed across multiple inductors. Smaller size discrete inductors may be used. Current density can be increased. The overall size of the DC-DC converter may be reduced. The switch may toggle less often. Life expectancy of the switch can be extended. The life expectancy of the inductor can be improved. Fewer and/or fewer output capacitors may be used. There may be a faster transient response. If the current acceptance changes, there may be less variation in output power. The DC-DC converter may operate at higher frequencies (eg, according to Equation 2) and/or may use fewer inductors. The size of the DC-DC converter may be reduced. Each pair of switches may operate at the maximum frequency that is efficient, but the overall frequency may be greater than the individual frequencies of any pair of switches.

In some embodiments, power loss can be reduced. Using the formula P=I ² ×R, it can be seen that power loss can rise with DC current (I). However, by splitting the current among multiple inductors, the overall power loss can be reduced. Furthermore, the resistance of each inductor is also reduced. For example, by dividing the current ( _Io ) between two inductors, P=2*[( _Io /2) ² *R/2]=[ _Io2 ^* R]/2, halving the power loss can be reduced to Therefore, distributed power transfer among multiple inductors provides improved efficiency. As the demand for high current density DC-DC converters increases, multi-inductor, chip embedded DC-DC converters can provide smaller size and higher current density with less power loss.

In some embodiments, the relatively small inductors in a multi-inductor, on-chip DC-DC converter allow for faster transient response to changes in current demand. For example, as shown in FIG. 8B, an on-chip DC-DC converter may provide DC power to the CPU. A CPU may suddenly experience a heavy computational load (e.g. utilization of all cores and/or an increase in its switching frequency), causing a sudden increase in power down (e.g. from 1 amp to 10 amps in the ns range). increase). Since the energy is drawn from the output capacitor (e.g., output capacitor 111 in FIGS. 1 and 2), the voltage across the output capacitor is faster than the DC power specification (e.g., <1% step-down) required by the CPU. It may drop too much and you risk a stop error. Accordingly, a feedback system (eg, as shown in FIGS. 14, 16, and 17) may be configured to increase the power transferred to the capacitor through the inductor and prevent voltage drop. . However, high inductance resists changes in power delivery. Because multi-inductor systems use relatively small inductors, the transient feedback response of multi-inductor, chip-embedded DC-DC converters is better than the transient feedback response of DC-DC converters with relatively few and relatively large inductors. It can be fast and the response has a relatively small output voltage drop. DC-DC converters disclosed herein having relatively high switching frequencies can utilize relatively small inductors so that the single inductor embodiments described herein are You can have an improved response.

Exemplary Dual Buck Converter FIG. 10 shows an exemplary dual inductor design for a dual Buck converter 1000 using an on-chip DC-DC converter. A dual buck converter can use two inductors in parallel instead of a single inductor.

FIG. 10 includes a PCB 1005 (shown in FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C and 11D, not visible in FIG. 10) with a first inductor 1001, a second inductor 1003, and a chip-embedded IC and other components. A first input node 1007 A to first inductor 1001 may correspond to a first pad 1007 B on PCB 1005 . A second input node 1009 A to second inductor 1003 corresponds to a second pad 1009 B on PCB 1005 . Voltage output node 1011 A may correspond to voltage output pad 1011 B on PCB 1005 . Graph 1013 shows the waveforms for signal 1, signal 2, and the output signal.

A dual buck converter may be configured to include two inductors 1001 , 1003 . Two inductors 1001 , 1003 may be surface mounted on the PCB 1005 . In various embodiments, the two inductors 1001, 1003 may be two separate inductors placed side by side, two separate inductors placed vertically one above the other, or two inductor windings. It may be a single magnetic core with

Signal 1 is provided to first input node 1007A. Signal 1 has a period of T. Signal 2 is provided to second input node 1009A. Signal 2 also has a period of T. Signals 1 and 2 are out of phase with each other and have an "on" time of less than 50% of the period T. The output signal is formed by the combination of signal 1 and signal 2. For each pulse, the output signal has the same "on" time as signal 1 and signal 2. The "on" times of signal 1 and signal 2 are the same, and the effective period of the output signal is reduced by half (frequency doubled).

FIG. 12 shows an exemplary circuit-level schematic diagram 1200 of a dual buck converter including a chip-embedded DC-DC converter. The circuit diagram includes a voltage source 1201, a first switch 1203 of the first switch pair, a second switch 1205 of the first switch pair, a third switch 1207 of the second switch pair, a fourth switch 1209 of the second switch pair, a first It comprises an inductor 1211 , a second inductor 1213 , an output capacitor 1217 and a voltage output node 1219 .

A pair 1215 of inductors 1211, 1213 may be coupled externally to the PCB. Switches 1203, 1205, 1207, 1209 may be embedded in the PCB as stand-alone chips or as part of an IC chip that includes other components (eg, drivers, PWM controllers, other switches). Capacitor 1217 may be coupled to the outside of the PCB or the inside of the PCB. Inductors 1211 and 1213 may use a shared common core or may use separate cores.

The voltage source 1201 may be connected to the drain of the first switch 1203 . A source of the first switch 1203 may be connected to a first node of the first inductor 1211 . A source of the first switch 1203 may be connected to a drain of the second switch 1205 . Gates of the first switch 1203 and the second switch 1205 may be coupled to a driver (not shown in FIG. 12). The driver can drive inverse control signals to the first switch 1203 and the second switch 1205 such that one of the first switch 1203 and the second switch 1205 is on and the other is off. The second switch 1205 is alternately turned on and off. While the first switch 1203 is on and the second switch 1205 is off, energy may be provided from the voltage source 1201 to the inductor 1211 and/or the capacitor 1217, although the energy may be stored; Increase the output voltage. While first switch 1203 is off and second switch 1205 is off, energy may be discharged from inductor 1211 and/or capacitor 1217, reducing the output voltage.

The voltage source 1201 may be connected to the drain of the third switch 1207 . A source of the third switch 1207 may be connected to a first node of the second inductor 1213 . A source of the third switch 1207 may be connected to a drain of the fourth switch 1209 . Gates of the third switch 1207 and the fourth switch 1209 may be coupled to a driver (not shown in FIG. 12). Thus, the driver can drive an inverse control signal to the third switch 1207 and the fourth switch 1209, such that one of the third switch 1207 and the fourth switch 1209 is on and the other is off. 1207 and fourth switch 1209 may be alternately turned on and off. While the third switch 1207 is on and the fourth switch 1209 is off, energy may be provided from the voltage source 1201 to the inductor 1213 and/or capacitor 1217, where energy may be stored, Increase the output voltage. While the third switch 1207 is off and the fourth switch 1209 is on, energy may be discharged from inductor 1213 and/or capacitor 1217, reducing the output voltage.

A second node of the first inductor 1211 and a second node of the second inductor 1213 may be coupled to an output node 1219 and may also be coupled to an output capacitor 1217, also referred to as a smoothing capacitor. The voltage at output node 1219 can be affected by the energy stored in capacitor 1217 . The energy stored in capacitor 1217 can rise when current flows from capacitor 1217 either from the second node of first inductor 1211 or from the second node of second inductor 1213 . Therefore, a small signal ripple is provided to the capacitor as the switch provides or releases energy.

The first pair of switches 1203,1205 may be driven out of phase from the second pair of switches 1207,1209. The first pair of switches 1203, 1205 may be driven at the same frequency and the same period as the second pair of switches 1207, 1209. Thus, in some embodiments, at most one of the top switches 1203, 1207 is on at any given time. The four switches 1203, 1205, 1207, 1209 may be driven with four respective signals, all out of phase with each other. A first pair of switches 1203 , 1205 and a first inductor 1211 provide a DC bucking function in parallel with a second pair of switches 1207 , 1209 and a second inductor 1213 .

FIG. 13A shows an exemplary circuit-level schematic 1300 of a DC-DC converter, including a chip-embedded DC-DC converter. Components in FIG. 13A may be the same or similar to components in FIG. The DC-DC converter of FIG. 13A may also include an additional capacitor 1221 . Capacitor 1221 can store energy when switch 1203 is turned on. In some embodiments, energy may be stored such that capacitor 1221 charges to approximately half the voltage of voltage source 1201 . When switch 1203 is turned on, switch 1207 is turned off, switch 1205 is turned off, and a transient current can flow through capacitor 1221 to inductor 1211 . When switch 1207 is turned on and switch 1209 is turned off, capacitor 1221 can provide power to switch 1207 and conduct current to inductor 1213 . Capacitor 1221 may also act as an AC coupling capacitor between switches 1207 and 1205 . The components in FIG. 13 are also arranged in a modified layout compared to that of FIG. 12, but the DC-DC converters of FIGS. 12 and 13A can function similarly. Inductors 1211 and 1213 may use a shared common core or may use separate cores.

FIG. 13B shows an exemplary circuit-level schematic 1350 of a DC-DC converter, including a chip-embedded DC-DC converter. Components in FIG. 13 may be the same or similar to components in FIG. A first pair of switches 1203, 1205 and a first inductor 1211 may be coupled to a first capacitor 1217A and configured to provide a first output voltage at a first output node 1219A. A second pair of switches 1207, 1209 and a second inductor 1213 may be coupled to a second capacitor 1217B and configured to provide a second output voltage at a second output node 1219B. The output voltages at the first and second output nodes 1219A, 1219B may be the same voltage or may be different voltages. In some embodiments, a driver (eg, shown in FIG. 1 and not shown in FIG. 13B) connects the first pair of switches 1203, 1205 and the second pair such that different voltages are provided to different nodes 1219A, 1219B. The two pairs of switches 1207, 1209 can be individually driven. Inductors 1211 and 1213 may use a shared common core or may use separate cores.

The embodiments shown in Figures 13A and 13B may be implemented on one or more IC dies. For example, in FIG. 13A, switches 1203, 1205, 1207, 1209 may all be included in a single IC (eg, monolithic eGaN IC). In some embodiments, switches 1203, 1205, 1207, 1209 may be split between two or more separate devices. The embodiments shown in Figures 13A and 13B may be controlled by one or more drivers and/or PWM controllers. For example, a first PWM controller may be coupled with a first driver, the first driver driving a first pair of switches 1203, 1205, 1207, 1209, and a second PWM controller driving a second driver. A second driver drives a second pair of switches 1203, 1205, 1207, 1209.

Exemplary Design for Embedded Chip in Dual Buck Converter FIG. 11A shows a first exemplary layout design 1100 for an embedded chip in a dual Buck converter. This design includes an IC portion 1101, a first power switch 1103 of the first switch pair, a second power switch 1105 of the first switch pair, a third power switch 1107 of the second switch pair, and a fourth power switch 1107 of the second switch pair. A switch 1109 is provided.

In the embodiment of FIG. 11A, IC portion 1101, first power switch 1103, second power switch 1105, third power switch 1107, and fourth power switch 1109 are all included on the same IC chip. IC portion 1101 may include a PWM controller and driver. The driver may be configured to drive the first switch pair out of phase with the second switch pair. The driver may be configured to drive the first switch pair and the second switch pair with the same period and frequency. The drivers may be configured to alternately drive the switches in each switch pair. In some embodiments, IC portion 1101 comprises a first driver configured to drive a first switch pair and a second driver configured to drive a second switch pair. A PWM controller provides a first PWM signal to the first driver and a second PWM signal to the second driver, the first and second PWM signals may be out of phase with each other.

FIG. 11B shows a second exemplary layout design 1120 for embedded chips in a dual buck converter. This design includes an IC chip 1121, a first power switch 1123 of the first switch pair, a second power switch 1125 of the first switch pair, a third power switch 1127 of the second switch pair, and a fourth power switch 1127 of the second switch pair. A switch 1129 is provided.

First power switch 1123 and second power switch 1125 may be part of a first monolithic switch chip, such as a monolithic eGaN switch chip. Third power switch 1127 and fourth power switch 1129 may be part of a second monolithic switch chip. In some embodiments, the first monolithic switch pair and the second monolithic switch pair may be part of the same monolithic chip. In some embodiments, the first monolithic switch pair and the second monolithic switch pair may be part of separate monolithic chips. IC chip 1121 and separate monolithic chips may be embedded in a PCB. IC portion 1121 may include a PWM controller and driver. The driver may be configured to drive the first monolithic switch pair out of phase with the second monolithic switch pair. The driver may be configured to drive the first monolithic switch pair and the second monolithic switch pair with the same period and frequency. The drivers may be configured to alternately drive the switches in each monolithic switch pair. In some embodiments, IC portion 1121 comprises a first driver configured to drive a first monolithic switch pair and a second driver configured to drive a second monolithic switch pair. A PWM controller provides a first PWM signal to the first driver and a second PWM signal to the second driver, the first and second PWM signals being out of phase with each other.

FIG. 11C shows a third exemplary layout design 1140 for embedded chips in a dual buck converter. This design includes an IC chip portion 1141, a first power switch 1143 of the first switch pair, a second power switch 1145 of the first switch pair, a third power switch 1147 of the second switch pair, and a fourth power switch 1147 of the second switch pair. A power switch 1149 is provided.

The IC chip portion 1141, the first power switch 1143 and the third power switch 1147 may be part of the first IC chip. Second power switch 1145 and fourth power switch 1149 may be separate chips, such as monolithic eGaN chips, separate from the first IC chip. In some embodiments, second power switch 1145 and four power switches 1149 may be part of the same monolithic chip. One, some, or all of the chips may be embedded in the PCB. IC portion 1141 may include a PWM controller and driver. The driver may be configured to drive the first switch pair out of phase with the second switch pair. The driver may be configured to drive the first switch pair and the second switch pair with the same period and frequency. The drivers may be configured to alternately drive the switches in each switch pair. In some embodiments, IC portion 1141 comprises a first driver configured to drive a first switch pair and a second driver configured to drive a second switch pair. A PWM controller provides a first PWM signal to the first driver and a second PWM signal to the second driver, the first and second PWM signals being out of phase with each other.

FIG. 11D shows a fourth exemplary layout design 1160 for embedded chips in a dual buck converter. This design includes an IC chip portion 1161, a first power switch 1163 of the first switch pair, a second power switch 1165 of the first switch pair, a third power switch 1167 of the second switch pair, and a fourth power switch 1167 of the second switch pair. A power switch 1169 is provided.

IC chip portion 1161, first power switch 1163, second power switch 1165, third power switch 1167, and fourth power switch 1169 may be part of a separate IC chip. One, some, or all of the separate IC chips may be embedded in the PCB. IC portion 1161 may include a PWM controller and driver. The driver may be configured to drive the first switch pair out of phase with the second switch pair. The driver may be configured to drive the first switch pair and the second switch pair with the same period and frequency. The drivers may be configured to alternately drive the switches in each switch pair. In some embodiments, IC portion 1611 comprises a first driver configured to drive a first switch pair and a second driver configured to drive a second switch pair. A PWM controller provides a first PWM signal to the first driver and a second PWM signal to the second driver, the first and second PWM signals being out of phase with each other.

Various additional structures are possible, such as any combination of components 1161, 1163, 1165, 1167 and 1169, and may be combined in any number of IC chips. In some embodiments, the multi-inductor DC-DC converter may be made by combining discrete or discrete packages of multi-inductor DC-DC converters.

Additional Exemplary Features of Multi-Inductor Chip Embedded DC-DC Converters In some chip embedded DC-DC converters, the inductor is the largest physical component. A multi-inductor chip-embedded DC-DC converter may instead use multiple relatively small inductors coupled in parallel. The switches may be driven out of phase such that multiple inductors charge and discharge energy out of phase. In some embodiments, the outputs of multiple inductors are coupled in parallel such that the output ripple of multiple inductors is at a higher frequency than the output ripple of any individual inductor. In some embodiments, the outputs of multiple inductors are connected in parallel and the output ripple of multiple inductors is at a higher frequency than the output ripple of any individual inductor.

In some embodiments, the output ripple frequency of the multiple inductor DC-DC converter may be relatively high and the number and/or capacitance of one or more output capacitors may be reduced and relatively A small output capacitor or capacitors can be used.

As noted above, multiple inductor systems may have relatively high effective switching speeds compared to single inductor systems. In some embodiments, this can be done without increasing the switching speed of the switches; instead, multiple switches can operate out of phase with each other. Thus, relatively high efficient switching speeds can be achieved without pushing individual switches to relatively high inefficient switching speeds.

According to Equation 2, the inductance of multiple inductors can be reduced due to the relatively high efficient switching speed of multiple inductors arranged in parallel. Thus, inductors can be placed in parallel with each other to reduce inductance and/or relatively small inductors with relatively low inductance can be used. Because relatively small inductors can be used, the overall DC-DC converter size can be reduced, especially when the inductor or inductors are the largest components.

In some embodiments, further synergistic effects may result from using relatively small inductors, which may increase the switching speed of the switches because the inductive load of the switches is reduced. be. This can lead to relatively high efficient switching speeds, further reducing inductance, such as according to Eq.

In some embodiments, a multi-inductor chip embedded DC-DC converter can use a smaller output capacitor than in a single inductor DC-DC converter.

Example Chip Embedded DC-DC Converter with Feedback FIG. 14 shows an exemplary chip embedded DC-DC converter 1400 with an external ripple voltage feedback circuit. Chip embedded DC-DC converter 1400 may include an embedded IC chip 1403 that may include drivers and/or modulators, as discussed herein. An IC chip may be embedded in the PCB 1401 . Chip embedded DC-DC converter 1400 further includes first power switch 1405 , second power switch 1407 and inductor 1409 . Inductor 1409 is shown schematically to illustrate its inductance component 1411 and its internal direct current resistance (DCR) component 1413 .

Chip embedded DC-DC converter 1400 receives an input voltage at voltage input node 1415 and provides an output voltage at output voltage node 1417 . An output capacitor 1421 is coupled with output node 1417 and the output capacitor is schematically represented to show its capacitive component 1423 and its equivalent series resistance (ESR) 1425 . A feedback path 1427 is coupled from the output node to the embedded IC chip 1403 .

The on-chip DC-DC converter 1400 can receive an input voltage and can generate an output voltage, as previously described herein. The output voltage may have small variations or ripples when the switches are turned on and off. The ripple voltage (V _ESR ) may be calculated by multiplying the inductor current I _L by the ESR. Feedback path 1427 senses ripple and/or DC output voltage. A feedback indication of ripple and/or DC output voltage is provided on the embedded IC chip 1403 . A modulator in the embedded IC chip 1403 uses feedback to control the switches 1405, 1407 to reduce the output voltage if it is too high or increase it if the output voltage is too low. be able to.

The feedback system can use current-mode and voltage-mode control schemes to ensure DC-DC operational stability over a wide range of duty cycles. In current mode control schemes, slope compensation schemes may be used and implemented with external components that may add increased size and cost. Current mode control schemes may use Type II compensation for loop stability and may have relatively low loop responsivity. In voltage-mode control schemes, voltage errors may be amplified, fed back, and compensated.

In some embodiments, the modulator may use an always-on time frequency modulation scheme, an always-off time frequency modulation scheme, a pulse width modulation scheme, or other schemes. Always on-time and always off-time schemes can provide table DC-DC operation with high performance. In some embodiments, it may be desirable for modulators to detect ripple voltages to trigger certain control events. For example, in the always on-time or always off-time schemes, the modulator can detect AC ripple to generate on or off pulses with constant on or off times, respectively, thereby modulating the frequency. , affects the period of the control signals sent to the switches 1405 , 1407 . For example, in a constant on-time scheme, in response to detecting a low output voltage compared to a reference voltage and/or in response to detecting a sufficient amount of inductor current ripple, a fixed width on-pulse is provided to the output. Voltage can be increased. Thus, for the always on-time scheme, each pulse has the same duration in the on state, and modulation is achieved by doing more or less pulses per time (e.g., off-time between pulses can vary). be). An always off-time scheme may be similar to the always on-time scheme described herein, except that the off-time between pulses is constant, and modulation may be achieved by the width of the on-pulses. In another exemplary voltage mode system, the frequency may be fixed and the pulse duty cycle may be modulated. Variations may include leading or trailing edge modulation schemes. Any suitable modulation scheme can be used. Accordingly, ESR 1425 may be designed and/or selected such that a sufficiently large V _ESR can be detected by the modulator.

Some embodiments disclosed herein provide solutions to multiple conflicting design challenges. A non-delayed feedback path can provide rapid response to changes in output voltage. A feedback path can be used in some modulation/control schemes, such as always-on time or always-off time schemes, to control when the switches 1405, 1407 are turned on or off. ESR 1425 of capacitor 1421 is designed and/or selected to induce a sufficiently large ripple to provide a measurably large V _ESR signal along the feedback path that can be reliably detected by the modulator. may At the same time, it may be desirable to minimize ripple voltage. A DC-DC converter can ideally produce a pure DC voltage. In practice, many applications tolerate small ripples in the output of DC-DC converters, but only within a narrow range. Some devices powered by a DC power supply have maximum ripple of 3%, 2% ripple, 1% ripple, 0.5% ripple, 0.1% ripple, 0.05% ripple, 10mV ripple, 5mV ripple. , 3 mV ripple, 1 mV ripple, 0.5 mV ripple, lesser amounts of ripple, or less than undetectable amounts of ripple, or any range defined by any of these values, but some examples can also use values outside these ranges. For example, some point-of-load devices may specify that a DC power supply provides a 1.00V DC output with less than 1% (10mV) ripple or variation from a value of 1.00V. . A very low ESR capacitor may be used to achieve a low ripple output. However, if the ripple is too low, the modulator may not operate based on ripple feedback (eg, the modulator may not distinguish ripple from noise, may operate erratically, etc.).

The present disclosure includes several embodiments of DC-DC converters that use ripple-triggered modulators, low-ESR capacitors, and provide low-ripple DC outputs.

Exemplary Current and Ripple Graphs FIG. 15 shows exemplary graphs 1500, 1550 of inductor current I _L versus time and equivalent series resistance voltage V _ESR (also referred to as ripple voltage) versus time. Line 1501 shows current _IL through inductor 1409 of FIG. Line 1551 shows the output ripple voltage _VESR at node 1417 in FIG.

数式３Ａただし、Ｖ_ｉｎは、入力電圧であり、Ｖ_ｏｕｔは、出力電圧であり、Ｌはインダクタンスであり、Ｔ_ｏｎはスイッチ１４０５がオンされる時間であり、Ｉ_ｏは初期電流である。 Inductor current _IL increases when switch 1405 is turned on and switch 1407 is turned off. _IL increases according to the following formula.

Equation 3A where V _in is the input voltage, V _out is the output voltage, L is the inductance, T _on is the time the switch 1405 is turned on, and I _o is the initial current.

ただし、Ｖ_ｏｕｔは、出力電圧であり、Ｌはインダクタンスであり、Ｔ_ｏｆｆはスイッチ１４０５がオンさオフ時間であり、Ｉ_ｏは初期電流である。数式３および４は、一般方程式の応用版であり、Ｖはインダクタの両端電圧であり、ｄＩ／ｄｔは、時間に対する電流の変化率である。 Inductor current _IL drops when switch 1405 is turned off and switch 1407 is turned on. _IL falls according to the following formula.

where V _out is the output voltage, L is the inductance, T _off is the time the switch 1405 is on and off, and I _o is the initial current. Equations 3 and 4 are adaptations of the general equation, where V is the voltage across the inductor and dI/dt is the rate of change of current over time.

Based on Equations 3A and 4A, the rate of change of current may be determined by the time derivative as: i.e.

V _ESR rises and falls with inductor current I _L . However, V _ESR and I _L increase and decrease at different slew rates (eg, different slopes). The index difference is affected by the ESR of capacitor 1421 . The voltage may be determined by multiplying the inductor current _IL by the ESR according to the formula V=I*R _ESR . therefore,

As shown in graphs 1500, 1550, as current I _L rises and falls, V _ESR rises and falls simultaneously, but at different slew rates (with different slopes). The slew rate of V _ESR is proportional to and affected by ESR according to the formula V _ESR =I _L ×ESR. Therefore, for low ESR values, V _ESR may have a small amplitude even if _IL is large. For example, the inductor current _IL is 3.0A with 50% ripple to vary from 1.5A to 4.5A with an amplitude of 3.0A. With a low ESR of 1 mΩ, the V _ESR may vary between -1.5 mV and 1.5 mV, which is too small for some modulators to be used reliably. and/or difficult to use reliably. Also, _VESR varies between positive and negative while the current remains positive.

Exemplary Low ESR, Low Ripple, Chip Embedded DC-DC Converter FIG. The embodiment of FIG. 16 may include PCB 1601, driver 1603, first power switch 1605 (such as an eGaN switch), second power switch 1607 (such as an eGaN switch), inductor 1609, output capacitor 1621, and output node 1617. good. FIG. 16 includes resistor 1643, capacitor 1645, AC bypass capacitor 1647, feedback path 1627, comparator 1629, AND gate 1631, one-shot circuit 1633, inverter 1635, minimum time delay counter 1637, resistor 1639, and resistor 1641. Prepare more.

Output capacitor 1621 may be one or more low ESR capacitors. A low ESR effect may be achieved by connecting multiple capacitors in parallel such that the effective parallel ESR is reduced. For example, each capacitor may have an ESR in the mΩ range (e.g., 1 mΩ, 10 mΩ, 100 mΩ), or in the lower μΩ range (e.g., 10 μΩ, 100 μΩ), and parallel capacitor configurations are effective. Parallel ESR may be reduced even further. As a result of the low ESR, a low ripple DC output is provided at node 1617, although the ripple voltage at node 1617 may be too small for reliable use for feedback. For example, a 1.5A ripple through an inductor may cause only 1.5mV of ripple if a 1mΩ ESR capacitor is used. The one or more output capacitors 1621 may have a total ESR of 1000 mΩ, 100 mΩ, 10 mΩ, 1 mΩ, 100 μΩ, any value therebetween, any range defined by any of these values, or a lower ESR. may have, but values outside these ranges may be used in some instances. In some embodiments, the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is 3% or less, 2% or less, 1% or less, 0.5% or less, 0.1% or less, 0.05% or less, 10 mV or less. , 5 mV or less, 3 mV or less, 1 mV or less, 0.5 mV or less AC voltage ripple, lower values of ripple, ripple that cannot be reliably detected, ripple that is too low to detect, or any of these values It may have any range, but in some examples values outside these ranges may be used. The low ESR and low ripple values discussed here may be relevant to other embodiments as well as to the embodiment of FIG.

ただし、Ｌはインダクタ１６０９のインダクタンスの値であり、ＤＣＲＬは、インダクタ１６０９の直流抵抗（「ＤＣＲ」）であり、Ｒｘは、抵抗器１６４３の抵抗であり、Ｃ_ｘはキャパシタ１６４５の容量である。したがって、回路は、ＥＳＲ値とは独立してインダクタ電流リップルを測定可能に、かつ、確実に検知するように提供されてもよい。 A resistor 1643 may be coupled in series with a capacitor 1645 and the series combination of resistor 1643 and capacitor 1645 may be coupled in parallel across inductor 1609 to sense ripple and provide a feedback voltage. good. Capacitor 1645 blocks the DC signal. AC signals such as ripple can still be detected. Capacitor 1645 and resistor 1643 form a voltage divider for the AC signal and sensed ripple can pass through AC bypass capacitor 1647 to feedback path 1627 . The values of resistor 1643 and capacitor 1645 may be set to satisfy Equation 5.

where L is the value of the inductance of inductor 1609, DCRL is the direct current resistance (“DCR”) of inductor 1609, Rx is the resistance of resistor 1643, and _Cx is the capacitance of capacitor 1645. Thus, a circuit may be provided to measurably and reliably sense inductor current ripple independent of ESR value.

Resistors 1639 and 1641 may form a voltage divider coupled to output node 1617 . A voltage divider may divide the voltage output at output node 1617 . In some implementations, the ripple at output node 1617 may be small, within the noise threshold, and difficult to detect, or otherwise due to the low ESR of output capacitor 1621. Unreliable for modulation purposes. Therefore, the voltage divider may act primarily as a DC voltage divider.

Feedback path 1627 is coupled to a voltage divider to receive the DC voltage and is also coupled to AC bypass capacitor 1647 to sense ripple voltage. The feedback path is also coupled to comparator 1629 and compared to a reference voltage. The reference voltage may be provided by a reference voltage generator (not shown) such as a bandgap generator, crystal element, digital-to-analog converter (“DAC”), battery, or the like. In some embodiments, a DAC is used to provide the reference voltage, and a digital signal can be provided to the DAC to set the desired reference voltage.

Comparator 1629 may generate a comparator output signal based on a comparison of the feedback signal and the reference voltage. For an exemplary always-on time modulator, comparator 1629 may produce a high output signal when the feedback signal is below the reference voltage.

The output of comparator 1629 may be provided to one-shot circuit 1633 that generates an always-on time PWM signal that may be provided to driver 1603 . The output of one-shot circuit 1633 may also be provided to inverter 1635, minimum off-time delay circuit 1637, and AND gate 1631 to prevent the PWM signal from staying high.

ただし、ＶＣ_ｘはキャパシタ１６４５におけるリップル電圧、Ｉ_Ｌはインダクタのピーク・トゥ・ピーク電流リップルであり、Ｒｘは、抵抗器１６４３の抵抗であり、Ｃ_ｘはキャパシタ１６４５の容量である。 The configuration of resistor 1643, capacitor 1645, and AC bypass capacitor 1647 allows significant, measurable ripple to be detected, despite low ESR capacitor 1621 and despite low output ripple. , to be injected into feedback path 1627 . Therefore, the detected ripple may be larger than the output ripple. The AC ripple injected into feedback path 1627 is represented by: i.e.

where _VCx is the ripple voltage on capacitor 1645, _IL is the inductor peak-to-peak current ripple, Rx is the resistance of resistor 1643, and _Cx is the capacitance of capacitor 1645.

In some embodiments, PCB 1601 and its internal components may be packaged such that the user can connect inductor 1609, resistor 1643, capacitor 1645, capacitor 1621, capacitor 1645, AC bypass capacitor 1647, resistor 1639, and A circuit may be provided and/or configured that includes resistor 1641 . In such embodiments, the values of inductor 1609, resistor 1643, and/or capacitors may be selected and adjusted according to Equation 6. For example, if inductor 1609 is changed for an application (eg, to have a different inductance and/or DCR), the user can solve Equation 6 and then replace resistor 1643 and/or capacitor 1645 with inductor 1609. It can be selected, sourced, and modified to accommodate new L and DCRL values.

In some embodiments, some or all of the components shown in Figure 16 may be included in a single package. In some embodiments, some of the resistors 1643, capacitors 1645, and inductors 1609, but not all in one package, can limit the ability to tune the circuit according to Equation 6. For example, if resistor 1643 and capacitor 1645 are included in the package but inductor 1609 is selected by the end user, the end user uses a specific inductor with specific L and DCRL values to satisfy Equation 6. can be restricted to In such systems and any improperly tuned system, an improperly selected inductor 1609 can cause system instability and/or failure, which can lead to power loss from the DC-DC converter. may damage components receiving In some instances, it may be desirable for a DC-DC converter to be provided as a single packaged device that is properly tuned and does not require modification by the end user. Some embodiments disclosed herein may include inductor 1609, resistor 1643, and capacitor 1645 as a single package.

Exemplary Low ESR, Low Ripple, DC-DC Converter FIG. 17 is an exemplary DC-DC converter (which in some embodiments may be an on-chip DC-DC converter) with internal ripple voltage feedback circuitry. 1700 is shown. Chip embedded DC-DC converter 1700 comprises package 1701, driver 1703, first power switch 1705, second power switch 1707, and inductor 1709, which may be similar to other embodiments described herein. DC-DC converter 1700 can receive an input voltage at voltage input node 1715 and provide an output voltage at output voltage node 1717 . An output capacitor 1721 (eg, a low ESR output capacitor or multiple parallel capacitors with low parallel ESR) may be coupled with output node 1717 . A feedback path 1727 is coupled from the output node to comparator 1729 . The comparator output may be coupled to AND gate 1731 and one-shot circuit 1733 to provide a PWM signal to driver 1703 . Ramp generator 1751 can emulate the inductor ripple current (eg, emulate current 1501 in FIG. 15) and output a voltage representation of the ripple current (eg, 1551 in FIG. 15). In some embodiments, the output of ramp generator 1751 may be combined (eg, added or subtracted) with a reference voltage in signal combiner 1753 . In some embodiments, the inductor ripple signal output by the ramp generator may be counted into the feedback signal instead of being subtracted from the reference voltage. Comparator 1729 may perform a comparison involving the ripple signal output by ramp generator 1751 and a reference voltage. The result of the comparison may be used in a feedback loop to partition the system (eg, switches 1705 and/or 1707).

Inductor 1709 may be included in an on-chip DC-DC converter package such as that shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4A, and 4B. A low ESR output capacitor 1721 may be coupled with output node 1717 . At least one output capacitor 1721 may have a low ESR (eg, similar to the values and ranges discussed herein with respect to the embodiment of FIG. 16). For example, the ESR may be in the mΩ range (e.g., 1 mΩ, 10 mΩ, 100 mΩ), or in the lower μΩ range (e.g., 10 μΩ, 100 μΩ), where the parallel capacitor structure increases the effective parallel ESR. It may be further reduced. The output voltage may or may not have low AC ripple (e.g., with respect to FIG. 16 similar to the values and ranges discussed here). However, the same low AC ripple may be small, difficult to detect, within the noise threshold, absent, or unreliable for modulation purposes (e.g., due to low ESR of output capacitor 1721). Yes, and using that AC ripple for modulation purposes can be difficult. A DC output voltage is provided via feedback path 1727 on feedback path 1727 (eg, with or without any small (but not reliably measurable) AC ripple).

Ramp generator 1751 emulates inductor ripple independently of capacitor 1721 and/or its ESR. An exemplary ramp generator is described below with respect to FIG. Inputs to the ramp generator may include input voltage, output voltage, switch signal, and inductor value. The output of ramp generator 1751 may be combined with a reference voltage for comparison with the voltage on feedback path 1727, or the output of ramp generator 1751 may be fed back for comparison with the reference voltage. It may be combined with the voltage on path 1727 . A voltage reference may be provided by, for example, a DAC. A DAC may produce a voltage output based on a digital input. Therefore, the DAC voltage may be adjusted in small increments. For example, a 9-bit DAC may have an output voltage adjustable in 5mV increments. A DAC can be used to set and/or adjust the output voltage for a DC-DC converter. Other examples of voltage references include crystal elements, bandgap references, batteries, etc., any of which may be enabled. The reference voltage combined with the emulated inductor ripple may be provided to the input of comparator 1729 as shown in FIG.

A ramp generator 1751 may be included in the package. The ramp generator 1751 may be included in an embedded chip IC along with the driver 1703 and the like. An inductor may also be included in the package. The ramp generator 1751 may be tuned and configured for the particular inductor 1709 selected within the package before the package is provided to the user. In contrast to designs that allow inductors with different user-selectable characteristics, a designer choosing packaged inductor 1709 can know the inductor value and characteristics so that the designer can select inductor 1709 can be extracted and/or determined, and the ramp generator 1751 can be used to reproduce the slew rate. In some embodiments, instead of using the actual ripple signal (eg, in the inductor) in the feedback loop, the system uses a ramp generator to emulate the ripple signal (eg, present in the inductor). can do. A ramp generator 1751 produces an emulated ripple signal based on the value of the input voltage V _in , V _out , the inductance value of inductor L (a known value if the inductor is integrated in the DC-DC converter package). may be), and the switching signal SW can be determined. The switching signal may be an indication of the state of one or both of switches 1705, 1707 and/or the time at which one or both of switches 1705, 1707 changed states (eg, HS and LS signals). Since the ramp generator knows the inductance, the input and output voltages, and the timing of switching, it can determine a simulated ripple signal (e.g. ripple in an inductor) that emulates the real ripple signal in the circuit. can. The emulated ripple may be proportional to the ripple in the inductor. The emulated ripple may change with the same slope (eg, at the same rate) that the ripple in the inductor changes. The emulated ripple in a system with low ESR capacitor 1721 can emulate the ripple seen at node 1417 in FIG. 14 if low ESR capacitor 1421 is not used.

An inductor ripple signal may be generated to accurately reflect the ripple through inductor 1709 . By using a ramp generator to generate the inductor ripple signal, a minimum capacitor ESR is not required to sense/detect AC ripple. Therefore, the output voltage may be a cleaner DC signal with relatively little or no AC ripple.

In some embodiments, a comparator compares the output of the DC-DC converter to a combination of reference signals with the emulated inductor ripple. For example, in an always-on time modulation scheme, the comparator can output a high signal if the output signal on feedback path 1727 drops below the value of the reference voltage combined with the emulated inductor ripple. A high signal may be provided through an AND gate to the one-shot circuit, which provides an always-on time PWM pulse to driver 1703, which drives switch 1705 on and switch 1707 on. Drive off. Inverter 1735 and minimum off-time delay circuit 1737 coupled with an AND gate disable one-shot circuit 1733 too often by ensuring that switch 1705 is periodically turned off and switch 1707 is periodically turned on. can be protected against triggering on Various other implementations may be used to drive the switch based on the output of comparator 1729 .

Although the operation of the circuits in FIGS. 16 and 17 has been described with respect to an always on-time modulation scheme, the teachings and disclosures herein are suitable for any voltage-mode modulation scheme, e.g., an always off-time scheme (e.g., minimum It can be seen that the minimum off-time delay modified to the on-time delay, some comparisons and/or signals may be inverted), apply to the circuit. Additionally, the teachings and disclosures herein may also be applied to current mode modulation schemes or voltage modulation schemes.

FIG. 18 shows an exemplary circuit level schematic of ramp generator 1800 . The ramp generator 1800 comprises a first current source 1801, a second current source 1803, a capacitor 1805, a ramp voltage output node 1807, a first switch 1809, a second switch 1811, a trim controller 1813, and resistors 1815A, 1815B. may be Trim controller 1813 and/or current sources 1801, 1803 may be coupled with I2C and/or PMBUS to receive trim and/or adjust commands.

ただし、Ｖｒａｍｐ－ＯＮおよびＶｒａｍｐ－ＯＦＦは、各オンおよびオフ電圧であり（図１７におけるランプ波発生器１７５１のインダクタリップル出力として出力される）、ｋは、一定の固定因数であってもよく、Ｖ_ｉｎは、入力電圧であり（例えば、図１７におけるノード１７１５において提供される電圧）、Ｖ_ｏｕｔは、出力電圧であり（例えば、図１７におけるノード１７１７において提供される電圧）、ただし、ｋは、ボルト当たりのアンペアで測定された数であり、Ｃ_ｒａｍｐは、キャパシタ１８０５の容量であり、ｔ_ｏｎは、ＤＣ－ＤＣ変換器がインダクタへ電力を供給している時間の量（例えば、スイッチ１８０９が閉鎖されスイッチ１８１１が開いている間）、ｔ_ｏｆｆは、ＤＣ－ＤＣ変換器がインダクタへ電力を提供していない時間の量（例えば、スイッチ１８０９が開いておりスイッチ１８１１が閉じている）、Ｖ_ｏは、開始電圧である。リップル電圧スルーレート（１秒当たりの電圧で測定された「傾斜」としても知られる）は、時間期間（ｔ_ｏｎ、ｔ_ｏｆｆ）に以下の数式が乗じられるということを係数により示す。

The ramp generator may be configured to produce an output according to the following equations.

where Vramp-ON and Vramp-OFF are the respective on and off voltages (output as inductor ripple output of ramp generator 1751 in FIG. 17), k may be a constant fixed factor, V _in is the input voltage (eg, the voltage provided at node 1715 in FIG. 17) and V _out is the output voltage (eg, the voltage provided at node 1717 in FIG. 17), where k is , is the number measured in amperes per volt, C _ramp is the capacitance of capacitor 1805, and t _on is the amount of time that the DC-DC converter is powering the inductor (e.g., switch 1809 is closed and switch 1811 is open), t _off is the amount of time that the DC-DC converter is not providing power to the inductor (e.g., switch 1809 is open and switch 1811 is closed); _Vo is the starting voltage. Ripple voltage slew rate (also known as "slope", measured in volts per second) is the time period (t _on , t _off ) multiplied by the following formula:

Equations 7 and 8 alone do not reveal how to set the value for k to emulate the voltage on the inductor ripple, which should depend on the inductance of inductor 1709. If the ramp generator is configured to emulate the slew rate in Equation 3C, Equation 7B and Equation 3C may be set equal to each other, where C _ramp equals C _x as set and the resistor R _eq is chosen to replace RESR, i.e.

Therefore, a value for k can be determined and will be a constant number if the capacitance of capacitor 1805, the resistance of resistors 1815A, 1815B, and the inductance of inductor 1709 are fixed. Furthermore, the relationship between k and inductance is revealed to be an inverse relationship. A constant value k can be determined if the inductance of inductor 1709 is known. Accordingly, the inductance of inductor 1709 may be measured and the ramp generator may be trimmed and/or configured.

The first current source 1801 may be a voltage controlled current source 1801 . The output of voltage controlled current source 1801 may be controlled, at least in part, by the V _in voltage and k. In some embodiments, the output of the voltage controlled current source may be V _in voltage controlled and multiplied by k. Thus, as L increases k decreases and current source 1801 may be trimmed to decrease output current, and as L decreases current source 1801 may be trimmed to increase output current. good. Current source 1801 is coupled to first switch 1809 and ground.

The second current source 1803 may be a voltage controlled current source 1803 . The output of voltage controlled current source 1803 may be controlled, at least in part, by the V _out voltage and k. In some embodiments, the output of the voltage controlled current source may be controlled by the V _out voltage and multiplied by k. Thus, as L increases k decreases and current source 1803 may be trimmed to decrease output current, and as L decreases current source 1803 may be trimmed to increase output current. good. Current source 1803 is coupled to second switch 1811 and ground.

A trim controller 1813 is coupled to the current sources 1801,1803. Trim controller 1813 adjusts and/or sets the output of current sources 1801, 1803 based, at least in part, on the inductance of inductor 1709 (which also includes each effective parallel inductor in various multi-inductor configurations). is configured to In some embodiments, trim controller 1813 adjusts the outputs of current sources 1801, 1803 based at least in part on the inductance of inductor 1709, the capacitance of capacitor 1805, and/or the resistance of resistors 1815A, 1815B. and/or may be configured to set In some embodiments, the value for C _ramp ×R _eq may be set to a constant value and the inductance of inductor 1709 may be provided to trim controller 1813 .

A first switching signal (eg, the same signal HS provided to switch 1705 in FIG. 17) may be provided to first switch 1809 . A second switching signal (eg, the same signal LS provided to switch 1707 in FIG. 17) may be provided to second switch 1811 . The first and second switches 1809, 1811 may be smaller switches than the power switches 1705, 1707 of FIG.

A capacitor 1805 may have one end connected between the first switch 1809 and the second switch 1811 . The other end of capacitor 1805 may be coupled to ground.

When the first switch 1809 is closed and the second switch 1811 is open, the first current source 1801 is configured to generate a current controlled by the voltage k×V _in and the voltage at node 1807 is is generated according to Equation 7A and charges capacitor 1805 such that it increases as described by Equation 7B.

When the first switch 1809 is open and the second switch 1811 is closed, the second current source 1803 is configured to generate a current controlled by the voltage k*V _out and the voltage at node 1807 is reduces the current from capacitor 1805 so that is lowered according to Equation 8A, creating a negative voltage ramp as shown by Equation 8B.

As current is drained from capacitor 1805, the voltage across the capacitor decreases. Thus, the ramp generator may emulate emulated inductor ripple and provide a usable voltage signal independent of the output capacitor and/or ESR.

Therefore, the rise and fall of the voltage output by the ramp generator at node 1807 passes through inductor 1709 even if low ESR capacitor 1721 is used, so that the voltage ripple cannot be reliably measured directly from the low ESR capacitor. Ripple can be emulated similarly and/or proportionally. By providing inductor 1709, capacitor 1805, and resistors 1815A, 1815B, the values are determined and the DC-DC converter shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 may be configured accordingly.

Unlike solutions that require the user to configure external components, the packaged chip-embedded DC-DC converter shown in FIG. 18 may include self-contained regulated feedback. Therefore, the user does not need to design the feedback system and calculate the ratio between inductance, DCR, resistance and capacitance. Additionally, integrating the feedback and/or modulation components into the package and/or one or more ICs within the package can save space compared to using external feedback components.

Exemplary Method of Making and Using a Low-ESR, Low-Ripple, Chip-Embedded DC-DC Converter FIG. 19 shows an exemplary method of making and using a low-ESR, low-ripple, chip-embedded DC-DC converter. . A DC-DC may be configured to receive power at an input node of a first input voltage and output power at an output node of a second output voltage different from the first input voltage.

At block 1901, an IC chip may be embedded in a PCB as discussed herein. An IC chip may include, for example, some or all of the drivers, switches, ramp generators, and modulation circuits as shown in FIGS. In some embodiments, multiple IC chips may be embedded in a PCB, eg, as shown in FIGS. 11B-11D.

At block 1903, one or more inductors may be coupled with the IC chip and feedback paths, for example, as shown in FIGS. One or more inductors and feedback paths may be coupled with the output node. In some embodiments, multiple inductors may be linked in a multi-inductor structure, eg, as described in connection with FIGS. 10-13. The inductor may be configured to receive power and may be part of an LC circuit structure that stores energy. The LC structure may comprise one or more capacitors, which may be low ESR capacitors. A parallel configuration of capacitors may provide an effective low ESR. A second output voltage may be developed across one or more capacitors. Block 1903 may include measuring the inductance of one or more inductors.

At block 1905, a ramp generator may be included. The ramp generator can be included as part of an integrated circuit, can be included as part of a different integrated circuit, can be included in the PCB, or can be included in the DC-DC converter package. may be included in An exemplary ramp generator is described in connection with FIGS. The ramp generator may include a first current source, a second current source, and a capacitor coupled between the first and second current sources.

At block 1907, the ramp generator may be configured to emulate ripple through the inductor. This may include trimming the first or second current sources based, at least in part, on the value of the inductor. Inductor values may be measured to determine values for trimming. The ripple may be generated independently from the output capacitor and/or the ESR of the output capacitor. The first input voltage, the second output voltage, the inductance of the inductor and the switching signal may be provided to the ramp generator. The current source can be switched on or off with a switching signal. The switching signal may be provided to and/or generated from one or more power switches in the DC-DC converter.

At block 1909, the feedback signal, reference signal, and ripple voltage may be provided for signal modulation. The feedback signal may be a DC output signal (eg, with no AC ripple or only a small AC ripple). AC ripple in the DC output signal may be insufficient for reliable use in modulation in some instances. The reference signal may be the desired DC output signal, which may be generated by a crystal element, bandgap reference, DAC, battery, or the like. The ripple voltage may be output by a ramp generator. A feedback signal, a reference signal, and a ripple voltage may be provided to the comparator.

At block 1911, one or more switches may be modulated and driven based at least in part on the feedback signal, the reference signal, and the ripple voltage. The modulation scheme may be, for example, a voltage mode modulation scheme, such as an always on time or an always off time scheme. The feedback signal may be compared with a reference signal. Ripple voltage may also be included in the comparison. A modulator may generate a control signal, such as a pulse, to drive one or more switches based at least in part on the comparison.

At block 1913, a modulated output signal may be provided by the DC-DC converter.

Additional Details The principles and advantages described herein may be implemented in a variety of devices. Also, on-chip embedded DC-DC converters may be used in a variety of devices to improve performance, and on-chip embedded DC-DC converters that operate to specifications and are offered at relatively low cost are: The overall cost of these various devices can be lowered. Examples of such devices include, but are not limited to, consumer electronics, consumer electronics components, electronic test machines, and the like. Examples of consumer electronic product components include clock circuits, analog-to-digital converters, amplifiers, rectifiers, programmable filters, attenuators, variable frequency circuits, and the like. Examples of electronic devices include memory chips, memory modules, circuits of optical or other networks, cellular communication infrastructure such as base stations, radar systems, and disk driver circuits. Consumer electronics products include wireless devices, mobile phones (e.g., smart phones), wearable computing devices such as smart watches or earbuds, healthcare monitoring devices, vehicle electronics systems, telephones, televisions, computer monitors, computers, mobile computers, Tablet computers, notebook computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), microwave ovens, refrigerators, stereo systems, cassette recorders or players, DVD players, CD players, digital video recorders (DVRs), VCRs, MP3 players, radios, camcorders, cameras , digital cameras, portable memory chips, washing machines, dryers, washer/dryers, copiers, facsimile machines, scanners, multi-function peripherals, watches, clocks, and the like. Additionally, the device may include an unfinished product.

Unless the context clearly requires, in the specification and claims the terms "comprise," "comprising," "include," "including," etc. are used in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exclusive sense. , which shall be construed in the sense of “including but not limited to”. The term "coupled" or "connected" as used generally in this application may be directly connected by one or more intermediate elements or two connected elements. refers to one or more elements. Further, the terms “herein,” “above,” “below,” and similar imports, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portion of this application. Each term of the detailed description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number whenever the context permits. The term "or" referring to a list of more than one item shall include all of the following interpretations of the term. That is, it shall include some of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of items in the list. The term "and/or" shall also include all of the following interpretations of the term. That is, it shall include some of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of items in the list. The term "based on" as generally used in this application includes the following interpretations of the term. that is, including constructions based solely on or based at least in part on. All numerical values in this application are intended to contain similar numerical values within the measurement error.

Also, in particular, conditional terms used in this application such as "could", "could", "might", "may", "for example", "for example", "etc." Unless the terms are specifically stated or understood in the context in which they are used, certain embodiments include particular features, elements, and/or states, while other embodiments include them. Used to mean generally not to contain.

The various features and processes described above may be used separately from each other or combined in various ways. All possible combinations and subcombinations are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure. Additionally, certain methods or process blocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to any particular order, and the blocks or states associated therewith may be performed in any other suitable order. For example, the blocks or states described may occur in an order other than those specifically disclosed, or multiple blocks or states may be combined into a single block or state. Example blocks or states may occur in sequence, in parallel, or otherwise. Blocks or states may be added to or omitted from the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The example systems and components disclosed herein may be configured differently than described. For example, elements may be added, omitted, or rearranged compared to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.

The teachings of the embodiments provided herein are applicable to other systems, not just those systems described above. Elements and acts of the various embodiments described above may be combined to provide additional embodiments.

Although specific embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in various other forms. Additionally, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. The appended claims and their equivalents are meant to cover such forms or modifications as are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS The following list includes exemplary embodiments that are within the scope of this disclosure. The example embodiments provided are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Various features of the exemplary embodiments listed may be deleted, added, or combined to form additional embodiments that are part of this disclosure.
1. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter is
a lower printed circuit board (PCB) portion having a bottom surface and a top surface;
an upper printed circuit board (PCB) portion having a bottom surface and a top surface;
embedded circuitry between the top surface of the bottom PCB portion and the bottom surface of the top PCB portion, the embedded circuitry comprising:
a pulse width modulator;
at least one switch;
one or more vias extending through the upper PCB portion;
an inductor positioned on the top surface of the upper PCB portion;
The one or more vias are electrically coupled with the inductor and the embedded circuitry.
2. The DC-DC power converter of Embodiment 1,
The embedded circuit comprises an integrated circuit (IC).
3. The DC-DC power converter of Embodiment 2,
The inductor footprint at least partially overlaps the integrated circuit footprint.
4. A DC-DC power converter according to any one of embodiments 1-3, wherein
Wire bonds do not electrically interconnect the inductor and the embedded circuit.
5. A DC-DC power converter according to any one of embodiments 1-4, wherein
The circuit has a switching speed of at least 1 MHz.
6. A DC-DC power converter according to any one of embodiments 1-4, wherein
The circuit has a switching speed of at least 3 MHz.
7. A DC-DC power converter according to any one of embodiments 1-4, wherein
The circuit has a switching speed of at least 5 MHz.
8. A DC-DC power converter according to any one of embodiments 1-7, wherein
Said circuit has a switching speed of up to 7 MHz.
9. A DC-DC power converter according to any one of embodiments 1-8, wherein
The at least one switch comprises an enhanced gallium nitride field effect transistor (eGaNFET).
10. A DC-DC power converter according to any one of embodiments 1-9, wherein
Further comprising one or more capacitors provided on the top surface of the upper PCB portion.
11. A DC-DC power converter according to any one of embodiments 1-10, wherein
further comprising a core provided between the upper surface of the lower PCB portion and the lower surface of the upper PCB portion;
said core having one or more pockets formed therein;
The embedded circuitry is provided in the one or more pockets.
12. A DC-DC power converter according to any one of embodiments 1-11, wherein
The DC-DC power converter has a footprint of less than ^25mm2 .
13. A DC-DC power converter according to any one of embodiments 1-11, wherein
The DC-DC power converter has a footprint of less than ^10mm2 .
14. A DC-DC power converter according to any one of embodiments 1-11, wherein
The DC-DC power converter has a footprint of less than ^5mm2 .
15. 15. The DC-DC power converter of any one of embodiments 1-14, wherein
The DC-DC power converter has a footprint as small as ^2mm2 .
16. 16. The DC-DC power converter of any one of embodiments 1-15, wherein
The DC-DC power converter has a footprint area of 0.5 mm ² to 10 mm ² per amperage of current.
17. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter package,
an integrated circuit (IC) chip embedded in at least one printed circuit board (PCB), the IC chip comprising a driver;
an inductor positioned outside the chip-embedded package and coupled to a surface of the chip-embedded package;
a via electrically coupling the inductor to the IC chip;
The inductor footprint at least partially overlaps the IC chip footprint.
18. 18. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 17, comprising:
a transistor embedded in the at least one PCB;
The inductor is electrically connected to the transistor.
19. 19. The DC-DC power converter of any one of embodiments 17-18, wherein
The IC chip is
a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller coupled to the driver;
and a switching transistor connected to the output of the driver.
20. 20. The DC-DC power converter of any one of embodiments 17-19, wherein
Further comprising a switch comprising enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN).
21. 21. The DC-DC power converter of any one of embodiments 17-20, wherein
The switch is configured to switch at 4 MHz or higher.
22. 21. The DC-DC power converter of any one of embodiments 17-20, wherein
The switch is configured to switch at 5 MHz or higher.
23. 20. The DC-DC power converter of any one of embodiments 17-19, wherein
Further comprising a switch comprising at least one of silicon or gallium arsenide.
24. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter in a single package comprising:
an enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN) component embedded at least partially inside a mounting substrate;
an inductor mounted outside the mounting substrate;
a via coupling the inductor to the eGaN component;
The inductor footprint at least partially overlaps the eGaN component footprint.
25. 25. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 24, wherein:
The mounting substrate is a multi-layer PCB.
26. 26. The DC-DC power converter of any one of embodiments 24-25, wherein
the eGaN component is a switch comprising eGaN;
The DC-DC power converter further comprises a driver circuit for driving the switch.
27. 27. The DC-DC power converter of any one of embodiments 24-26, wherein
The driver and the switch are part of an IC chip.
28. 28. The DC-DC power converter of any one of embodiments 24-27, wherein
The IC chip further comprises a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller.
29. A direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter utilizing a chip-embedded package, comprising:
The DC-DC converter is
an enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN) switch inside a printed circuit board (PCB);
a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller;
a driver embedded within the PCB;
the PWM controller and the driver are configured to drive the eGaN switch at a frequency of 1 MHz or higher;
The DC-DC converter includes an inductor located outside the chip-embedded package and coupled to the surface of the PCB;
a via electrically coupling the inductor to the eGaN switch.
30. 30. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 29, wherein:
The driver is configured to drive the eGaN switch at a frequency greater than or equal to 5 MHz.
31. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter is
a printed circuit board;
an integrated circuit inside the printed circuit board;
The integrated circuit comprises a driver.
32. 32. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 31, wherein:
Further comprising an inductor electrically coupled to the integrated circuit by one or more vias extending through the printed circuit board.
33. 33. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 32, wherein:
The inductor has a footprint that at least partially overlaps the footprint of the integrated circuit.
34. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter is
an integrated circuit comprising a driver;
an inductor vertically stacked on the integrated circuit such that the footprint of the inductor at least partially overlaps the footprint of the integrated circuit;
The inductor is electrically connected to the integrated circuit.
35. 35. The DC-DC converter of embodiment 34, comprising:
further comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
the integrated circuit is mounted on the first side of the PCB;
The inductor is mounted on the second side of the PCB.
36. 35. The DC-DC converter of embodiment 35, comprising:
The inductor is electrically coupled to the integrated circuit by one or more vias extending through the printed circuit board.
37. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) buck converter is
one or more switches;
a driver for driving the one or more switches;
an inductor electrically coupled to the switch;
the footprint of the DC-DC buck converter is less than 65 ^mm2 ;
wherein the DC-DC buck converter is configured to receive a current of at least 20 amps;
The DC-DC buck converter is configured to output a current of at least 20 amps.
38. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter is
one or more switches;
a driver configured to drive the one or more switches at a frequency greater than or equal to 1 MHz and less than or equal to 5 MHz;
an inductor electrically coupled to the one or more switches;
the footprint of the DC-DC converter is 10 mm ² or less;
wherein the DC-DC converter is configured to receive a current of at least 5 amps;
The DC-DC converter is configured to output a current of at least 5 Amps.
39. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter is
a first switch coupled with the first inductor;
a second switch coupled to the second inductor;
an integrated circuit chip embedded in a printed circuit board;
the first switch and the second switch are connected to a modulator;
The first inductor and the second inductor are connected to a voltage output node.
40. 40. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of embodiment 39, comprising:
The modulator is included on the integrated circuit chip.
41. 41. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of any one of embodiments 39-40, wherein
The modulator is configured to operate the first switch and the second switch to output phases in synchronization periods.
42. 42. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of any one of embodiments 39-41, wherein
The output signal at the output node is superimposed on the first signal through the first inductor and the second signal through the second inductor.
43. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter is
an integrated circuit chip embedded in a printed circuit board, the integrated circuit chip comprising a driver;
a first switch coupled to the driver;
an inductor connected to the first switch;
a feedback path from the output node to the modulation circuit.
44. 44. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of embodiment 43, wherein:
The modulation circuit is a voltage mode modulation circuit.
45. 45. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of any one of embodiments 43-44, wherein
The modulation circuit may be an always-on time or an always-off time modulation circuit.
46. 46. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of any one of embodiments 43-45, wherein
The modulation circuit is included on the integrated circuit chip.
47. 47. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of any one of embodiments 43-46, wherein
The modulation circuit and the inductor are included in a package with the integrated circuit chip.
48. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter is
an integrated circuit chip embedded in a printed circuit board, the integrated circuit chip comprising a driver;
a first switch coupled to the driver;
an inductor connected to the first switch;
a feedback path from the output node to the modulation circuit;
and a ramp generator.
49. 49. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of embodiment 48, comprising:
The feedback path and the output from the ramp generator are coupled to a comparator.
50. 50. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of embodiment 49, comprising:
A reference voltage source connected to the comparator is further provided.
51. 51. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of any one of embodiments 48-50, wherein
The ramp generator is configured to emulate ripple current through the inductor.
52. 52. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of any one of embodiments 48-51, wherein
The ramp wave generator is
a first current source;
a second current source;
and a capacitor.
53. 53. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of embodiment 52, comprising:
The first current source and the second current source are configured to be trimmed at least in part based on the inductance of the inductor.
54. 54. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of any one of embodiments 48-53, wherein
The ramp generator and the inductor are included in the same DC-DC power converter package.
55. 55. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of any one of embodiments 48-54, wherein
The ramp generator is configured to generate an output signal that is unaffected by an output capacitor coupled to the inductor.
56. 56. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of any one of embodiments 48-55, wherein
The ramp generator is configured to generate an output signal independent of an equivalent series resistance (ESR) of an output capacitor coupled to the inductor.
57. 57. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter of any one of embodiments 48-56, wherein
It further comprises an output capacitor with a sufficiently low ESR to ensure that the output capacitor ripple voltage is not too small to be provided to the modulation circuit.
58. The ramp wave generator is
a first current source coupled to a supply voltage;
a second current source coupled to ground;
a capacitor connected between the first current source and the second current source;
59. 59. The ramp generator of embodiment 58, comprising:
The ramp generator is configured to emulate ripple current through an inductor in a DC-DC converter.
60. 60. The ramp generator of any one of embodiments 58-59, wherein
The output of the first current source is based at least in part on an input voltage to a DC-DC converter.
61. 61. The ramp generator according to any one of embodiments 58-60, wherein
The output of the first current source is based at least in part on the inductance of an inductor in a DC-DC converter.
62. 62. The ramp generator of any one of embodiments 58-61, wherein
The output of the second current source is based at least in part on the inductance of an inductor in a DC-DC converter.
63. 63. The ramp generator of any one of embodiments 58-62, wherein
The output of the second current source is based at least in part on the inductance of an inductor in a DC-DC converter.
64. 64. The ramp generator of any one of embodiments 58-63, wherein
The first current source is configured to be trimmed based at least in part on the inductance of an inductor in the DC-DC converter.
65. 65. The ramp generator of any one of embodiments 58-64, wherein
The second current source is configured to be trimmed based at least in part on the inductance of an inductor in the DC-DC converter.
66. A method for making a chip-embedded DC-DC converter comprising:
Embedding an integrated circuit chip in a printed circuit board,
connecting a first inductor to the printed circuit board;
A second inductor is coupled to the printed circuit board, and both the first inductor and the second inductor are coupled to an output node.
67. A method for converting a first DC voltage into a second DC voltage includes:
driving a first switch coupled to the first inductor;
driving a second switch coupled to the second inductor;
the first switch and the second switch are coupled to an output node;
modulating the first switch and the second switch out of phase;
At least one of the drivers or modulators is contained in a chip embedded in the printed circuit board.
68. A method for making a chip-embedded DC-DC converter comprising:
Embedding an integrated circuit chip in a printed circuit board,
connecting an inductor between the integrated circuit chip and an output node;
providing a feedback path from the output node to a modulation circuit;
The modulation circuit includes a ramp generator.
69. 69. The method of embodiment 68, wherein
The modulation circuit is included in the printed circuit board.
70. 70. The method of any one of embodiments 68-69, wherein
The modulation circuit may be an always-on time or an always-off time modulation circuit.
71. 71. The method of any one of embodiments 68-70, wherein
The ramp generator is included in the integrated circuit.
72. 72. The method of any one of embodiments 68-71, wherein
Further comprising trimming the ramp generator based at least in part on characteristics of the inductor.
73. 73. The method of any one of embodiments 68-72, wherein
The ramp generator is a ramp generator according to any one of embodiments 58-65.
74. A method using a DC-to-DC converter, comprising:
receiving input power at an input node;
providing power through a switch to the inductor,
storing energy in the output capacitor such that an output voltage develops across the output capacitor;
providing output power at the output voltage to an output node;
providing the output voltage to a modulation circuit;
Generates a ripple voltage independent of the output capacitor,
providing the ripple voltage to the modulation circuit;
modulating the switch based at least in part on the output of the modulation circuit.
75. 75. The method of embodiment 74, wherein:
Further comprising comparing at least two of the ripple voltage, the reference voltage, and the output voltage.
76. 76. The method of any one of embodiments 74-75, wherein
Further comprising trimming a current source based at least in part on the inductance of the inductor.
77. 77. The method of any one of embodiments 74-76, wherein
The ripple voltage is generated by a ramp generator configured to emulate current through the inductor.
78. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter package,
an integrated circuit (IC) chip embedded in at least one printed circuit board (PCB), the IC chip comprising a driver;
an inductor positioned outside the chip-embedded package and coupled to a surface of the chip-embedded package;
an overcurrent protection circuit configured to detect when the current provided to the inductor exceeds a limit.
79. 79. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter package of embodiment 78, comprising:
said overcurrent protection circuit comprising a current source configured at least in part to be regulated or trimmed based on inter-integrated circuit or power management bus commands;
the saturation inductance of the inductor exceeds the limit and exceeds the limit by less than 50%;
Said limit exceeds the maximum specified DC current specification pulse maximum AC current ripple specification by less than 50%.
80. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter package,
an integrated circuit (IC) chip embedded in at least one printed circuit board (PCB), the IC chip comprising a driver;
an inductor positioned outside the chip-embedded package and coupled to a surface of the chip-embedded package;
An inter-integrated circuit or power management bus.
81. 81. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter package of embodiment 80, comprising:
The inter-integrated circuit or power management bus is coupled to at least one current source and is configured to provide protocol commands to adjust or trim the current source.
82. 82. The direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) power converter package of any one of embodiments 80-81, comprising:
The inter-integrated circuit or power management bus is coupled to at least one current source and configured to provide protocol commands to set or adjust the reference value provided to the comparator.
83. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter package according to any one of embodiments 80-82,
The inter-integrated circuit or power management bus is configured to communicate a protocol including instructions for performing at least one of the following:
turning on or off the DC-DC power converter package;
change the low power or sleep mode of the DC-DC power converter package;
reading information about the current setting of the DC-DC power converter package;
reading diagnostic and/or technical information about the DC-DC power converter package;
Set or change the output voltage provided by the DC-DC power converter package.
84. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter package according to any one of embodiments 80-83,
A power management protocol is implemented as a wiring layer above the inter-integrated circuit package.
85. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter is
a lower printed circuit board (PCB) portion having a bottom surface and a top surface;
an upper printed circuit board (PCB) portion having a bottom surface and a top surface;
an embedded integrated circuit embedded between the lower surface of the upper PCB portion and the upper surface of the lower PCB portion;
The embedded integrated circuit comprises:
a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller configured to generate one or more PWM signals;
A driver coupled with the PWM controller within the embedded integrated circuit, configured to generate one or more driver signals based at least in part on the one or more PWM signals. and,
a first power switch configured to receive at least one of the one or more driver signals, the first power switch coupled with the driver in the embedded integrated circuit;
a second power switch configured to receive at least one of the one or more driver signals, the second power switch coupled with the driver in the embedded integrated circuit;
at least one via extending through the upper PCB portion;
an inductor positioned on the top surface of the upper PCB portion;
the inductor is electrically coupled to the first and second power switches through the at least one via;
the footprint of the inductor at least partially overlaps the footprint of the embedded integrated circuit;
an input port coupled to at least one of the first and second power switches, the input port configured to receive an input voltage input signal;
an output port coupled to the inductor, the output port configured to provide an output signal at an output voltage different from the input voltage;
the output voltage is based at least in part on the first and second power switches that charge or release energy into the inductor;
The feedback system
a feedback path coupled with the output port, the feedback path configured to provide an indication of the output voltage;
a ramp generator configured to generate a signal that emulates current ripple through the inductor;
the feedback system is configured to provide a feedback signal based at least in part on the indication of the output voltage from the feedback path and the signal provided by the ramp generator;
The first and second power switches are driven based at least in part on the feedback signal.
86. 85. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 85, comprising:
The ramp generator is configured to generate the signal that at least in part emulates the current ripple through the inductor using:
a first input indicative of the input voltage;
a second input indicative of the output voltage;
a third input indicating the inductance value of the inductor;
A fourth input of the switching signal is used.
87. 85. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 85, comprising:
The ramp wave generator is
a first current source configured to generate a current based at least in part on the input voltage;
a second current source configured to generate a current based at least in part on said output voltage;
a third switch configured to receive at least one of the one or more driver signals, the third switch coupled to the first current source;
a fourth switch configured to receive at least one of the one or more driver signals, the fourth switch coupled to the second current source;
a capacitor connected to the third switch and the fourth switch;
88. 85. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 85, comprising:
The first and second power switches are enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN) field effect transistors.
89. 85. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 85, comprising:
The PWM controller is configured to cause the driver to toggle the switch at a frequency of at least 4 MHz.
90. 85. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 85, comprising:
wherein the DC-DC power converter is configured to process an amount of current;
The DC-DC power converter has a footprint area of 0.1 mm ² to 10 mm ² per amperage of current flow.
91. 85. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 85, comprising:
One of the inductor and the integrated circuit has a footprint that is completely contained within the footprint of the other of the inductor and the integrated circuit.
92. 85. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 85, comprising:
the input port, the output port, and the ground port are exposed to the outside of a package surrounding the inductor;
the input port is connected to the first power switch without a wire bond;
the output port is connected to the inductor without wire bonds;
the second power switch is coupled to ground without wire bonds;
The inductor is connected to the first and second power switches without wire bonds.
93. 85. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 85, comprising:
a second inductor connected to the PCB, the second inductor also connected to the output node;
The first inductor and the second inductor are driven out of phase with each other.
94. 85. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 85, comprising:
The embedded integrated circuit includes a ramp generator.
95. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter is
a printed circuit board (PCB);
an embedded circuit embedded in the PCB;
The embedded circuit comprises:
a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller configured to generate one or more PWM signals;
a driver configured to generate one or more driver signals based at least in part on the one or more PWM signals, the driver coupled with the PWM controller within the embedded circuit; ,
a first power switch configured to receive at least one of the one or more driver signals, the first power switch coupled with the driver within the embedded circuit;
a second power switch configured to receive at least one of the one or more driver signals, the second switch coupled with the driver within the embedded circuit;
and at least one via extending through a portion of the PCB;
an inductor located outside the PCB and connected to the top of the PCB;
the inductor is electrically coupled to the first and second power switches through the at least one via;
the footprint of the inductor at least partially overlaps the footprint of the embedded circuit;
an input port coupled to at least one of the first and second power switches, the input port configured to receive an input voltage input signal;
an output port coupled to the inductor, the output port configured to provide an output signal at an output voltage different from the input voltage;
wherein the DC-DC power converter is configured to process an amount of current;
The DC-DC power converter has a footprint area of 0.1 mm ² to 10 mm ² per amperage of current flow.
96. 95. The DC-DC converter of embodiment 95, comprising:
an output capacitor coupled to the inductor and also coupled to the output port, the output capacitor having a low equivalent series resistance (ESR);
A voltage ripple in the output voltage is 2% or less,
Further comprising a feedback system comprising a ramp generator configured to generate a voltage ripple that emulates the voltage ripple through the inductor.
97. 95. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 95, wherein:
The first power switch and the second power switch are enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN) field effect transistors.
98. 95. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 95, wherein:
said input port configured to receive a current of at least 20 amps;
the output port is configured to provide a current of at least 20 amps;
The footprint of the DC-DC power converter is less than ^65mm2 .
99. 95. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 95, wherein:
The inductor and the embedded circuit are interconnected without wirebonds.
100. 95. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 95, wherein:
The embedded circuit comprises an integrated circuit having the PWM controller, the driver, the first power switch and the second power switch.
101. A direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power converter is
a printed circuit board (PCB);
embedded circuitry embedded in the PCB;
The embedded circuit comprises:
a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller configured to generate one or more PWM signals;
a driver configured to generate one or more driver signals based at least in part on the one or more PWM signals, the driver coupled with the PWM controller within the embedded circuit; ,
a first enhanced gallium nitride field effect transistor (eGaNFET) configured to receive at least one of said one or more driver signals, said first eGaNFET coupled with said driver within said embedded circuit; ,
a second eGaNFET configured to receive at least one of the one or more driver signals, the second eGaNFET coupled with the driver within the embedded circuit;
and at least one via extending through a portion of the PCB;
an inductor located outside the PCB and connected to the top of the PCB;
the inductor is electrically coupled to the first and second eGaNFETs through the at least one via;
The footprint of the inductor at least partially overlaps the footprint of the embedded circuit.
102. 102. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 101, comprising:
The PWM controller is configured to cause the driver to toggle the first and second eGaNFETs at a frequency between 4 MHz and 10 MHz.
103. 102. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 101, comprising:
wherein the DC-DC power converter is configured to process an amount of current;
The DC-DC power converter has a footprint area of 0.1 mm ² to 10 mm ² per amperage of current flow.
104. 102. The DC-DC power converter of embodiment 101, comprising:
The embedded circuit has a ramp generator configured to generate a signal that emulates voltage ripple across the inductor.

Exemplary Isolated Topology FIG. 20 shows an exemplary circuit-level schematic of a chip-embedded DC-DC converter package 2000 having an isolated topology. The schematic shows power supply 103, AC ground 2003, DC ground 2001, output capacitor 111, integrated circuit (IC) chip 113A, replacement IC 113B, driver 117, and pulse width modulator (PWM) controller 119. , a first switch (eg, a first enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN) switch) 123, a second switch (eg, a second eGaN switch) 127, capacitors 2005 and 2007, diodes D1 and D2, and inductor L4. . The schematic also shows an isolation circuit 2009 having a first inductor L1, a second inductor L2 and a third inductor L3. Switches 123, 127 are also referred to as power switches, switching FETs, and/or switching transistors. In some cases, an input capacitor 105 (not shown in FIG. 20), similar to FIG. 1, can be used.

The circuit of FIG. 20 may operate similarly to the circuit shown in FIG. 1 or any of the other embodiments disclosed herein. The difference between the circuit in FIG. 20 and the circuit in FIG. 1 is that the configuration in FIG. 20 is an isolated topology with an isolation circuit 2009 (eg, an isolated half-bridge configuration). Voltage output port 109 may be electrically isolated from power supply 103 so that there is no direct conduction path. Alternatively, inductors L1, L2, and L3 may be electromagnetically coupled such that a current (e.g., charging current) through inductor L1 can generate and intervene magnetic fields in inductors L2 and L3, thereby , causes a current (eg, charging current) to flow through inductor L4. Current through inductor L4 may cause charge to collect on the plates of capacitor 111 such that a voltage is formed across capacitor 111 . Diodes D1 and D2 may be used to unidirectionally direct current flow. In some embodiments, diodes D1 and D2 may be replaced by switches (eg, MOSFETs), which may result in better efficiency, or may be replaced by other electronic devices.

Although the isolation topology in FIG. 20 comprises magnetically coupled inductors L1, L2, and L3 having N _P , N _S1 , and N _S2 turns, respectively, in isolation circuit 2009, other embodiments include fly Other configurations and other types of isolation circuit topologies such as buck, forward converter, two-transistor forward, LLC resonant converter, push-pull, full bridge, hybrid, PWM resonant converter, or other designs. may Other layouts disclosed herein, such as the layouts shown in FIGS. 12, 13A, 13B, may be modified to use isolation topologies. In some embodiments, two of the inductors may be used for isolation circuit 2009 . Two examples of alternative integrated circuits 113A and 113B are shown, but other variations may include any number of integrated circuits including any combination of the elements shown in integrated circuit 113B.

Exemplary DC-DC Converter with Wireless Communication System FIG. 21A shows exemplary DC-DC converter 2101 with wireless communication system 2103 in package 2105 . DC-DC converter 2101 can be any DC-DC converter described herein. DC-DC converter 2101 may be configured to receive an input voltage V _in and provide an output voltage V _out .

Wireless communication system 2103 may be included in the same package in which DC-DC converter 2101 is included, or in some cases may be included in a separate package. Wireless communication system 2103 may be, for example, a Wi-Fi® system, a Bluetooth® system, a radio frequency system, or the like. A wireless communication system may include antennas, oscillators, drivers, controllers, firmware, processors, buffers, digital-to-analog converters, etc. (not shown). A wireless communication system may include a wired communication input/output interface (denoted as CommI/O) that connects other devices, such as a CPU (eg, as shown in FIG. 22), to a wireless It may be connected by a communication system 2103 so that it can transmit and receive wireless signals.

Wireless communication system 2103 may additionally or alternatively include a communication path (eg, shown as PWR control line) with DC-DC converter 2101 to control power parameters of the DC-DC converter. good too. In some embodiments, wireless communication system 2103 may be coupled via PMBUS to a DC-DC converter. Thus, the DC-DC converter 2101 can be turned on, off, sleep mode, reset, error, received through a wireless communication system 2103 (eg, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, broadband, or other type of wireless signal). It may also respond to wireless instructions such as clearing, changing the output voltage or setting the output current to control or limit, or enter different modes of operation. The DC-DC converter 2101 can also wirelessly report or broadcast information regarding the status of the DC-DC converter such as distance measurement, input voltage, output voltage, input current, output current, temperature, and the like.

Wireless communication system 2103 may be included in the same package 2105 as DC-DC converter 2101, or in some cases in a separate package. The wireless communication system 2130 may be powered by the DC-DC converter 2101 and receive the output voltage V _out produced by the DC-DC converter 2101 . For example, a DC-DC converter may be configured to receive a 120 volt DC input and provide a 10 volt DC output more suitable for some electronic devices, and a wireless communication system may It may be configured to use a 10 volt DC output from a DC converter. In some embodiments, both wireless communication system 2103 and DC-DC converter 2101 are included in the same package 2105 to reduce the overall area occupied by these components.

FIG. 21B shows exemplary DC-DC converter 2101 with wireless communication system 2103 in package 2105 . A DC-DC converter may be configured to receive an input voltage V _in and to provide an output voltage V _out . A wireless communication system may be powered by an input voltage _Vin .

A wireless communication system may be powered by an input voltage _Vin . For example, DC-DC converter 2101 may be configured to receive a 10 volt input and provide a 25 volt output. Wireless communication system 2103 may be powered by a 10 volt input. Wireless communication system 2103 may interact with DC-DC converter 2101 and/or other devices as described with respect to FIG. 21A (PWRCTRL and CommI/O lines are not shown again in FIG. 21B).

FIG. 21C shows an exemplary package 2105 comprising a wireless communication system 2103 and two DC-DC converters 2101,2102. A first DC-DC converter 2101 may be configured to receive an input voltage V _in and provide a first output voltage V _out 1 . A second DC-DC converter 2012 may be configured to receive an input voltage V _in and provide a second output voltage V _out 2 . The first and second output voltages may be different. Wireless communication module 2103 may be configured to be powered by second DC-DC converter 2102 .

For example, first DC-DC converter 2101 may be configured to receive a 60 volt input and provide a 120 volt output. A second DC-DC converter 2102 may be configured to receive a 60 volt input and provide a 5 volt output. Wireless communication system 2103 may be powered by the 5 volt output from second DC-DC converter 2102 . Wireless communication system 2103 may interact with both DC-DC converters 2101, 2012 and/or other devices as described with respect to FIG. ).

FIG. 21D shows an exemplary embodiment of a power supply 2101 with an integrated wireless communication system 2103. FIG. Power supply 2101 may be a DC-DC converter, an AC-DC converter, a linear mode power supply, or a switch mode power supply, or any other suitable type of power supply. Power supply 2101 may use an isolated or non-isolated topology and can use high or low voltages. Power source 2101 may use any combination of suitable features disclosed herein. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 21D, power supply 2101 may be a DC-DC converter configured to receive an input voltage (V _in ) (eg, from a battery) and output a different output voltage V _out . good. In some embodiments, power supply 2101 may be an AC-DC converter that receives an AC signal (V _in ) and outputs a DC signal (V _out ). An output capacitor may be used as discussed herein. Power supply 2101 may output power to one or more loads (eg, shown as resistors in FIG. 21D) in the device. The device may be an appliance (e.g., home appliance) such as a smart TV, oven, toaster, coffee machine, etc., or the device may be an industrial device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. .

Wireless device 2115 may be in communication with power source 2103 . Wireless communication system 2117 of wireless device 2115 may be similar to wireless communication system 2103 of power source 2101 . In some embodiments, the wireless device 2115 may comprise a power supply 2101 (eg, DC-DC converter or AC-DC converter) with (eg, integrated with) a wireless communication system. Wireless device 2115 may be a smart phone, tablet computer, wireless router or access point in communication with remote devices, or the like. Power source 2101 may be part of a local network that allows one or more wireless devices 2115 to communicate with power source 2101 . Wireless device 2115 can send or receive information or commands to or from power source 2101 (eg, via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, broadband, or other type of wireless signal). Wireless device 2115 can turn on, sleep mode (e.g., reduce standby power consumption), clear errors, reset power (e.g., in case of an error condition), control voltage or current levels, and operate. The power supply may be commanded to change modes, etc. Power supply 2103 can communicate information to wireless device 2115 such as error conditions, modes of operation, voltage and/or current settings (eg, limits), information regarding the state of power supply 2101 (eg, temperature). The wireless device 2115 can send commands via the wireless communication system 2013 of the power source 2101 to the device to control the device associated with the power source to turn on, turn off, change settings, initiate an action, etc. can be done. For example, the coffee maker may receive a command from wireless device 2115 via wireless communication system 2103, which may be integrated or coupled to power source 2101, to brew coffee, such as when wireless device 2115 determines that the user is going home. You can start making. A device (e.g., a coffee maker) associated with a power supply may send its own information (e.g., settings, current mode of operation, previously performed actions, coffee done, system status, errors, etc.) to the power supply 2101. can be transmitted to the wireless device 2115 via a wireless communication system 2103 integrated in the . Thus, a device associated with the power source (eg, a coffee maker) can use the wireless communication system 2103 included in or integrated with the power source 2101 without a second separate wireless communication system.

FIG. 21E shows an exemplary DC-DC converter with wireless communication system 2103 (which may be incorporated into package 2105 in some embodiments). A DC-DC converter may be configured to receive an input voltage V _in and to provide an output voltage V _out . The DC-DC converter may include PWM controller 119 , driver 117 , switch 2109 , inductor 131 and capacitor 111 . Although some parts of the DC-DC converter already shown in other figures or discussed in other embodiments (feedback system, inductors, etc.) may be present, in FIG. are not shown for clarity.

One or more system components may be included in integrated circuit 2107 (which may be, for example, an eGaN IC). An integrated circuit may include any combination of wireless communication system 2103 , PWM controller 119 , driver 117 and switch 2109 . As indicated by the dashed lines, the integrated circuit may be divided into one or more separate integrated circuits, which are the wireless communication system 2103, PWM controller 119, driver 117, and switch 2109. may include any combination of In some embodiments, there may be multiple integrated circuit chips, including separate IC chips for each wireless communication system 2103 , PWM controller 119 , driver 117 and switch 2109 . In some embodiments, the integrated circuit may be an eGaN IC. Some embodiments may use a monolithic eGaN IC that includes all or more of wireless communication system 2103 , PWM controller 119 , driver 117 and switch 2109 . Some embodiments may also use separate eGaN ICs for each wireless communication system 2103 , PWM controller 119 , driver 117 and switch 2109 . In some embodiments, PWM controller 119 may be omitted from package 2105 . A separate PWM controller 119 may be used (eg, as shown in FIG. 24A) to drive multiple DC-DC converter power stages, as discussed herein.

The wireless communication system 2103 may communicate with the PWM controller to adjust the PWM signal provided to the driver to set the output voltage and/or change the current limit, for example. In some embodiments, the wireless communication system includes a status report register (Fig. (not shown).

Example IoT Device FIG. 22 shows an example Internet of Things (IoT) device 2200 . The IoT device 2200 may comprise a package 2105 comprising a wireless communication system 2103 and two DC-DC converters 2101, 2102 as shown in FIG. 21C and described in connection therewith. Various other configurations (eg, similar to FIGS. 21A, 21B, or 21D) can be used, such as having a single DC-DC converter or having different types of power sources (eg, AC-DC converters). may be The IoT device may further comprise a first system 2203. The IoT device may further include an electrical system 2201 that may include a CPU 2205, RAM 2207, I/O system 2209, and other electrical devices 2211, for example. IoT device 2200 may communicate with wireless device 2215 , such as a smart phone, via network 2213 .

In some embodiments, components in electrical system 2201 and components in first system 2203 may use different voltages. Accordingly, the first and second DC-DC converters 2201, 2202 may provide different voltages to different devices.

Electrical system 2201 may be configured to receive the V _out 2 voltage provided by a second DC-DC converter. The V _out 2 voltage may be a suitable voltage for some electrical devices in electrical systems and wireless communication modules. The first system 2203 may comprise different components configured to receive different voltages V _out 1 .

For example, in one embodiment, IoT device 2200 is a programmable lighting system. A first system 2203 may include one or more bulbs configured to receive 60V. Electrical system 2201 may be configured to turn the light bulb on and off. A user may program an on/off schedule for the lights and/or issue commands to turn the lights on/off through the wireless communication system 2103 . Received commands may be transmitted from wireless communication system 2013 to CPU 2205 . The CPU 2205 may process the commands and turn on and off the lights in the first system 2203 according to the commands. A user can wirelessly connect to the IoT device from another computer, smartphone, or the like, and can connect with the wireless communication system 2103 directly or through a network such as the Internet.

In other examples of IoT devices, the first system 2203 may be a mechanical system, such as a motor, which requires a higher voltage and more power than an electrical system to perform mechanical work. receive. In other examples of IoT devices, the first system 2203 receives a different voltage, whether electrical, mechanical, chemical, thermal, than one of the components in the electrical system 2201. It can be any system. Other examples of IoT devices may include internet-connected climate control systems, doors, computers, cameras, vending machines, cars, appliances, and the like.

Wireless communication system 2103 can transmit and receive wireless signals to wireless device 2215 . In some embodiments, wireless signals may be transmitted over a network 2213, such as the Internet or a wireless local area network. Wireless device 2215 may be, for example, a smart phone, computer, desktop, other IoT device, or the like. Wireless device 2215 may transmit/receive communications to/from CPU 2205 as wireless signals by wireless communication system 2103 . In some embodiments, a wireless device may transmit/receive wireless communications to/from any of the DC-DC converters via wireless communication system 2103 . Communication from wireless device 2215 is via power control lines such as PMBUS (eg, the PWR control line shown in FIG. 21A) between wireless communication system 2103 and either or both of DC-DC converters 2101, 2102. may be transmitted to and from the wireless communication system 2103 by

FIG. 22 shows an example of an IoT device comprising a package 2105 including the DC-DC converter and wireless communication system of FIG. 21C, although other IoT devices may be packaged, eg, as shown in FIGS. It may comprise any IoT device and wireless communication system. Additionally, the IoT device, with or without a wireless communication system in the package, includes any number of other DC-DC converters to provide additional voltage or current to any number of electrical systems. may be

Multiple DC-DC Converters with Adjustable Outputs FIG. 23A shows an exemplary DC-DC converter system 2300 including multiple DC-DC converters 2303,2305,2307. In some embodiments, DC-DC converters 2303 , 2305 , 2307 may be included in package 2301 . In some embodiments, the DC-DC converters 2303, 2305, 2307 may be separate packages. A user can combine any number of DC-DC converter packages to provide a variety of different amounts of current. In various embodiments, one or more components such as PWM controllers, drivers, and/or switches of the various DC-DC converters 2303, 2305, 2307 are combined into one or more integrated circuits. may be included. In some embodiments, each of the DC-DC converters 2303, 2305, 2307 has its own separate IC with PWM controllers, drivers, and/or switches separate from the DC-DC converter components. . In some embodiments, the DC-DC converters 2303, 2305, 2307 may be interconnected to simplify current sharing between the DC-DC converters 2303, 2305, 2307. For example, the feedback system can use the output from one of the DC-DC converters 2303, 2305, 2307 to control the other one or more of the DC-DC converters 2303, 2305, 2307. . For example, if the DC-DC converter 2303 is overloaded, the feedback system will force the other DC-DC converters 2305, 2307 to take more load, causing the DC-DC converters 2303, 2305, 2307 to can be made to better balance the currents between

A DC-DC converter system may be configured to receive an input voltage V _in and produce an output voltage V _out . Each of the DC-DC converters may be configured to produce an output voltage. Each of the DC-DC converters 2303, 2305, and 2307 may be coupled in parallel between the system input and the system output. As a result of the parallel configuration, the total current supplied by DC-DC converter system 2300 may be the sum of the individual currents supplied by DC-DC converters 2303,2305,2307. The example of FIG. 23A shows a DC-DC converter system 2300 in which the 3DC-DC converters 2303, 2305, 2307 are configured to provide 10 amps of current and the DC-DC converter system 2300 The total output current provided by is 30 amps. In some embodiments, six DC-DC converters providing 20 amps may be combined to provide 120 amps, or any other suitable combination of power converters may be used. may be In some embodiments, the current from multiple DC-DC converters may be combined to exceed 200 Amps. Any number of DC-DC converters (eg, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 25, or more DC-DC converters) provide different amounts of current may be combined in parallel to do so. In some embodiments, DC-DC converters configured to output different amounts of current may be combined. For example, one DC-DC converter configured to output 20 amps, one DC-DC converter configured to output 10 amps and one DC-DC converter configured to output 2 amps. It may be combined with three DC-DC converters, which can provide 36 amps of current. Various embodiments of the DC-DC converters disclosed herein are used as modular components that are combined to form various voltages and/or currents using only a few DC-DC converter types. good too. For example, DC-DC converters configured to output 50 amps, 20 amps, 10 amps, 5 amps, 2 amps, and 1 amp can be used in a variety of different combinations to provide up to 6 DC-DC converters. A DC converter may be used to provide a system capable of outputting an amount of current from 1 Ampere to 100 Amperes.

FIG. 23B shows an exemplary DC-DC converter system 2350 including multiple DC-DC converters 2353,2355,2357. DC-DC converters 2353 , 2355 , 2357 may optionally be included in package 2351 . System 2350 (eg, package 2351 ) may further comprise controller 2209 and switching system (eg, by current sensor) 2361 . In some embodiments, various components in system 2350 may be in separate packages.

DC-DC converter system 2350 may be configured to receive an input voltage V _in and produce an output voltage V _out . Each of the DC-DC converters may be configured to produce an output voltage. Each of the DC-DC converters 2303, 2305, and 2307 may be coupled in parallel between the system input and the system output. As a result of the parallel configuration, the total current supplied by DC-DC converter system 2200 may be the sum of the individual currents supplied by DC-DC converters 2303,2305,2307.

Controller 2359 may be configured to receive commands from a communication line (eg, PMBUS) and to configure structures and combinations of DC-DC converters 2353, 2355, 2357 in response to the commands. Controller 2359 may contribute different combinations of DC-DC converters 2353, 2355, 2357 to the output. For example, controller 2359 may configure all three DC-DC converters to provide maximum current such that a total of 35 amps is provided to the output. In response to receiving a command to provide 15 amps, the controller 2359 outputs a current combination (such as 5+5+5, 0+10+5, or proportionally balanced 60/7+30/7+15/7) to increase 15 amps. Each of the three DC-DC converters 2353, 2355, 2357 may be configured to provide .

The switching system may be controlled by a controller 2359 to open connections in parallel paths between, for example, any of the DC-DC converters 2353, 2355, 2357 and the output. For example, to provide 15 amps, the switching system may disconnect the 20 amp DC-DC converter 2353 from the output, while the 10 amp DC-DC converter 2355 and the 5 amp DC- Leave the DC converter 2357 connected to the output. In some embodiments, the functionality between controller 2359 and switching system 2361 may be combined into one control/switching system. System 2350 (eg, switching system 2361 ) may include current sensors to detect the current output from each of DC-DC converters 2353 , 2355 , 2357 . In some embodiments, a current sensor may be included in each of the DC-DC converters and the output from the current sensor may be provided to controller 2359 as feedback. In some embodiments, a current sensor may be included in each of the DC-DC converters and a feedback and control system (OCP, etc.) may be included in the DC-DC converters 2353, 2355 as shown in FIG. , 2357. Any number of DC-DC converters may be combined as discussed in connection with FIG. 23A.

In some embodiments, there may be feedback at the DC-DC converter system 2350 level and the output of each DC-DC converter 2353 , 2355 , 2357 is sensed and provided to controller 2359 . The controller can perform current balancing (eg, based on the outputs of DC-DC converters 2353, 2355, 2357). Current balancing may include increasing or decreasing the current output of each DC-DC converter 2353 , 2355 and/or 2357 . Current balancing detects, for example, that the first DC-to-DC converter is at, reaches, or exceeds threshold limits (eg, current output limit, inductor saturation limit, voltage limit, temperature limit); reducing the current provided by the DC converter and, in some cases, increasing the current provided by the second DC-DC converter to replace the reduced current provided by the first DC-DC converter; It may include compensating. Current balancing includes, for example, increasing and/or decreasing the output current of one or more DC-DC converters 2353, 2355, and/or 2357 in response to variations in the current drawn by the load. You can For example, a motor in steady state draws less current than a rotating motor, and current balancing may be implemented to provide more or less current to the motor.

In some embodiments, feedback at the DC-DC converter system 2350 level may be used to detect temperature and/or inductor saturation of one of the DC-DC converters in the system. In response to the first DC-DC converter reaching a threshold temperature and/or having a threshold inductor saturation, the controller may reduce the current provided by the DC-DC converter, and in some cases , may be compensated for by increasing the current provided by the second DC-DC converter.

Some embodiments may include multiple DC-DC converters with different amperage capacities. An exemplary DC-DC converter system 2350 may comprise three 10 amp DC-DC converters, and the controller may be configured to provide a variable current output of up to 30 amps. As another example, DC-DC converter system 2350 includes four 1 Amp DC-DC converters, a 5 Amp DC-DC converter, a 10 Amp DC-DC converter, and a 20 Amp DC-DC converter. A converter may be provided. As another example, the DC-DC converter system 2350 may comprise a 5 amp DC-DC converter, a 10 amp DC-DC converter, and multiple 20 amp DC-DC converters. As another example, DC-DC converter system 2350 may comprise a plurality of DC-DC converters having a total current capacity of at least 50 amps, 100 amps, 150 amps, 200 amps, or more. A high amperage DC-DC converter system may be designed based, at least in part, on the efficiency, improved size, switching speed, improved heat dissipation, and topology disclosed herein.

In some embodiments, the configuration and layout shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B can be placed in a device without packages 2301 and 2351. FIG. For example, each DC-DC converter 2303, 2305, and 2307 may be a separate package.

Multiple Power Stage Configuration FIG. 24A shows a DC-DC converter 2400 having multiple power stages 2403A-2403C. A PWM controller may be used to provide pulse width modulated signals to multiple power stages, and each power stage may have a driver and one or more switches. Two or more DC-DC converter power stages may share a single PWM controller. The topology shown in Figure 24 may be used, for example, in some implementations of the techniques and principles discussed herein, as shown and described with respect to Figures 23A and 23B. Some parts of DC-DC converter 2400 already shown in other figures (such as the feedback system) may be present but are not shown in FIG. 24A. DC-DC converter 2400 includes output capacitor 111, package 2401, integrated circuit (IC) chip 2413, drivers 117A-117C, pulse width modulator (PWM) controller 119, switches (eg, eGaN switches) 2405A-2405C, and Inductors 131A-131C may be provided.

In some embodiments, IC 2413 may include PWM controller 119 . However, PWM controller 119 need not be part of IC 2413 in other embodiments. PWM controller 119 may be separate from package 2401 or external to package 2401, providing out-of-phase PWM signals to each of drivers 117A-117C in different power stages 2403A-2403C. good too. For example, for three power stages, the PWM signals may be 120 degrees out of phase with each other. In some embodiments, PWM controller 119 may be separate from the PCB in package 2401 or may be outside the PCB but still included in package 2401 . In some embodiments, PWM controller 119 may be part of package 2401 .

Package 2401 may include multiple power stages 2403A-2403C. Each power stage 2403A-2403C may comprise an integrated circuit, which is a chip embedded in the PCB of the package. As an alternative embodiment, multiple power stages such as 2403A-2403C may be included in one integrated circuit as indicated by dashed line 2404. FIG.

Each power stage 2403A-2403C may include drivers 117A-117C and switches 2405A-2405C, respectively, as shown. Each power stage 2403A-2403C may be associated with a respective inductor 131A-131C. Power stages 2403A-2403C may be configured in parallel. The current capacity of DC-DC converter 2400 may be the sum of the current capacity in each parallel branch of power stages 2403A-2403C and inductors 131A-131C.

FIG. 24B shows an exemplary layout of inductors 131A-131C in DC-DC converter 2400. FIG. PWM controller 119 is not shown in FIG. 24B for simplicity. The three inductors 131A-131C may have footprints 2423A-2423C, respectively, and these footprints may be included within the footprint of package 2401. FIG. The footprint of the inductor may overlap the footprint of integrated circuit chip 2404 and/or any of power stages 2403A-3403C. FIG. 24B, not to scale, shows how the inductor footprint can be laid out and occupy a majority and/or a substantial portion of the package 2401 footprint. In some embodiments, the inductor may be coupled to the package 2401 rather than being physically inside the package encapsulation. For example, an inductor may be coupled to and/or protrude from the top surface of the package. For example, package 2401 shown in FIG. 24A may terminate at dashed line 2402 .

Exemplary Side Section View FIG. 25 shows an exemplary side view 2500 of a DC-DC converter. The DC-DC converter comprises PCB 2501 , inductor 2503 , capacitor 2505 , chip embedded PWM controller 2507 , chip embedded driver 2509 , chip embedded switch 2511 and via 2513 .

Inductor 2503 and capacitor 2505 may be external to PCB 2501 . The inductor may be coupled with switch 2511 by via 2513 .

PWM controller 2507 may reside in a first integrated circuit (shown) or a first chip embedded integrated circuit (not shown). In some embodiments, PWM controller 2507 may be external to package 2501 . The first integrated circuit may be based on any semiconductor material such as silicon and may be an eGaN IC.

Driver 2509 may reside in a second chip embedded integrated circuit. The second integrated circuit may be based on any semiconductor material such as silicon and may be an eGaN IC.

Switch 2511 may reside in a chip embedded integrated circuit, such as a second chip embedded integrated circuit or a third chip embedded integrated circuit. The integrated circuit may be based on any semiconductor material such as silicon and may be an eGaN IC.

In some embodiments, the second integrated circuit may be a monolithic IC that includes both driver 2509 and switch 2511 . In some embodiments, driver 2509 and switch may be on separate ICs. In some embodiments, PWM controller 2507, driver 2509, and switch 2511 may reside on a monolithic IC (eg, eGaN IC). In some embodiments, PWM controller 2507 may drive multiple sets of drivers 2509 and switches 2511 as discussed herein.

Preventing Inductor Saturation An inductor configured to have a relatively high saturation limit for the same physical size inductor may also have an elevated direct current resistance (DCR). The inductor may be designed to have a relatively high saturation limit without boosting the DCR, but the physical size of the inductor is boosted. For example, a first inductor specified for a 10A limit and a 15A saturation limit may have a DCR of 4 milliohms. The second inductor (which is the same physical size as the first inductor) may have a current rating of 10A and a DCR of only 3 milliohms, but the second inductor has a relatively low saturation limit of 13A. Relatively small physical size to improve efficiency without sacrificing one characteristic (DCR or size) for the other, and to improve efficiency without violating design principles by risking inductor saturation It may be desirable to use an inductor (such as inductor 131 in FIG. 1) with both a low DCR and a relatively low DCR. A saturated inductor can provide relatively low inductance and can also act as an unintentional short circuit between input and output ports. Therefore, to prevent inductor saturation, in some cases a relatively large inductor with a relatively large inductance and a relatively large saturation limit is used despite the elevated DCR so that the inductor does not saturate. can ensure that For example, an inductor may be rated at 10A, but the inductor can experience 30% AC ripple such that the peak current is 11.5A, subject to temperature changes that affect the saturation limit. good too. Therefore, to avoid inductor saturation under various operating conditions, a 10A inductor may be designed with a saturation limit of 15A or 20A to provide a saturation buffer or error limit. In some designs, the buffer is designed for worst case scenarios, such as over a wide temperature range, such that the inductor is chosen to have a saturation rating that is twice the current output rating of the DC-DC converter. . However, such designs may increase at least the physical size and/or DCR of the inductor.

In some embodiments, inductors with relatively low DCR may be used to improve efficiency without suffering from inductor saturation. For example, a DC-DC converter rated for 10A output current may use inductors rated for 11A, 10.5A, 10.25A, 10.1A, and so on. In some cases, an inductor may have a rated current and a saturation rating that may be higher than the rated current. the DC-DC converter is 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 75%, or 100% higher than the rated current of the inductor or of the DC-DC converter, or , any value between, or any combination of these values, although in some implementations values outside of these ranges may be used. can be used.

The DC-DC converter may include an overcurrent protection system. As shown in FIG. 1, a first input of comparator 139 may be coupled to current source 137, which may be used as a reference for setting the overcurrent limit. I2C and/or PMBUS (described with respect to FIG. 2) may be used to trim and/or adjust the output current of current source 137 . Accordingly, overcurrent limits may be set and/or adjusted. The output of comparator 139 may be provided to fault logic and overcurrent protection (OCP) circuitry 141 .

Comparator 139 can detect when inductor 131 approaches or is at its saturation limit. Current source 137 may act to provide a reference current for comparison. Current source 137 may be trimmed and/or controlled (eg, via PMBUS or other control communication line) to adjust the reference current. The threshold reference value may be adjusted for different inductors 131 and over different temperatures (which may be in response to a signal from a thermometer, not shown). In response to an overcurrent event (eg, as described by comparator 139), fault logic 141 may activate an overcurrent protection circuit. This allows, for example, a PWM controller and/or driver (or directly) to open switch 123 and close switch 127, or to prevent excess voltage or current from reaching the output. When overcurrent protection is no longer detected (due to hysteresis in some embodiments), switches 123 and 127 can resume normal operation.

In some exemplary embodiments, less than 50%, 25%, 15%, 10%, 5%, 2.5%, or 1%, or any value therebetween, or Any value of buffer room defined by any combination may be set, although buffer amounts outside these ranges may be used in some implementations. A low buffer room can also be used over a wide range of temperature conditions. For example, a 10A rated DC-DC converter may use an inductor with a 10.5A saturation limit (eg, a 5% buffer), and temperature conditions ranging from -40°C to +125°C It can work below. Other examples of other exemplary minimum to maximum temperature ranges may include 0°C to 100°C, 10°C to 90°C, 25°C to 75°C, and the like. Other examples of temperature ranges are at least 50°C variation, at least 75°C variation, at least 100°C variation, at least 125°C variation, at least 150°C variation, at least 165°C variation, and a variation of at least 175°C.

Overcurrent detection and protection functions may be performed under various conditions. For example, overcurrent detection and protection may be calibrated for each inductor included in the DC-DC converter. I2C communication via PMBUS (or any other suitable control communication protocol or physical layer) may be used to adjust or calibrate the reference current 137 for the inductor. In some embodiments, a lookup table or other memory structure can store the temperature profile for inductor 131 and turn off current source 137 to provide the appropriate reference current to comparator 139. .

AC-DC and Other Types of Power Converters The teachings and principles described herein may be applied to any type of power converter, not just DC-DC converters. DC-AC converters, AC-DC converters, and AC-AC converters can also use the teachings and principles disclosed herein. For example, FIG. 26A shows an exemplary block diagram 2600 of an AC-DC converter. AC-DC converter 2600 is configured to provide an AC input voltage and provide a DC output voltage. AC-DC converter 2600 may comprise filter 2601 , isolation circuit 2603 , rectification circuit 2605 , and/or smoother and/or output filter 2607 .

Filter 2601 may be a bandpass filter configured to pass voltage signals within a frequency range (eg, 50-60 Hz). A filter may comprise one or more switches, inductors, and/or capacitors. In some embodiments, filter 2601 may be omitted.

The isolation circuit 2603 may be configured to electrically isolate the AC input port from the DC output port such that there is no direct conductive path between the AC input port and the DC output port. In some embodiments, the isolation circuit may be placed in a different location, such as to the output after the AC signal is converted to a DC signal. For example, inductors L1 and L2 cause a current (eg, a varying current (AC) through inductor L1) to generate and intervene a magnetic field in inductor L2, thereby causing a current (eg, a varying current (AC) ) may be electromagnetically coupled to induce Inductors L1 and L2 may provide a transformer to step down a relatively high AC voltage to a relatively low AC voltage. In some embodiments, the transformer (eg, isolation circuit 2603) may be omitted, such as when the input AC voltage does not need to be reduced.

Rectifier 2605 may include diode 2609 and/or active switch 2611 structures. Various types of rectifier topologies may be used, including half-bridge rectifiers, full-bridge rectifiers, single-phase rectifiers, multi-phase rectifiers, active rectifiers, and the like. Active rectifiers may comprise one or more active switches 2611 . In some embodiments, a diode bridge may be used to convert an AC signal to a pulsed DC signal. Switch 2611 may be actively controlled. In some embodiments, a PWM controller may be included and may provide a PWM signal to switch 2611 .

Smoother and/or output filter 2607 may comprise an LC network. The LC network may include inductor L3 and capacitor C1. In some embodiments, inductor L3 may be omitted. The smoother and/or output filter 2607 may include a reservoir capacitor, which can smooth the pulsed DC signal to a smoother DC signal.

The techniques described herein may be applied to various components of the AC-DC converter in FIG. 26A. For example, active switch 2611, any control system (e.g., PWM controller) for active switch 2611, and any combination of circuit elements such as diode 2609 may be included in a chip-embedded integrated circuit and vias. may be coupled with inductors L1, L2, and/or L3 via . Any functional stages of the AC-DC converter such as filter 2601, isolation circuit 2603, rectifier 2605, and smoother & output filter 2607 may be included in one chip embedded integrated circuit or number of chip-embedded integrated circuits. Either the inductors (such as L1, L2, and L3) or the capacitors (such as C1, or a reservoir capacitor) are embedded (e.g., at least partially or completely overlapping) in the embedded circuit (e.g., integrated circuit). and may be coupled to the integrated circuit by one or more vias. The physical layout may include the techniques discussed with respect to FIG. Any of the feedback and control techniques disclosed herein may also be applied.

FIG. 26B shows an exemplary embodiment of an AC-DC converter. An AC-DC converter may receive an input AC signal (eg, V _in ). Optionally, a voltage changing circuit such as transformer 2603 can change the voltage level of the input AC signal. For example, transformer 2603 may be configured to step down the input AC voltage to a reduced AC voltage. Transformer 2603 may comprise two inductors as discussed herein. Transformer 2603 may be omitted in some embodiments. The AC-DC converter may include a rectifier circuit 2605, which may be configured to convert an AC signal into a pulsed DC signal. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 26B, a full bridge rectifier circuit (eg, with four diodes) can be used. Various types of rectifier circuits can be used, such as diode bridges, half-wave rectifiers, full-wave rectifiers, half-bridge rectifiers. In some embodiments, the rectifier circuit may include one or more diodes. The AC-DC converter may include smoothing circuitry 2607 . In some embodiments, smoothing circuit 2607 may comprise a capacitor (as seen in FIG. 26B), which may be used as a reservoir capacitor. In some embodiments, the smoothing circuit may comprise an inductor, or may comprise an LC circuit that includes both an inductor and a capacitor. A smoothing circuit 2607 can smooth the pulsed DC signal to produce a more stable DC voltage (V _out ). The output DV voltage (V _out ) may be used to supply current to one or more loads in the device (eg, shown here as resistors).

FIG. 26C shows an exemplary embodiment of an AC-DC converter. Optional transformer 2603 may comprise a transformer as discussed herein (eg, with two inductors). In some embodiments, the rectifier circuit 2605 may comprise one or more switches 2622, which allow current to rectify the AC signal (eg, generate a pulsed DC signal). and may be driven to block. Switch 2622 may be a MOSFET switch. Switch 2622 may be an eGaN switch. Switch 2622 may be synchronized with the AC signal. In some embodiments, PWM controller 2626 and/or driver 2624 may be used to drive switch 2622 . A feedback system 2628 similar to other embodiments disclosed herein may be used. In some embodiments, a combination of diodes and switches may be used for rectifier circuits in AC-DC converters. Smoothing circuit 2607 may be used to smooth the voltage, as discussed herein, and may include capacitors and/or inductors.

In some embodiments, rectifier circuit 2605 may be embedded in a PCB, as described herein. Rectifier circuit 2605 may reside in one or more integrated circuits (ICs). For example, chip embedded circuitry 2640 (eg, one or more ICs) may include any combination of PWM controller 2626 , driver 2624 , and one or more switches 2622 . In some embodiments, part or all of feedback system 2628 may be part of embedded circuitry 2640 (eg, on one or more ICs). In some embodiments, PWM claim controller 2626 may be omitted. In some cases, an exemplary PWM controller may be used for multiple AC-DC converters, similar to those discussed herein. Implantable circuitry 2640 may include one or more diodes, which may be configured to convert an AC signal to a pulsed DC signal. One or more inductors and/or capacitors (eg, forming part of the transformer 2603 and/or smoothing circuit) may be located outside the PCB and buried by one or more vias. It may be electrically coupled with the pattern circuit. The one or more inductors and/or capacitors may at least partially or completely overlap the footprint of the embedded circuit. For example, the AC-DC converter may be similar to FIG. 3, where component 315 is an embedded circuit (eg, IC) 2640. FIG.

The power converters disclosed herein include DC-AC converters, AC-DC converters, AC-AC converters, and DC-DC converters, including the examples in FIGS. 26A, 26B, and 26C. It may be embedded in a chip based in whole or in part on the principles and disclosures provided in connection therewith.

Additional Embodiments To aid understanding, some embodiments are described with reference to exemplary values such as voltage values, sizes, frequencies, currents, positions, and the like. However, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the values disclosed herein. For example, a voltage range associated with a DC-DC converter may include any voltage range. Various embodiments can use any range of input voltages and any range of output voltages and convert between positive and negative voltages, such as +12V to -5V DC-DC converters. including. Various embodiments can use any current value as well, including very high current values above 200 amps. Various embodiments may have the structure of the components in different positions and/or orientations. For example, any of the integrated circuits disclosed herein may be face-up or face-down. Although some examples disclose specific communication systems such as I2C and/or PMBUS, communication systems, or other protocols and/or physical layer designs may be used. Other embodiments may use, for example, Serial Bus ID (SVID), Adaptive Voltage Scaling Bus (AVSbus), and the like. The controllers disclosed herein may be implemented in various ways, including digital implementations, analog implementations, and hybrid implementations. Some DC-DC converter packages or PCBs have no capacitors or capacitors to them. Some DC-DC converter packages or PCBs may be without capacitors and/or capacitors coupled thereto, and inductors and/or capacitors may be added later to the package or PCB. Some embodiments may be AC coupled. The pair 1215 of inductors 1211, 1215 in Figures 13A and 13B may be inductors that share a single core. Although some example systems have been described with respect to example feedback control schemes, power converters disclosed herein may use any feedback control scheme. The power converter has a current mode control scheme based on average current, peak mode, valley mode, emulated current, etc., a voltage mode control scheme based on leading edge/rising edge, driven edge, dual edge, etc., always on time, always off time can be used. The feedback system may have hysteresis.

Power converters may be used to power various devices, such as the IoT devices described in connection with FIG. The CPU 2205 shown in FIG. 22 and any other controllers, processors, etc. discussed herein may be a single hardware processor or multiple hardware processors that may be coupled by a bus for processing information. good. A CPU, processor, controller, etc., may be, for example, one or more general purpose processors.

The CPU, processor, controller, etc. may be coupled with primary memory such as random access memory (RAM) 2207, cache and/or other dynamic storage for information and instructions executed by processor 2205. It may be connected to a bus. RAM may also be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by CPU 2205 . Such instructions, when stored in a storage medium accessible to processor 2205, make the computer system a special-purpose machine customized to perform the actions specified in the instructions. Any suitable type of computer readable memory can be used.

Electrical system 2201, or other systems disclosed herein, may include a device 2211, such as a display (eg, cathode ray tube (CRT) or LCD display or touch screen) for displaying information to a user. Other examples of device 2211 include input devices including alphanumeric and other keys for communicating information and command options to processor 2205 . Another type of device 2211 is a cursor control device, such as a mouse, trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command choices to processor 2205 and for controlling cursor movement on the display. . The input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g. x) and a second axis (e.g. y), which allows the device to specify position in a plane. can do. In some embodiments, the same directional information and command options such as cursor control may be implemented by receiving touch on the touchscreen screen without a cursor.

Electrical system 2201, or others disclosed herein, may include a user interface module to implement a GUI, which may be implemented as executable software code executed by one or more computing units. It may be stored on a mass storage device. These modules are, for example, software components, object-oriented software components, class and task components, processes, functions, features, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, It may comprise components such as circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.

In general, the term "module" as used herein refers to a set of logic or software instructions embedded in hardware or firmware, e.g., Java, Lua, C or C++. It may have entry and exit points written in a programming language. The software modules may be compiled and linked into an executable program installed in a dynamic link library, or written in an interpreted programming language such as BASIC, Perl, or Python, for example. . It will be appreciated that the software modules may be called from other modules or themselves, and/or may be activated in response to detected events or interruptions. A software module configured for execution on a computing device may reside on a computer readable medium such as a compact disc, digital video disc, flash drive, magnetic disc, or any other tangible medium, or as a digital download (and , may be provided compressed or originally stored in an installable format, requiring installation, decompression, or decryption prior to execution. Such software code may be stored, in part or in whole, in the memory of the executing computing device for execution by the computing device. The software instructions may be embedded in firmware such as EPROM. Further, the hardware modules may comprise connected logic units such as gates and flip-flops and/or may consist of programmable units such as programmable gate arrays or processors. I understand. The modules or computing units functionally described herein are preferably implemented as software modules, but may also be represented in hardware or firmware. Generally, the modules described herein refer to logical modules, which may be combined with other modules or divided into sub-modules regardless of their physical organization or storage.

Electrical system 2201, or other systems described herein, in combination with customized hardwired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, a computer system, or Programming firmware and/or program logic can be used to implement the techniques described herein. According to one embodiment, the techniques herein are used to control electrical system 2201 in response to one or more processors 2205 implementing one or more instructions in one or more sequences contained in main memory 2207 . performed by Such instructions may be read into main memory 2207 from another storage medium, such as a storage device. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 2207 may cause one or more processors 2205 to implement the features or perform the process operations described herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium can be used. Any medium that stores data and/or instructions that cause a machine to operate in a particular manner may be used. Such non-transitory media may include non-volatile media and/or volatile media. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 2207 . Common forms of non-transitory media include, for example, floppy disks, floppy disks, hard disks, solid state devices, magnetic tapes, or any other magnetic data storage media, CD-ROMs, any other optical data storage. media, any physical media with a pattern of holes, RAM, PROM and EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, any other memory chip or cartridge, and networked versions thereof.

A non-transitory medium may be different from, but may be used in conjunction with, a transmission medium. Transmission media may serve to transfer information across non-transitory media. For example, transmission media may include coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a bus. Transmission media can take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.

Wireless communication system 2103 may provide two-way data communication coupled to network 2213 . For example, the wireless communication system 2103 can send and receive electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information. Alternatively, in some cases, wireless communication system 2103 may provide one-way communication (eg, receive or transmit information).

Network 2213 typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example, network 2213 may provide connectivity through a local network to data devices or host computers operated by an Internet service provider. ISPs also provide data communication services over a worldwide packet data communication network, now commonly referred to as the "Internet."

Claims (23)

a printed circuit board (PCB), the printed circuit board comprising:
a lower printed circuit board (PCB) portion;
an upper printed circuit board (PCB) portion;
an embedded circuit between the lower PCB portion and the upper PCB portion, the embedded circuit comprising:
a driver configured to generate one or more driver signals;
one or more switches configured to be driven by said one or more driver signals, said drivers toggling said one or more switches at a frequency of at least 1 MHz; the plurality of switches includes a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, and a fourth switch;
one or more vias extending through the upper PCB portion;
a first inductor positioned on the upper PCB portion;
the one or more vias electrically couple the first inductor to the embedded circuit;
a footprint of the first inductor at least partially overlapping a footprint of the embedded circuit;
a second inductor;
a capacitor;
an input port coupled to the implantable circuit, the input port configured to receive an input voltage;
an output port coupled to the first inductor and the second inductor, the output port configured to provide an output voltage different from the input voltage;
the output voltage is based at least in part on the one or more switches that charge or release energy in the first inductor and the second inductor;
the first switch has a first end coupled to the input port and a second end coupled to the first end of the first inductor by the capacitor;
the second switch has a first end coupled to the first end of the first inductor;
the capacitor is connected in series between the first switch and the second switch as an AC coupling capacitor;
the third switch has a first end coupled to the second end of the capacitor and the first switch, and a second end coupled to a first end of the second inductor;
the fourth switch has a first end coupled to the second end of the third switch and the first end of the second inductor;
a second end of the second switch is connected to a second end of the fourth switch;
A power converter, wherein a second end of the first inductor and a second end of the second inductor are coupled to the output port. A power converter according to claim 1,
A power converter, wherein the driver toggles the one or more switches at a frequency between 1 MHz and 15 MHz. The power converter according to claim 1 or 2,
The power converter, wherein the one or more switches include a first enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN) switch and a second enhanced gallium nitride (eGaN) switch. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The power converter is configured to process an amount of current,
A power converter, wherein said power converter has a footprint area of between 0.1 mm ² and 10 mm ² per amperage of current flow. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A power converter, wherein the embedded circuitry comprises a ramp generator configured to generate a signal that emulates current ripple through the first inductor or the second inductor . A power converter according to claim 5,
The ramp generator is configured to generate the signal emulating the current ripple through the first inductor or the second inductor , at least
a first input indicative of the input voltage;
a second input indicative of the output voltage;
a third input unit indicating an inductance value of the first inductor or the second inductor ;
and a fourth input of a switching signal for the one or more switches. The power converter according to claim 5 or 6,
The ramp wave generator is
a first current source configured to generate a current based at least in part on the input voltage;
a second current source configured to generate a current based at least in part on the output voltage;
a first ramp generator switch configured to receive at least one of the one or more driver signals, the first ramp generator switch coupled to the first current source;
a second ramp generator switch configured to receive at least one of the one or more driver signals, the second ramp generator switch coupled to the second current source;
and a capacitor coupled with the first ramp generator switch and the second ramp generator switch. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The power converter is
a first operating state in which current flows through the capacitor to the first inductor and the capacitor charges to store energy;
and a second operating state in which the capacitor releases energy and conducts current through the second inductor. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A power converter, wherein the power converter is configured in an isolation topology configured to isolate a direct electrical connection between an input and an output of the power converter. A power converter according to claim 9,
A power converter, wherein the isolation topology comprises a transformer including the first inductor and the second inductor configured such that a modified current through the first inductor induces a modified current in the second inductor. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
the embedded circuit comprises a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller configured to generate one or more PWM signals;
the PWM controller is coupled to the driver;
A power converter, wherein the driver is configured to generate one or more driver signals based at least in part on the PWM signal. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
A power converter, wherein one of the first inductor and the embedded circuit has a footprint that is completely contained within the footprint of the other of the first inductor and the embedded circuit. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
the second inductor located on the upper printed circuit board (PCB) portion;
the one or more vias electrically couple the second inductor to the embedded circuitry;
A power converter, wherein the footprint of the second inductor at least partially overlaps the footprint of the embedded circuit. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
A power converter, wherein the first inductor and the second inductor are driven out of phase with each other. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
the first inductor comprising a first winding around a core;
A power converter, wherein the second inductor comprises a second winding around the same core. A power converter according to claim 8,
in the first operating state, the first switch is on, the second switch is off, and the third switch is off;
The power converter, wherein in the second operating state the third switch is on and the fourth switch is off. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 16,
A power converter, further comprising a communication interface configured to receive a control signal for regulating an output of the power converter. 18. A power converter according to claim 17, comprising:
further comprising a feedback system comprising a ramp generator configured to generate a signal emulating current ripple through the first inductor or the second inductor ;
A power converter, wherein the feedback system is configured to trim the ramp generator in response to commands received via the communication interface. 19. A power converter according to claim 17 or 18,
A power converter, wherein the communication interface comprises a power management bus (PMBUS). The power converter according to any one of claims 17 to 19,
A power converter, wherein the communication interface is configured to implement an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) protocol. The power converter according to any one of claims 17 to 19,
A power converter, wherein the communication interface comprises a wireless communication system in the same package as the embedded circuit. A power supply system comprising a plurality of power converters, each of the plurality of power converters being a power converter by the power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 21,
a shared pulse width modulator (PWM) controller configured to generate a plurality of PWM signals;
the PWM controller is coupled to the drivers of the plurality of power converters to send the plurality of PWM signals to corresponding drivers of the power converters;
A power delivery system, wherein the driver is configured to generate the one or more driver signals based at least in part on the PWM signal. A power supply system comprising a first power converter by the power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 21,
a second power converter connected in parallel with the first power converter;
and a control system configured to adjust the output of the first power converter and the output of the second power converter for current balancing.

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