The iP2003A from International Rectifier suits low-voltage power rails in servers, desktops, and data-communication systems. This 40-A (continuous up to 100°C case temperature) building block for multiphase, synchronous buck converters integrates most of the necessary silicon and passive components into a single 9- by 11- by 2.2-mm land grid array (LGA) package.
The chip's silicon components comprise a synchronous gate driver, high-side and low-side power MOSFETs, and a synchronous Schottky rectifier. It still requires an external pulse-width-modulation (PWM) controller, input and output capacitors, and output inductors. The converter's input voltage range is 3 to 13.2 V, and its switching frequency is 300 kHz to 1 MHz.
Together with a standard multiphase PWM controller, a four-phase converter using four of these chips can deliver 160 A while reducing the overall power-supply footprint by 55% compared to an equivalent solution using external thermally enhanced SO-8 power MOSFETs (see the figure).
Pricing for the iP2003A begins at $7.95 each in quantities of 10,000 units. A reference design is available. The International Rectifier Web site offers application notes on design and layout techniques for the iP2003A.
International Rectifier
www.irf.com