LP3983
www.ti.com
SNVS213A –MAY 2004–REVISED MARCH 2013
APPLICATION HINTS
POWER DISSIPATION AND DEVICE OPERATION
The permissible power dissipation for any package is a measure of the capability of the device to pass heat from
the power source, the junctions of the IC, to the ultimate heat sink, the ambient environment. Thus the power
dissipation is dependent on the ambient temperature and the thermal resistance across the various interfaces
between the die and ambient air.
As stated in the Electrical Characteristics section, the allowable power dissipation for the device in a given
package can be calculated using the equation:
PD= (TJ- TA)/θJA (1)
With a θJA = 255°C/W, the device in the DSBGA package returns a value of 392mW with a maximum junction
temperature of 125°C and an ambient temperature of 25°C. The actual power dissipation across the device can
be represented by the following equation:
PD= (VIN - VOUT) * IOUT (2)
This establishes the relationship between the power dissipation allowed due to thermal considerations, the
voltage drop across the device, and the continuous current capability of the device. These two equations should
be used to determine the optimum operating conditions for the device in the application.
EXTERNAL CAPACITORS
In common with most low-dropout regulators, the LP3983 requires external capacitors to ensure stable operation.
The LP3983 is specifically designed for portable applications requiring minimum board space and smallest
components. These capacitors must be correctly selected for good performance.
INPUT CAPACITOR
An input capacitor is required for stability. It is recommended that a 1.0uF capacitor be connected between the
LP3983 input pin and ground (this capacitance value may be increased without limit).
This capacitor must be located a distance of not more than 1cm from the input pin and returned to a clean
analog ground. Any good quality ceramic, tantalum, or film capacitor may be used at the input.
Important: Tantalum capacitors can suffer catastrophic failures due to surge current when connected to a low-
impedance source of power (like a battery or a very large capacitor). If a tantalum capacitor is used at the input,
it must be guaranteed by the manufacturer to have a surge current rating sufficient for the application.
There are no requirements for the ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance) on the input capacitor, but tolerance and
temperature coefficient must be considered when selecting the capacitor to ensure the capacitance will be ≊1µF
over the entire operating temperature range.
OUTPUT CAPACITOR
The LP3983 is designed specifically to work with very small ceramic output capacitors. A ceramic capacitor
(dielectric types Z5U, Y5V or X7R), recommended value 2.2µF and with ESR between 5mΩto 500mΩ, is
suitable in the LP3983 application circuit.
For this device the output capacitor should be connected between the VOUT pin and ground.
It may also be possible to use tantalum or film capacitors at the output, but these are not as attractive for
reasons of size and cost (see the section CAPACITOR CHARACTERISTICS).
NO-LOAD STABILITY
The LP3983 will remain stable and in regulation with no external load. This is specially important in CMOS RAM
keep-alive applications.
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