, 2013 9 Revision 1.1
Functional Description
Micrel’s MIC24085 is an 18V, 3A, 1MHz buck regulator
with integrated MOSFETSs for low-cost high-
performance applications. The MIC24085 provides basic
features including enable, power good, internal soft-start,
current-limit, and overtemperature protections.
VCC Supply Voltage and UVLO
The MIC24085 is held in the off state until VCC reaches
the UVLO threshold, which has a 650mV hysteresis. A
ceramic capacitor from VCC to PGND is recommended
for clean operation.
Enable and Soft-Start
When the MIC24085 is enabled, the reference voltage is
controlled to ramp-up from 0V to 0.9V in approximately
4ms. During the soft-start, the current limit is enabled to
protect the device in case of a short circuit present at the
output.
Peak Current-Mode PWM
To achieve fast transient response, the peak current-
mode PWM control is employed in the MIC24085. As
illustrated in the Functional Diagram, the high-side
MOSFET current (ISW) is sensed and summed with a
slope-compensating ramp. Then it is compared with the
error amplifier output to generate a PWM signal.
The loop compensation is designed internally in the
MIC24085 to ensure loop stability, even with a low-ESR
capacitor at the output, such as a ceramic output
capacitor.
PFM Mode at Light Load
The MIC24085 runs in asynchronous buck mode at light
load, where the bottom MOSFET is turned off when the
inductor current drops to zero. This scheme prevents the
output energy from being pumped back to the input, and
improves the over-all efficiency.
Current Limit and Frequency Foldback
In the MIC24085 ISW is also used to determine over-
current conditions. As the peak inductor current is limited,
the output voltage of the buck converter drops as the load
current increases. When the output voltage reaches 60%
of regulated voltage (or feedback voltage reaches 60% of
0.9V), the switching frequency is forced to fold back, from
1MHz to 250kHz. This current-limit scheme reduces the
average inductor current (even with the same peak
inductor current), and improves the power consumption
at the overload conditions.
The current limit is always active when the regulator is
enabled. Once the overcurrent condition is removed, the
device runs to a soft-start and returns to a normal
operation.
Power Good (PG)
Power good (PG) is an open drain output pin. A 10kΩ
resistor to VOUT is required for pull-up. The PG pin turns
low if the output voltage is below 93% of the reference
voltage (0.9V). After VOUT fault and recovery, PG is held
low for a typical duration of 11ms. See the Electrical
Characteristics table for additional information.
Channel 1: VOUT, Channel 2: PG, Hold Time: 11ms
Output Voltage Protection
The MIC24085 turns both high-side and low-side
MOSFETs off to shut down the buck regulator output
voltage when the output voltage exceeds 103% of the
regulated voltage. After the output voltage drops back
below the threshold, the MIC24085 runs to a soft-start.
Thermal Shutdown
The MIC24085 turns both high-side and low-side
MOSFETs off to shut down the buck regulator output
voltage when the internal temperature is over the setting
threshold at around 170°C. After the temperature drops
back below the threshold, the MIC24085 runs to a soft-
start.