Switching Regulator ICs—Buck and Boost Voltage Conversion

Switching regulators are the most prevalent form of DC/DC power conversion used today due to their capability for providing high efficiency, small solution sizes and flexibility to step-down, step-up or invert voltages. Switching regulators, as indicated by their name, control the turning on and off of a switch (transistor) to transfer energy from its input to its output. Inductors and capacitors for energy storage and diodes to control the direction of currents are some key additional components needed in a switch design. As the switch is cycled on and off, energy is stored and released by the magnetic field of the inductor. Controlling how much energy is stored or released by the inductor is the underlying premise of how switching regulators can efficiently transform power.

• Provides highly efficient power conversion
• Can handle large currents with low thermal dissipation
• Support for wide input ranges (up to +75V), wide output current range (up to 12A)
• Various control architectures and high frequency operation (up to 8 MHz)

Uses a switching element to transform the supply into an alternating current, which is then converted to a different voltage using capacitors, inductors, and other elements, then converted back to DC. 

Capable of input voltages ranging from below 1V up to 40V and output voltages up to 65V to provide simple, high power density, and cost effective solutions for a multitude of applications including battery-powered devices and driving LEDs.

The MIC24066/7 is a family of commercial 36V synchronous switching regulators that support a wide input range of 4.5–36V and deliver 6A of load current. These integrated Field-Effect Transistor (FET) switching regulators feature an enhanced high-voltage Constant-On-Time (COT) controller that is packaged with a pair of N-channel FETS with improved avalanche rating.

The MCP16361/2/3 family of devices contains fixed-frequency, step-down voltage (Buck) DC-DC converters that operate from input voltage sources up to 48V. These highly integrated, high-efficiency devices come in compact eight-lead 3×3-mm VDFN wettable flank packages and include features such as high-side switches, fixed-frequency peak current mode control, internal compensation, power good, peak current limit and overtemperature protection.

The MCP16331 is a highly integrated, high-efficiency, fixed frequency, step-down DC-DC converter in a popular 6-pin SOT-23 or 8-pin TDFN 2x3 package that operates from input voltage sources up to 50V. Integrated features include a high side switch, fixed frequency Peak Current Mode Control, internal compensation, peak current limit and overtemperature protection. Minimal external components are necessary to develop a complete step-down DC-DC converter power supply.