ML4902

10

LAYOUT ISSUES

The two pins of the ML4902 which actually sense the

the required low-level sensing of the voltage between

these pins, there is no connection inside the ML4902

between GND and PWR GND. Because of this, there must

be an external connection between the ML4902 GND and

PWR GND pins. PWR GND must have a low impedance

connection to the ground plane used on the board, as high

instantaneous currents will flow in PWR GND when N

DRV L and N DRV H switch the capacitive loads of the

output MOSFET gates. At the same time, GND must not

see the resulting switching spikes.

If a current sensing resistor is used, the voltage across the

resistor must be Kelvin-sensed. This ensures that the

ML4902 monitors only the voltage across the resistor, and

ignores the voltage drops and inductive transients in the

PCB traces which carry current into and out of this

resistor. The two pins of the ML4902 which must be

GND. PWR GND should then return to the to the

Kelvin connection. This causes any noise across the

resistor to appear primarily as a common-mode signal on

recommended implementation of these PCB layout

requirements.

When directly monitoring the voltage across the channel

of the synchronous rectifier, the voltage across that

MOSFET should be sensed as closely as possible to its

drain. If a resistor divider is used to reduce the voltage at

channel resistance, then the lower end of the divider

should be returned to the immediate vicinity of its source.

This ensures that the ML4902 monitors only the voltage

across the synchronous rectifier, and not the voltage drops

or inductive transients in the PCB traces which carry

current into and out of it. If a PC board with a dedicated

ground plane is used (recommended), the best return

points for GND and PWR GND are directly into the

ground plane. If the board does not have a dedicated

ground plane, GND must be returned to a point near the

IC which is relatively free from switching transients. Such

a point may need to be empirically determined but will

usually be near the ground connection of the output

capacitor bank.

MISCELLANEOUS POINTS

comparator (roughly comparable to an LM339-type

comparator in terms of speed of response). Because of the

leading-edge blanking on this comparator, it has a

substantial ability to reject switching noise. Still, proper

circuit function requires that the comparator not see

significant noise at the time during which the synchronous

rectifier MOSFET is on.

The compensation components R4 and C13 are high-

impedance nodes connected to the output of the voltage

loop error amplifier. These components should be kept in

close proximity to the ML4902. C13 should be returned to

GND, not to PWR GND or the ground plane of the PC

board.

Ensure that its ground connection is to GND, not to PWR

GND.

capacitors C10 and C20 should be returned to PWR GND

or to the PC board ground plane. They should not be

returned to GND due to high transient currents which

could interfere with the current sensing function.

comparator circuitry. The 5V UVLO function makes the

start-up of the ML4902 independent of power sequencing.

It also provides additonal overcurrent protection in case

from the bulk 5V supply will rise as the actual voltage of

that supply decreases). To reject switching noise on the

5V input, an RC filter should be used between the 5V

1k

Ω, and C11 = 220nf.

Optional capacitor C22 may be needed in some layouts

to filter out “glitches” which could occur on the PWR

GOOD signal. In conjunction with the resistive pullup for

the PWR GOOD line, its value should yield an RC

product of approximately 5µs.

In order to reduce circuit size, complexity, and cost, an

all N-channel power MOSFET output stage is employed.

The gate drive voltage for both the sourcing and the

rectifying MOSFETs is derived from the 12V input bus.

rectifier MOSFET(s). The power sourcing MOSFET(s),

6V, and must therefore be logic-level parts.

If a given design uses power MOSFETs in an 8 pin SOIC

package style, keep in mind that the thermal dissipation

capability of these parts is largely dictated by the copper

area available to their drains. A good layout will

maximize this area.