Project Analog - April 2008 - (Page 3)

Viewpoint M OSFETs, a key component in high frequency switching power supplies, also play a significant role in the development of portable consumer electronic products such as cell phones, MP3 players, PDAs and digital still cameras. Designers use MOSFETs to make ever-smaller devices, reduce manufacturing costs, and trim power consumption and heat emission while improving battery life and device performance. As with any electronic component, one can find a good variety of MOSFETs to meet just about every application. In this issue of Project Analog we turn our attention to helping you find the best MOSFETs and MOSFET drivers to suit your design needs. For example, the article “Synergistic MOSFET Solutions,” examines design challenges that can’t easily be met with a series of discrete FETs and shows how integrating new features into standard MOSFETs can create better components. What kind of By Murray Slovick mslovick@hearst.com performance advantages can designers find in integrated MOSFETs? An integrated MOSFET part can include the full functionality of analog controllers and drivers, providing a potentially greater range of application than discrete parts alone. Power MOSFETs are desirable as switching elements in SMPS designs because of their low on-resistance and high current carrying capability. That, plus the constant need to upgrade power supply systems also has created strong demand for better MOSFET drivers. Two articles address current developments. In “Trends in MOSFET Gate Drivers,” Fairchild Semiconductor’s Van Niemela explains how these devices can boost efficiency, reduce size, increase reliability, and simplify the design of these power supplies. Microchip’s “Driving Power MOSFETs in Switch Mode Power Supplies” focuses on the design benefits of dedicated MOSFET drivers in the Contents power MOSFETs are desirable as switching elements in SMpS designs because of their low on-resistance and high current carrying capability. Viewpoint Calculating Power Dissipation Accelerating Amplifier Design Driving Power MOSFETs Analog news switching power supply for portable systems, such as those found in notebook computers. In home and automotive audio products, the need for slim designs and high audio output make Class D audio amplifiers—so-called Switching Amps—an attractive solution. International Rectifier’s Jun Honda, author of “Accelerating Design of Greater than 50W Class D Amplifiers,” notes that the design of the MOSFET gatedriver circuitry for Class D amps involves power design disciplines that are unfamiliar to many audio engineers. Honda suggests a plug-in solution and points out that for audio designers, integrated flexible Class D gate drivers can eliminate much of the guesswork associated with power switching design. I hope you enjoy this edition of Project Analog. Microchip analog page MOSFET driver overview Sample center microchipDIRECT Reference designs/ app notes Technical training • http://www.microchip.com http://www.microchip.com/analog http://www.microchip.com/analog http://www.microchip.com/mosfetdriver http://www.microchip.com/mosfetdriver http://sample.microchip.com/Default.aspx?testCookies=true http://www.microchipdirect.com/catalogselection.aspx?returnURL=default.aspx http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1469&filter1=function&redirects=appnotes http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1469&filter1=function&redirects=appnotes http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1423

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Project Analog - April 2008

Project Analog - April 2008 Contents Viewpoint About Project Analog Sponsor Calculating Power Dissipation in a MOSFET Driver Accelerating Design of >50-W Class D Amplifiers Driving Power MOSFETs in Switch Mode Power Supplies Synergistic MOSFET Solutions Trends in MOSFET Gate Drivers Analog News—Analog news from multiple sources Enter to win an iPhone Contact Project Analog Sponsor Treelink Microchip Advanced Parts Selector (MAPS)

Project Analog - April 2008

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