DC-DC Switching Converters and Voltage Regulators

Switching converters, also known as switching voltage regulators, are the most prevalent form of DC/DC power conversion used today due to their ability to provide 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 a switch (transistor) to transfer energy from its input to its output. Key components needed in a switch design include inductors and capacitors for energy storage and diodes to control the direction of currents. As the switch is cycled on and off, energy is stored and released by the magnetic field of the inductor. Switching regulators can efficiently transform power by controlling how much energy is stored or released by the inductor.

Switching converters can:

• Topologies; Buck, Boost, Buck-Boost
• Provide highly efficient power conversion
• Handle large currents with low thermal dissipation
• Support wide input ranges (up to +75V) and wide output current ranges (up to 12A)
• Contain various control architectures and high frequency operation (up to 8 MHz)

Our buck converters use 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.

Our boost converters are 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.

Our buck-boost converters are highly integrated, mixed-signal controllers that operate from +4.5V to +36V and feature a digital PWM controller with a serial communication bus for external programmability and reporting. These devices contain application-specific enhancements for USB PD, LED driving and battery charging applications.

Our Analog Front-End (AFE) products contain analog control loops with digital oversight that use analog references, amplifiers and Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) generators to regulate an output while configuring, monitoring, measuring and dynamically adjusting that performance with an embedded microcontroller (MCU).

Charge pump ICs are simple and low-cost solutions for boosting voltage under light load conditions in small, battery-operated and other low-power applications. Unlike boost converters, charge pump ICs can operate without inductors and other external components and require just two capacitors for energy storage.

Space-grade DC-DC converters are specialized power conversion devices that are designed to operate reliably in the harsh conditions of outer space, including extreme temperature variations and radiation. They efficiently convert a spacecraft's Direct Current (DC) power from one voltage level to another, which ensures consistent performance of critical on-board systems.