A low ESR aluminum or tantalum bypass capacitor is required between the input pin and ground to prevent large voltage transients from appearing at the input. This capacitor must be placed close to the IC using short leads. In addition, the RMS current rating of the input capacitor must be selected to be at least ½ the DC load current. The capacitor manufacturer data sheet must be checked to assure that this current rating is not exceeded. The curves shown in Figure 9-2 show typical RMS current ratings for several different aluminum electrolytic capacitor values. A parallel connection of two or more capacitors can be required to increase the total minimum RMS current rating to suit the application requirements.

Figure 9-2 RMS Current Ratings for Low ESR Electrolytic Capacitors (Typical)

For an aluminum electrolytic capacitor, the voltage rating must be at least 1.25 times the maximum input voltage. Caution must be exercised if solid tantalum capacitors are used. The tantalum capacitor voltage rating must be twice the maximum input voltage. Table 9-4 and Table 9-5 show the recommended application voltage for AVX TPS and Sprague 594D tantalum capacitors. TI recommends that they be surge current tested by the manufacturer. The TPS series available from AVX, and the 593D and 594D series from Sprague are all surge current tested. Another approach to minimize the surge current stresses on the input capacitor is to add a small inductor in series with the input supply line.

Use caution when using only ceramic capacitors for input bypassing, because it can cause severe ringing at the V_IN pin. The important parameters for the input capacitor are the input voltage rating and the RMS current rating. With a maximum input voltage of 12 V, an aluminum electrolytic capacitor with a voltage rating greater than 15 V (1.25 × V_IN) is required. The next higher capacitor voltage rating is 16 V.

The RMS current rating requirement for the input capacitor in a buck regulator is approximately ½ the DC load current. In this example, with a 500-mA load, a capacitor with an RMS current rating of at least 250 mA is required. The curves shown in Figure 9-2 can be used to select an appropriate input capacitor. From the curves, locate the 16-V line and note which capacitor values have RMS current ratings greater than 250 mA.

For a through-hole design, a 100-μF, 16-V electrolytic capacitor (Panasonic HFQ series, Nichicon PL, Sanyo MV-GX series or equivalent) is adequate. Other types or other manufacturers' capacitors can be used provided the RMS ripple current ratings are adequate. Additionally, for a complete surface mount design, electrolytic capacitors such as the Sanyo CV-C or CV-BS and the Nichicon WF or UR and the NIC Components NACZ series can be considered.

For surface mount designs, solid tantalum capacitors can be used, but caution must be exercised with regard to the capacitor surge current rating and voltage rating. In this example, checking Table 9-4, and the Sprague 594D series datasheet, a Sprague 594D 15-μF, 25-V capacitor is adequate.