7.1 Overview

The TPS54360 is a 60-V, 3.5-A, step-down (buck) regulator with an integrated high side n-channel MOSFET. The device implements constant frequency, current mode control which reduces output capacitance and simplifies external frequency compensation. The wide switching frequency range of 100 kHz to 2500 kHz allows either efficiency or size optimization when selecting the output filter components. The switching frequency is adjusted using a resistor to ground connected to the RT/CLK terminal. The device has an internal phase-locked loop (PLL) connected to the RT/CLK terminal that will synchronize the power switch turn on to a falling edge of an external clock signal.

The TPS54360 has a default input start-up voltage of approximately 4.3 V. The EN terminal can be used to adjust the input voltage undervoltage lockout (UVLO) threshold with two external resistors. An internal pull up current source enables operation when the EN terminal is floating. The operating current is 146 μA under no load condition (not switching). When the device is disabled, the supply current is 2 μA.

The integrated 92mΩ high side MOSFET supports high efficiency power supply designs capable of delivering 3.5 amperes of continuous current to a load. The gate drive bias voltage for the integrated high side MOSFET is supplied by a bootstrap capacitor connected from the BOOT to SW terminals. The TPS54360 reduces the external component count by integrating the bootstrap recharge diode. The BOOT terminal capacitor voltage is monitored by a UVLO circuit which turns off the high side MOSFET when the BOOT to SW voltage falls below a preset threshold. An automatic BOOT capacitor recharge circuit allows the TPS54360 to operate at high duty cycles approaching 100%. Therefore, the maximum output voltage is near the minimum input supply voltage of the application. The minimum output voltage is the internal 0.8 V feedback reference.

Output overvoltage transients are minimized by an overvoltage transient protection (OVP) comparator. When the OVP comparator is activated, the high side MOSFET is turned off and remains off until the output voltage is less than 106% of the desired output voltage.

The TPS54360 includes an internal soft-start circuit that slows the output rise time during start-up to reduce in-rush current and output voltage overshoot. Output overload conditions reset the soft-start timer. When the overload condition is removed, the soft-start circuit controls the recovery from the fault output level to the nominal regulation voltage. A frequency foldback circuit reduces the switching frequency during start-up and overcurrent fault conditions to help maintain control of the inductor current.