lp3856et-adj National Semiconductor Corporation, lp3856et-adj Datasheet - Page 11

• Manufacturer Part Number: lp3856et-adj
• Description: 3a Fast Response Ultra Low Dropout Linear Regulators
• Manufacturer: National Semiconductor Corporation

Application Hints
If the maximum load current is 2A and a 10µF ceramic input
capacitor is used, the regulator will be stable with ceramic
output capacitor values from 10µF up to about 50µF. At 3A of
load current, the ratio of input to output capacitance required
approaches 1:1, meaning that whatever amount of ceramic
output capacitance is used must also be provided at the
input for stable operation. For load currents between 1A, 2A,
and 3A, interpolation may be used to approximate values on
the graph. When calculating the total ceramic output capaci-
tance present in an application, it is necessary to include any
ceramic bypass capacitors connected to the regulator out-
put.
C
The capacitor C
improve loop compensation. The correct amount of capaci-
tance depends on the value selected for R1 (see Typical
Application Circuit). The capacitor should be selected such
that the zero frequency as given by the equation shown
below is approximately 45 kHz:
A good quality ceramic with X5R or X7R dielectric should be
used for this capacitor.
SELECTING A CAPACITOR
It is important to note that capacitance tolerance and varia-
tion with temperature must be taken into consideration when
selecting a capacitor so that the minimum required amount
of capacitance is provided over the full operating tempera-
ture range. In general, a good Tantalum capacitor will show
very little capacitance variation with temperature, but a ce-
ramic may not be as good (depending on dielectric type).
Aluminum electrolytics also typically have large temperature
variation of capacitance value.
Equally important to consider is a capacitor’s ESR change
with temperature: this is not an issue with ceramics, as their
ESR is extremely low. However, it is very important in Tan-
talum and aluminum electrolytic capacitors. Both show in-
creasing ESR at colder temperatures, but the increase in
FIGURE 2. Maximum Ceramic Output Capacitance vs
FF
(Feed Forward Capacitor)
Fz = 45,000 = 1 / ( 2 x π x R1 x C
Ceramic Input Capacitance
FF
is required to add phase lead and help
(Continued)
FF
20074295
)
11
aluminum electrolytic capacitors is so severe they may not
be feasible for some applications (see Capacitor Character-
istics Section).
CAPACITOR CHARACTERISTICS
CERAMIC: For values of capacitance in the 10 to 100 µF
range, ceramics are usually larger and more costly than
tantalums but give superior AC performance for bypassing
high frequency noise because of very low ESR (typically less
than 10 mΩ). However, some dielectric types do not have
good capacitance characteristics as a function of voltage
and temperature.
Z5U and Y5V dielectric ceramics have capacitance that
drops severely with applied voltage. A typical Z5U or Y5V
capacitor can lose 60% of its rated capacitance with half of
the rated voltage applied to it. The Z5U and Y5V also exhibit
a severe temperature effect, losing more than 50% of nomi-
nal capacitance at high and low limits of the temperature
range.
X7R and X5R dielectric ceramic capacitors are strongly rec-
ommended if ceramics are used, as they typically maintain a
capacitance range within
ing ratings of temperature and voltage. Of course, they are
typically larger and more costly than Z5U/Y5U types for a
given voltage and capacitance.
TANTALUM: Solid Tantalum capacitors are typically recom-
mended for use on the output because their ESR is very
close to the ideal value required for loop compensation.
Tantalums also have good temperature stability: a good
quality Tantalum will typically show a capacitance value that
varies less than 10-15% across the full temperature range of
125˚C to −40˚C. ESR will vary only about 2X going from the
high to low temperature limits.
The increasing ESR at lower temperatures can cause oscil-
lations when marginal quality capacitors are used (if the ESR
of the capacitor is near the upper limit of the stability range at
room temperature).
ALUMINUM: This capacitor type offers the most capaci-
tance for the money. The disadvantages are that they are
larger in physical size, not widely available in surface mount,
and have poor AC performance (especially at higher fre-
quencies) due to higher ESR and ESL.
Compared by size, the ESR of an aluminum electrolytic is
higher than either Tantalum or ceramic, and it also varies
greatly with temperature. A typical aluminum electrolytic can
exhibit an ESR increase of as much as 50X when going from
25˚C down to −40˚C.
It should also be noted that many aluminum electrolytics only
specify impedance at a frequency of 120 Hz, which indicates
they have poor high frequency performance. Only aluminum
electrolytics that have an impedance specified at a higher
frequency (between 20 kHz and 100 kHz) should be used for
the LP385X. Derating must be applied to the manufacturer’s
ESR specification, since it is typically only valid at room
temperature.
Any applications using aluminum electrolytics should be
thoroughly tested at the lowest ambient operating tempera-
ture where ESR is maximum.
PCB LAYOUT
Good PC layout practices must be used or instability can be
induced because of ground loops and voltage drops. The
input and output capacitors must be directly connected to the
±
20% of nominal over full operat-
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