General Description

The MAX20404/MAX20405/MAX20406/MAX20406E ICs are tiny, low EMI emission, synchronous Silent Switcher buck converters with integrated high-side and low-side switches. The ICs are designed to deliver up to 6A with wide input voltages range from 3V to 36V. Voltage quality can be monitored by observing the PGOOD signal. The MAX20404/MAX20405/ MAX20406/MAX20406E can operate in dropout by running at 99% duty cycle, making them ideal for automotive and industrial applications.

The MAX20404/MAX20405/MAX20406/MAX20406E offer programmable or fixed output voltages of 5V and 3.3V. The frequency is internally fixed at 2.1MHz (or 400kHz, 2.3MHz, or 3MHz) which allows for small external components, reduced output ripple, and guarantees no AM interference. The MAX20404/ MAX20405/MAX20406/MAX20406E automatically enter skip mode at light loads with ultra-low quiescent current of 10μA at no load. This family of products (including the MAX20408/MAX20410) offers a pin-to-pin compatible offering from 4A to 10A in a single-phase configuration, and up to 20A in a dual-phase configuration. These devices have also been optimized for dual-phase operation with very high current sharing accuracy. These devices can be ordered with spread-spectrum frequency modulation designed to minimize EMI radiated emissions due to the modulation frequency. This device features the MAXQ® power architecture, which provides precision transient performance and phase margin. This allows obtaining the maximum power, performance, and precision while minimizing system cost for any specific application.

The MAX20404/MAX20405/MAX20406/MAX20406E are available in a small 3.5mm x 3.75mm, 17-pin and 15-pin FC2QFN packages and use very few external components.

 

Applications

Automotive

Infotainment Systems

ADAS and Other Safety-Critical Applications

Industrial

High-Voltage DC-DC Converters

 

Benefits and Features

Silent Switcher Converter

Enables Compact, Efficient, Low-EMI Solution

Spread-Spectrum Frequency Modulation

Symmetrical Package Offers Superior EMI Performance

CISPR 25 Class 5-Compliant EV Kit

Multiple Functions for Small Size

Operating VIN Range of 3V to 36V

10μA Quiescent Current in Skip Mode

Synchronous DC-DC Converter with Integrated FETs

400kHz, 2.1MHz, 2.3MHz, and 3MHz FixedFrequency Options

Fixed 2.5ms Internal Soft-Start

Programmable 0.8V to 10V Output, or FixedOutput Voltages of 3.3V, 3.9V, 4.2V, and 5.0V

Other Fixed-Output Options Available between 2.9V to 6V in 100mV Steps

3.5mm x 3.75mm, 17-Pin and 15-Pin FC2QFN

Dual-Phase Capability

Can Be Used in Dual-Phase Configuration for High-Power Design

Dynamic Current Sharing through Shared VEA Pin

Low-IQ Operation Capability in Dual Phase

High Precision

±1% Output-Voltage Accuracy in FPWM Mode

MAXQ Power Architecture

Precise Output Voltage Monitoring with PGOOD

Robust for the Automotive Environment

Forced-PWM and Skip-Mode Operation

99% Duty-Cycle Operation with Low Dropout

Overtemperature and Short-Circuit Protection

-40°C to +125°C Operating Temperature Range

42V Load-Dump Tolerant

AEC-Q100 Qualifie

 

Detailed Description

The MAX20404/MAX20405/MAX20406/MAX20406E are small, synchronous buck converters with integrated high-side and low-side switches. These devices are designed to deliver up to 6A with input voltages from +3V to +36V while using only 10μA quiescent current at no load (VSUP = 12V, VOUT = 3.3V). Voltage quality can be monitored by observing the PGOOD signal. The ICs can operate in dropout by running at 99% duty cycle, making them ideal for automotive and industrial applications.

The MAX20404/MAX20405/MAX20406/MAX20406E offer fixed output voltages or an FB pin for an external resistor-divider. The frequency is internally fixed at 2.1MHz, 2.3MHz, 3MHz, or 400kHz, which allows for small external components and reduced output ripple, and guarantees no AM interference. The device automatically enters skip mode (SYNC pin pulled low) at light loads with an ultra-low-quiescent current of 10μA at no load. It can be ordered with spread-spectrum frequency modulation designed to minimize EMI-radiated emissions due to the modulation frequency. The architecture is an average current-mode control that allows much better noise rejection of the current loop. The IC comes with a small minimum ON time of 33ns to allow for large step-down ratios in single stage without skipping cycles.

The devices can also be used in a dual-phase configuration with the help of SYNCOUT and VEA. An innovative average current-mode control architecture provides noise immunity and accurate dynamic current sharing during transients. Highpower designs with up to 12A of output current can be enabled with integrated switches using the IC’s dual-phase capability. FC2QFN provides improved thermal and EMI performance. Symmetrical pinout across VIN and PGND further improves the EMI performance, enabling low-noise designs.