New Industry Products

10A Inductorless Power Converter is Over 98% Efficient

March 15, 2017 by Jeff Shepard

Dialog Semiconductor plc unveiled the first of a new series of charging products and one of the world's most-efficient switched-capacitor dc-dc converters, the DA9313. The groundbreaking design of the DA9313 offers high peak efficiency and can power more than 50W in less than 10 mm2 of board area, allowing developers to extend battery life and reduce charging time in direct charging and 2S lithium-ion systems such as notebook PCs, DSLR cameras and portable Bluetooth speakers.

The power converter is the first in the world to achieve 98 percent efficiency and deliver 50W enabling reduced system costs, PCB sizes and extended battery life in various applications of mobile devices. In comparison to traditional buck regulators, DA9313 enables greater than 20% efficiency improvement at light loads.

The converter also enables a reduction in PCB size of more than 50 percent and reduces the solution height to less than 1mm, which is mandated for the thinner next-gen mobile phones and Ultrabook’s coming to market. For systems that require up to 100W of power, two DA9313 devices may also be put into an integrated master-slave configuration, providing designers with scalability for a wide range of system designs.

For smartphone direct charging applications, the DA9313 can be used as a companion to the main charger IC. During the high power constant current charging phase, the DA9313 bypasses the main charger and delivers 6A to the battery without exceeding thermal design requirements. With a 9V supply using Dialog’s RapidCharge™ technology in travel adapters, a low cost 3A USB Type-C cable can be used instead of a more costly 5A electronically marked Type-C cable, helping to reduce significant system costs for mobile phone manufacturers.

“This switched capacitor power converter represents another breakthrough in our industry-leading power management technology,” said Paul Wheeler, Vice President Mobile Systems, Dialog Semiconductor. “Not only is it the first converter that can achieve such high efficiency at this power level, it has been developed with the changing needs of developers in mind, as they seek to reduce PCB sizes, system costs and charging times without sacrificing power efficiency.”

Dialog will showcase the DA9313 at the Embedded World in Nuremberg, Germany on March 14 – 16, 2017. To see a demo of the advantages it provides for device developers, visit the company’s booth at #4A-444 in Hall A.