New Industry Products

three-phase buck controller, the CS5303

October 10, 1999 by Jeff Shepard

Cherry Semiconductor Corp. (East Greenwich, RI) recently announced its new three-phase buck controller, the CS5303. The CS5303, in a low-profile 28-pin SOIC, is claimed to be the first device to integrate six on-chip synchronous gate drivers and an active current-sharing algorithm. According to Cherry, the CS5303's feature-rich architecture saves board space, lowers overall solution cost, and simplifies power supply design. The CS5303's output voltage of 1.1V to 1.85V is programmable by a 5-bit DAC (digital-to-analog converter) with +/-1 percent accuracy. This device's active current-sharing method provides closed-loop feedback for each channel, ensuring the load current is equally distributed. The CS5303 also features a programmable clock frequency range from 200kHz to 800kHz, using a single resistor. In addition, this device achieves lossless current sensing without additional sense resistors by sensing the current through external inductors. Another feature is its programmable adaptive voltage positioning, used to reduce peak-to-peak output changes during fast load current transients, allowing the use of smaller and less expensive output filters. We've received extremely favorable product evaluations and the early positive feedback from out beta customers confirms the CS5303's technological advantages, stated Al Budnick, president of Cherry Semiconductor. The CS5303 is just the first of what we expect to be a very popular multi-phase product family. Pricing for the CS5303 begins at $4.81 each in quantities of 10,000. Samples are currently available and volume production is expected in the fourth quarter of 1999.