DC-DC Converter Modules and ICs: Economic Factors, Application Drivers, Business Models, Packaging and Technology Developments, Tenth Edition

Table of Contents

• Introduction 5
• Application Segments Trends 7
  • Communications 7
  • Computing 11
  • Consumer 13
  • Industrial & Instrumentation 14
  • Medical 16
  • Military/Aerospace 17
• Evolving Power System Architectures 19
  • Classic Distributed Power Architecture 20
  • Intermediate Bus Architecture 20
  • Centralized Control Architecture 22
• Advancing Multi-Phase Architectures 24
  • Centralized Control Multi-Phase 24
  • Bussed Multi-Phase 25
  • Variable-Phase 27
  • PMBus"! and Digital Multi-Phase 29
  • PMCMs, Integrating Controllers, Drivers and FETs 29
  • Inductor Integration 31
• Number of System Voltage Rails Growing 31
• Converter Choices Multiplying 34
  • Charge Pump Regulators 34
  • Low Drop-Out (LDO) Regulators 34
  • Switching Regulators 34
  • Power Supply on Chip (PsoC) 35
  • Power Supply in Package (PsiP) 35
• PsiP, PsoC and Non-Isolated Module Price/Performance 35
• Integrating Magnetics in PsiPs and PsoCs 37
• Impact of Silicon-Carbide and Gallium-Nitride Devices 42
• Packaging and Architecture Trends Are Complementary 43
• Converter Demand Trends 46
  • Bricks & Bus Converters 46
  • Output Voltage Trends 47
  • Input Voltage Developments 49
• Standards Landscape Is Evolving 50
  • DC-DC Converter Module Standards 51
  • Advanced Telecommunications Computing Market Drivers 52
  • Power-over-EthernetPlus - Delayed and Downgraded 57
• Digital Power Management 60
• Implications of Digital Power for the DC-DC Supply Chain 62
• System Designers' Perspective on Digital DC-DC Converters 63
• Impact of Trends in Critical Facilities Power Management 69

• Appendix A - Report from the First International Workshop on Power Supply on Chip 73
• Appendix B - Fifth Annual Digital Power Forum 75
• Appendix C - Photo and Illustration Credits 77

• Table 1 - PoE Power Market by Power Source 10
• Table 2 - Projected Impact of Economic Slowdown on DC-DC Converter Unit Sales by Computer Application Sub-Segment 11
• Table 3 - Application Segment Voltage Rail Comparison 34

• Figure 1 - Classic Distributed Power Architecture 21
• Figure 2 - Intermediate Bus Architecture 21
• Figure 3 - Centralized Control Architecture 22
• Figure 4 - Centralized Control Multi-Phase Architecture 25
• Figure 5 - Bussed Multi-Phase VRM Architecture 26
• Figure 6 - Fixed Interconnect Multi-Phase VRM Architecture 27
• Figure 7 - Variable-Phase VRM Architecture 28
• Figure 8 - Power Multi-Chip Module 30
• Figure 9 - Integrated Inductors 31
• Figure 10 - System Bus Voltages 32
• Figure 11 - Comparison of DC-DC Converter Current Densities 36
• Figure 12 - Normalized Pricing for Point-of-Load Converters 37
• Figure 13 - Cross Section Diagram of isoPower Transformer 38
• Figure 14 - Photograph of isoPower Transformer 38
• Figure 15 - Bond Wire Inductor 39
• Figure 16 - Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic DC-DC Converter Prototype 40
• Figure 17 - Micro-Inductor Structure 41
• Figure 18 - Power Multi-Chip Module 44
• Figure 19 - Triple-Output Step-Down Converter 45
• Figure 20 - Historic and Projected Market Shares for Brick Converter Formats 47
• Figure 21 - Isolated Converter Output Voltage Trends 48
• Figure 22 - Non-Isolated Converter Output Voltage Trends 49
• Figure 23 - Trends in DC-DC Converter Input Voltages 50
• Figure 24 - ATCA Packaging Example 53
• Figure 25 - ATCA Bus Converter 53
• Figure 26 - MicroTCA Power Module 54
• Figure 27 - Dual-Input Quarter Brick ATCA Bus Converter 56
• Figure 28 - PoE PD Converter Block Diagram 57
• Figure 29 - PoE PD Power Extraction Module 59
• Figure 30 - Five Levels of Digital Power 61
• Figure 31 - Energy Efficiency Optimization 67