AOZ1014

EZBuck™ 5A Simple Buck Regulator

ADVANCED DATASHEET
(Specifications subject to change)

General Description Features

The AOZ1014 is a high efficiency, simple to use, 5A ƒ 4.5V to 16V operating input voltage range
buck regulator. The AOZ1014 works from a 4.5V to ƒ 32 mΩ internal PFET switch for high efficiency:
16V input voltage range, and provides up to 5A of up to 95%
continuous output current with an output voltage ƒ Internal soft start
adjustable down to 0.8V. ƒ Output voltage adjustable to 0.8V
ƒ 5A continuous output current
The AOZ1014 comes in SO-8 and DFN-8 packages ƒ Fixed 500kHz PWM operation
and is rated over a -40°C to +85°C ambient
ƒ Cycle-by-cycle current limit
temperature range.
ƒ Short-circuit protection
ƒ Thermal shutdown
ƒ Small size SO-8 and DFN packages

Applications
ƒ Point of load dc/dc conversion
ƒ PCIe graphics cards
ƒ Set top boxes
ƒ DVD drives and HDD
ƒ LCD panels
ƒ Cable modems
ƒ Telecom/Networking/Datacom equipment

Typical Application

C1
47uF

VIN

From uPC EN L1

AOZ1014 LX
3.3uH
VOUT
+3.3V Output
@5A
COMP R1
C2
Rc FB
100uF
R2
AGND PGND D1
Cc

Figure 1. 3.3V/5A Buck Down Regulator

AOZ1014 Datasheet Rev 0.12 1

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Alpha & Omega Semiconductor AOZ1014

Ordering Information
Part Number Ambient Temperature Range Package Environmental
AOZ1014A -40°C to +85°C SO-8 Lead Free
AOZ1014D -40°C to +85°C DFN-8 Lead Free

Pin Configuration

VIN 1 8 LX
SO-8
PGND 2 or 7 LX
4x5
AGND 3 DFN-8 6 EN

FB 4 5 COMP

Pin Description
Pin Number Pin Name Pin Function
1 VIN Supply voltage input. When VIN rises above the UVLO threshold the device starts up.
2 PGND Power ground. Electrically needs to be connected to AGND.
3 AGND Reference connection for controller section. Also used as thermal connection for
controller section. Electrically needs to be connected to PGND
4 FB The FB pin is used to determine the output voltage via a resistor divider between the
output and GND.
5 COMP External loop compensation pin.
6 EN The enable pin is active high. An internal pull-up resistor pulls EN pin to VIN to enable
the device if it is left open.
7,8 LX PWM output connection to inductor. Thermal connection for output stage.

AOZ1014 Datasheet Rev 0.12 2

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Alpha & Omega Semiconductor AOZ1014

Absolute Maximum Ratings(1) ESD Rating(3) .................................................... 2kV

Supply Voltage (VIN) ......................................... 18V Recommend Operating Ratings(2)
LX to AGND.................................-0.7V to VIN+0.3V Supply Voltage (VIN)............................. 4.5V to 16V
EN to AGND ................................-0.3V to VIN+0.3V Output Voltage Range ........................... 0.8V to VIN
FB to AGND...........................................-0.3V to 6V Ambient Temperature (TA)..............-40°C to +85°C
COMP to AGND ....................................-0.3V to 6V Package Thermal Resistance
PGND to AGND................................-0.3V to +0.3V SO-8 (ΘJA)......................................82°C/W
Junction Temperature (TJ)...........................+150°C DFN-8 (ΘJA)....................................53°C/W
Storage Temperature (TS) ............ -65°C to +150°C

Electrical Characteristics
TA = 25°C, VIN = VEN = 12V, VOUT = 3.3V unless otherwise specified. Specifications in BOLD indicate a ambient temperature range of -40°C
to +85°C.

Parameter Symbol Conditions MIN TYP MAX UNITS

Supply Voltage VIN 4.5 16 V
Input under-voltage VUVLO VIN rising 4.0 tbd V
lockout threshold VIN falling 3.7 tbd V
Supply current IIN IOUT = 0, VFB = 1.2V, 2 3 mA
(Quiescent) VEN >1.2V
Shutdown supply current IOFF VEN = 0V 20 40 µA

Feedback Voltage VFB 0.782 0.8 0.818 V

Load regulation 0.5 %

Line regulation 1 %
Feedback voltage input IFB 200 nA
current
EN input threshold VEN Off threshold 0.9 V
On threshold 1.2 V
EN input hysteresis VHYS 100 mV
EN pull-up current IEN VEN = 0V 5 20 µA
Modulator
Frequency fO 400 500 600 kHz
Maximum Duty Cycle DMAX 100 %
Minimum Duty Cycle DMIN 6 %
Error amplifier voltage 500 V/V
gain
Error amplifier 200 µA/V
transconductance
Protection
Current Limit ILIM 6 8 A
Over-temperature TJ rising 155 °C
shutdown limit TJ falling 100 °C
Soft Start Interval tSS 8 ms
Output Stage
High-side switch on- VIN = 12V 25 32 mΩ
resistance VIN = 5V 41 55 mΩ

Notes:
1. Exceeding the Absolute Maximum ratings may damage the device.
2. The device is not guaranteed to operate beyond the Maximum Operating ratings.
3. Devices are inherently ESD sensitive, handling precautions are required. Human body model rating: 1.5KΩ in series with 100pF.

AOZ1014 Datasheet Rev 0.12 3

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Alpha & Omega Semiconductor AOZ1014

Functional Block Diagram

Vin

UVLO 5V LDO
EN & OTP
Internal +5V
POR REGULATOR

+
ISEN
REFERENCE -
& SOFTSTART
BIAS Q1
ILIMIT

+
0.8V PWM
+ PWM

LEVEL SHIFTER
EAMP – COMP CONTROL

FET DRIVER
FB -
LOGIC LX

+
+
LX

COMP 500Khz

OSCILLATOR

AGND GND

AOZ1014 Datasheet Rev 0.12 4

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Not to be distributed or copied without the written permission of Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
 AOZ1014
EZBuck™ 5A Simple Buck Regulator
ADVANCED DATASHEET
(Specifications subject to change)
Detailed Description current signal and ramp compensation signal, at
PWM comparator input. If the current signal is less
AOZ1014 is a current-mode step down regulator than the error voltage, the internal high-side switch
with integrated high side PMOS switch and a low is on. The inductor current flows from the input
side freewheeling Schottky diode. It operates from a through the inductor to the output. When the current
4.5V to 16V input voltage range and supplies up to signal exceeds the error voltage, the high-side
5A of load current. The duty cycle can be adjusted switch is off. The inductor current is freewheeling
from 6% to 100% allowing a wide range of output through the external Schottky diode to output.
voltage. Features include enable control, Power-On
Reset, input under voltage lockout, output over The AOZ1014 uses a P-Channel MOSFET as the
voltage protection, fixed internal soft-start and upper switch. It saves the bootstrap capacitor
thermal shut down. normally seen in a circuit which is using an NMOS
switch. It allows 100% turn-on of the upper switch to
AOZ1014 is available in SO-8 and thermally achieve linear regulation mode of operation. The
enhanced DFN-8 package. minimum voltage drop from VIN to VO is the load
current times DC resistance of MOSFET plus DC
Enable and Soft Start resistance of buck inductor. It can be calculated by
equation below:
AOZ1014 has internal soft start feature to limit in-
rush current and ensure the output voltage ramps VO _ MAX = VIN − I O × RDS ( ON )
up smoothly to regulation voltage. A soft start
process begins when the input voltage rises to 4.0V
and voltage on EN pin is HIGH. In soft start process, Where VO_MAX is the maximum output voltage;
the output voltage is ramped to regulation voltage in VIN is the input voltage from 4.5V to 16V;
typically 8ms. The 8ms soft start time is set IO is the output current from 0A to 5A;
internally. RDS(ON) is the on resistance of internal
MOSFET, the value is between 25mΩ and
The EN pin of AOZ1014 is internally pulled up to 55mΩ depending on input voltage and
VIN. Leave EN pin open will enable the device. The junction temperature;
voltage on EN pin must rise above 1.2V to enable
the AOZ1014. When voltage on EN pin falls below Switching Frequency
0.9V, the AOZ1014 is disabled. If an application
circuit requires the AOZ1014 to be disabled, an The AOZ1014 switching frequency is fixed and set
open drain or open collector circuit should be used by an internal oscillator. The practical switching
to interface to EN pin. frequency could range from 400kHz to 600kHz due
to device variation.
Steady-State Operation
Output Voltage Programming
Under steady-state conditions, the converter
operates in fixed frequency and Continuous- Output voltage can be set by feeding back the
Conduction Mode (CCM). output to the FB pin by using a resistor divider
network. In the application circuit shown in Figure 1.
AOZ1014 integrates an internal P-MOSFET as the The resistor divider network includes R1 and R2.
high-side switch. Inductor current is sensed by Usually, a design is started by picking a fixed R2
amplifying the voltage drop across the drain to value and calculating the required R1 with equation
source of the high side power MOSFET. Output below.
voltage is divided down by the external voltage R1
divider at the FB pin. The difference of the FB pin
VO = 0.8 × (1 + )
R2
voltage and reference is amplified by the internal
transconductance error amplifier. The error voltage, Some standard value of R1, R2 and most used
which shows on the COMP pin, is compared output voltage values are listed in Table 1.
against the current signal, which is sum of inductor
AOZ1014 Datasheet Rev 0.12 5
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Alpha & Omega Semiconductor AOZ1014

Table 1. Thermal Protection

Vo (V) R1 (kΩ) R2 (kΩ)
0.8 1.0 open An internal temperature sensor monitors the
1.2 4.99 10 junction temperature. It shuts down the internal
1.5 10 11.5 control circuit and high side PMOS if the junction
1.8 12.7 10.2 temperature exceeds 155ºC. The regulator will
2.5 21.5 10 restart automatically under the control of soft-start
3.3 31.1 10 circuit when the junction temperature decreases to
5.0 52.3 10 100ºC.
Combination of R1 and R2 should be large enough
to avoid drawing excessive current from the output, Application Information
which will cause power loss.
The basic AOZ1014 application circuit is show in
Since the switch duty cycle can be as high as 100%, Figure 1. Component selection is explained below.
the maximum output voltage can be set as high as
the input voltage minus the voltage drop on upper Input capacitor
PMOS and inductor.
The input capacitor must be connected to the VIN
Protection Features pin and PGND pin of AOZ1014 to maintain steady
input voltage and filter out the pulsing input current.
AOZ1014 has multiple protection features to The voltage rating of input capacitor must be
prevent system circuit damage under abnormal greater than maximum input voltage plus ripple
conditions. voltage.

Over Current Protection (OCP) The input ripple voltage can be approximated by
equation below:
The sensed inductor current signal is also used for
over current protection. Since AOZ1014 employs IO V V
∆VIN = × (1 − O ) × O
peak current mode control, the COMP pin voltage is f × C IN VIN VIN
proportional to the peak inductor current. The
COMP pin voltage is limited to be between 0.4V
and 2.5V internally. The peak inductor current is Since the input current is discontinuous in a buck
automatically limited cycle by cycle. converter, the current stress on the input capacitor
is another concern when selecting the capacitor.
When the output is shorted to ground under fault For a buck circuit, the RMS value of input capacitor
current can be calculated by:
conditions, the inductor current decays very slow
during a switching cycle because of Vo=0V. To
prevent catastrophic failure, a secondary current VO V
limit is designed inside the AOZ1014. The I CIN _ RMS = I O × (1 − O )
measured inductor current is compared against a
VIN VIN
preset voltage which represents the current limit,
between 6A and 8A. When the output current is if we let m equal the conversion ratio:
more than current limit, the high side switch will be VO
turned off and EN pin will be pulled down. The =m
converter will initiate a soft start once the over-
VIN
current condition disappears. The relation between the input capacitor RMS
current and voltage conversion ratio is calculated
Power-On Reset (POR) and shown in Fig. 2 below. It can be seen that when
VO is half of VIN, CIN is under the worst current
A power-on reset circuit monitors the input voltage. stress. The worst current stress on CIN is 0.5·IO.
When the input voltage exceeds 4V, the converter
starts operation. When input voltage falls below
3.7V, the converter will be shut down.

AOZ1014 Datasheet Rev 0.12 6

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Alpha & Omega Semiconductor AOZ1014

0.5
0.5 The inductor takes the highest current in a buck
circuit. The conduction loss on inductor need to be
0.4
checked for thermal and efficiency requirements.
0.3
I CIN_RMS ( m) Surface mount inductors in different shape and
IO
0.2
styles are available from Coilcraft, Elytone and
Murata. Shielded inductors are small and radiate
0.1 less EMI noise. But they cost more than unshielded
inductors. The choice depends on EMI requirement,
0
0
0 0.5 1
price and size.
0 m 1

Figure 2. ICIN vs. voltage conversion ratio Table below lists some inductors for typical output
voltage design.
For reliable operation and best performance, the
input capacitors must have current rating higher Table 2.
than ICIN-RMS at worst operating conditions. Ceramic Vout L1 Manufacture
capacitors are preferred for input capacitors 5.0 V Shielded, 4.7uH Coilcraft
because of their low ESR and high current rating. MSS1278-472MLD
Depending on the application circuits, other low Shielded, 4.7uH Coilcraft
ESR tantalum capacitor may also be used. When MSS1260-472MLD
selecting ceramic capacitors, X5R or X7R type 3.3 V Un-shielded, 3.3uH Coilcraft
dielectric ceramic capacitors should be used for DO3316P-332MLD
their better temperature and voltage characteristics. Shielded, 3.3uH Coilcraft
Note that the ripple current rating from capacitor DO1260-332NXD
manufactures are based on certain amount of life Shield, 3.3uH ELYTONE
time. Further de-rating may be necessary in ET553-3R1
practical design. 1.8 V Shield, 2.2uH ELYTONE
ET553-2R1
Inductor Un-shielded, 1.5uH Coilcraft
DO3316P-152MLD
The inductor is used to supply constant current to Shielded, 1.5uH Coilcraft
output when it is driven by a switching voltage. For MSS1260-152NXD
given input and output voltage, inductance and
switching frequency together decide the inductor
ripple current, which is, Output Capacitor

VO V The output capacitor is selected based on the DC

∆I L = × (1 − O ) output voltage rating, output ripple voltage
f ×L VIN
specification and ripple current rating.
The peak inductor current is:
The selected output capacitor must have a higher
∆I rated voltage specification than the maximum
I Lpeak = IO + L desired output voltage including ripple. De-rating
2
High inductance gives low inductor ripple current needs to be considered for long term reliability.
but requires larger size inductor to avoid saturation. Output ripple voltage specification is another
Low ripple current reduces inductor core losses. It important factor for selecting the output capacitor.
also reduces RMS current through inductor and In a buck converter circuit, output ripple voltage is
switches, which results in less conduction loss. determined by inductor value, switching frequency,
Usually, peak to peak ripple current on inductor is output capacitor value and ESR. It can be
designed to be 20% to 30% of output current. calculated by the equation below:
1
When selecting the inductor, make sure it is able to
∆VO = ∆I L × ( ESRCO + )
8 × f × CO
handle the peak current without saturation even at
the highest operating temperature.

AOZ1014 Datasheet Rev 0.12 7

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Alpha & Omega Semiconductor AOZ1014

where CO is output capacitor value and ESRCO is The zero is a ESR zero due to output capacitor and
the Equivalent Series Resistor of output capacitor. its ESR. It is can be calculated by:
When low ESR ceramic capacitor is used as output
capacitor, the impedance of the capacitor at the 1
switching frequency dominates. Output ripple is f Z1 =
mainly caused by capacitor value and inductor 2π × CO × ESRCO
ripple current. The output ripple voltage calculation
can be simplified to: Where CO is the output filter capacitor;
1 RL is load resistor value;
∆VO = ∆I L × ESRCO is the equivalent series resistance
8 × f × CO of output capacitor;

If the impedance of ESR at switching frequency The compensation design is actually to shape the
dominates, the output ripple voltage is mainly converter control loop transfer function to get
decided by capacitor ESR and inductor ripple desired gain and phase. Several different types of
current. The output ripple voltage calculation can be compensation network can be used for AOZ1014.
further simplified to: For most cases, a series capacitor and resistor
∆VO = ∆I L × ESRCO network connected to the COMP pin sets the pole-
zero and is adequate for a stable high-bandwidth
control loop.
For lower output ripple voltage across the entire
operating temperature range, X5R or X7R dielectric In AOZ1014, FB pin and COMP pin are the
type of ceramic, or other low ESR tantalum are inverting input and the output of internal
recommended to be used as output capacitors.
transconductance error amplifier. A series R and C
compensation network connected to COMP
In a buck converter, output capacitor current is provides one pole and one zero. The pole is:
continuous. The RMS current of output capacitor is
decided by the peak to peak inductor ripple current.
It can be calculated by: G EA
f p2 =
∆I L 2π × CC × GVEA
I CO _ RMS =
12
Where GEA is the error amplifier transconductance,
which is 200·10-6 A/V;
Usually, the ripple current rating of the output
GVEA is the error amplifier voltage gain,
capacitor is a smaller issue because of the low
which is 800 V/V;
current stress. When the buck inductor is selected
CC is compensation capacitor;
to be very small and inductor ripple current is high,
output capacitor could be overstressed.
The zero given by the external compensation
network, capacitor CC and resistor RC, is located at:
Loop Compensation
1
fZ2 =
AOZ1014 employs peak current mode control for 2π × CC × RC
easy use and fast transient response. Peak current
mode control eliminates the double pole effect of
To design the compensation circuit, a target
the output L&C filter. It greatly simplifies the
crossover frequency fC for close loop must be
compensation loop design.
selected. The system crossover frequency is where
control loop has unity gain. The crossover is the
With peak current mode control, the buck power
also called the converter bandwidth. Generally a
stage can be simplified to be a one-pole and one-
higher bandwidth means faster response to load
zero system in frequency domain. The pole is
transient. However, the bandwidth should not be
dominant pole can be calculated by:
too high because of system stability concern. When
designing the compensation loop, converter stability
1 under all line and load condition must be
f p1 =
2π × CO × RL considered.

AOZ1014 Datasheet Rev 0.12 8

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Alpha & Omega Semiconductor AOZ1014

Usually, it is recommended to set the bandwidth to will operate under the recommended environmental
be equal or less than 1/10 of switching frequency. conditions.
AOZ1014 operates at a fixed 500kHz switching
frequency. It is recommended to choose a Several layout tips are listed below for the best
crossover frequency equal or less than 50kHz. electric and thermal performance:

f C = 50kHz 1. Do not use thermal relief connection to the VIN

and the PGND pin. Pour a maximized copper
area to the PGND pin and the VIN pin to help
The strategy for choosing RC and CC is to set the thermal dissipation.
cross over frequency with RC and set the
2. Input capacitor should be connected to the VIN
compensator zero with CC. Using selected pin and the PGND pin as close as possible.
crossover frequency, fC, to calculate RC: 3. A ground plane is preferred. If a ground plane
is not used, separate PGND from AGND and
VO 2π × CO connect them only at one point to avoid the
RC = f C × ×
VFB GEA × GCS PGND pin noise coupling to the AGND pin.
4. Make the current trace from LX pins to L to Co
to the PGND as short as possible.
where fC is desired crossover frequency. For best
5. Pour copper plane on all unused board area
performance, fc is set to be about 1/10 of
and connect it to stable DC nodes, like VIN,
switching frequency;
PGND or SGND.
VFB is 0.8V;
6. Keep sensitive signal trace away from
GEA is the error amplifier transconductance,
switching node, LX. The copper pour area
which is 200·10-6 A/V;
connected to the LX pin should be as small as
GCS is the current sense circuit
possible to avoid the switching noise on the LX
transconductance, which is 9.02 A/V;
pin coupling to other part of circuit.
7. The AOZ1014-EVAL document provides an
The compensation capacitor CC and resistor RC
example of proper layout techniques.
together make a zero. This zero is put somewhere
close to the dominate pole fp1 but lower than 1/5 of
selected crossover frequency. CC can is selected by:

1 .5
CC =
2π × RC × f p1

Equation above can also be simplified to:

CO × R L
CC =
RC
An easy-to-use application software which helps to
design and simulate the compensation loop can be
found at www.aosmd.com.

Thermal management and layout consideration

The thermal performance of AOZ1014 is strongly

affected by the PCB layout. Extra care should be
taken by users during design to ensure that the IC

AOZ1014 Datasheet Rev 0.12 9

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