Step-down DC-DCs offer lowest quiescent current
Nexperia has introduced a series of step-down DC-DC converters designed for various fixed and portable battery-powered applications across consumer, industrial and automotive end-markets.
The NEX30606 is a high-efficiency, high-accuracy step-down converter that offers a choice of 16 resistor-settable output voltages from input voltages ranging from 1.8 V to 5.0 V.
It can deliver up to 600 mA of output current and is claimed to offer the industry’s lowest operating quiescent current (Iq) of 220 μA, making it suitable for wearable consumer applications like hearing aids, medical sensors, patches and monitors in addition to battery-powered industrial applications.
The device provides >90 percent switching efficiency for load currents ranging from 1 mA to 400 mA and has only 10 mV of output voltage ripple when stepping down from 3.6 V Vin to 1.8 Vout.
The NEX40400 step-down converter combines high efficiency (up to 8 percent higher than close competition at low - mid load condition) with low operating quiescent current (60 μA typ.) and can provide up to 600 mA output from a wide 4.5 V to 40 V input range for applications.
Featuring PFM (Pulse Frequency Modulation) for high efficiency at low to mid loads and Spread Spectrum Technology for minimising EMI, the converter is suitable for industrial distributed power systems and grid infrastructure (e.g. smart e-meters) as well as consumer white goods.
Low shutdown supply current (0.3 μA) also makes this converter suitable for use in battery-powered home appliances. Nexperia also plans to release an AEC-Q100 qualified version of the NEX40400 later in 2025 for use in automotive applications such as body electronics and lighting, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), as well as instrument clusters, cameras and displays.
Both the NEX30606 and NEX40400 offer traditional IC protection features such as Overcurrent Protection (OCP), short circuit protection, and thermal shutdown, ensuring reliability in demanding environments.
“Nexperia recognised the demand for high-efficiency, wide input-voltage range step-down DC-DC converters with low quiescent current that can serve multiple end-markets,” according to Irene Deng, general manager of the IC Solutions business group at Nexperia. ”Devices in this new series offer industry-leading Iq and now provide engineers with even greater design flexibility across various industrial, consumer, and automotive applications.”
The NEX30606 is available in a space-saving WLCSP package measuring 1.09 mm x 0.74 mm with a 0.35-mm pitch, which is almost 50 percent smaller than similar competing converters. The NEX40400 comes in a cost-effective 6-lead SOT8061-1 (TSOT23-6) plastic, surface-mounted package measuring 2.9 mm x 2.8 mm.
