Intersil updates power modules for computing
Intersil Corporation, a provider of power management and precision analogue products, has launched the ISL8240M, a dual 20A/single 40A step-down power module.
The company says it sets a new standard for efficiency and power density in infrastructure and embedded computing applications.
Capable of delivering up to 100W of output power in a 2.9 cm2 footprint, greater than 90 percent power efficiency, coupled with good thermal performance, the ISL8240M provides designers with a turnkey DC/DC converter solution for high current applications.
Today's power systems for communications and computing infrastructure support high current loads from increasingly power hungry FPGAs, ASICs, and microprocessors.
To supply these high current circuits, equipment makers often rely on discrete power solutions that are complicated, take up valuable real-estate and may have significant power output limitations.
Intersil claims its power module family reduces design complexity and creates headroom in the power system, increasing flexibility while improving efficiency and thermal performance.
The latest addition to Intersil's complete family of power modules, the ISL8240M is pin-to-pin compatible with the company's popular ISL8225M 30A power module, expanding the output current to 40A and delivering up to 100W output power.
This offers designers a high level of flexibility, enabling a single PCB design across platforms. The ISL8240M is also capable of delivering up to 240A output when six modules in parallel operation are current shared, enabling the industry's highest total output current.
Intersil claims the ISL8240M, which uses the firm's patented technology and packaging techniques, delivers greater than 90 percent power efficiency and has one of the best thermal de-rating performances in the industry, enabling the device to operate at full power over a wide temperature range.
The module also provides over-temperature, over-current and over-voltage protection, further enhancing the robustness and reliability of the solution.
Like all of Intersil's power modules, the ISL8240M is a turnkey solution that requires minimal design since only six external passive parts are required. The ISL8240M fits in a compact 17mm x 17mm footprint. Excellent thermal performance eliminates the need for heat sinks, further streamlining power supply design and reducing design and manufacturing risk and increasing reliability.
"The demands on power supplies continue to increase, making every efficiency gain and savings in board-space critical in enabling customers to achieve their design objectives," says Mark Downing, senior vice president of infrastructure and industrial power products at Intersil. "The ISL8240M complements our family of 30A module solutions, giving designers more flexibility while offering all of the power savings and high level of reliability customers have come to expect from our solutions."
Key Features and Specifications
"¢ Wide input voltage range: 4.5V to 20V
"¢ Adjustable output range: 0.6V to 2.5V
"¢ Capable of providing two separate outputs up to 20A per channel or a single 40A output with current sharing up to 6 modules in parallel operation for 240A
"¢ Achieves over 90 percent efficiency (12Vin, 2.5Vout) at 40A
"¢ Full suite of protection features: over-current, over-/under-voltage, and over-temperature monitoring
Availability
The ISL8240M power module is available now and is priced at $39.85 each in 1,000-piece quantities.
The ISL8240MEVAL3Z and ISL8240MEVAL4Z provide an evaluation platform for the ISL8240M and are priced at $88.00.
