DocID026968 Rev 2

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AST1S31HF

Application information

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Figure 9. Switching losses

7.5

Layout consideration

The PC board layout of the switching DC-DC regulator is very important to minimize the

noise injected in high impedance nodes, to reduce interference generated by the high

switching current loops and to optimize the reliability of the device.

In order to avoid EMC problems, the high switching current loops must be as short as

possible. In the buck converter there are two high switching current loops: during the on-

time, the pulsed current flows through the input capacitor, the high-side power switch, the

inductor and the output capacitor; during the off-time through the low-side power switch, the

inductor and the output capacitor.

The input capacitor connected to VINSW must be placed as close as possible to the device,

to avoid spikes on VINSW due to the stray inductance and the pulsed input current.

In order to prevent the dynamic unbalance between VINSW and VINA, the trace connecting

the VINA pin to the input must be derived from VINSW.

The feedback pin (FB) connection to the external resistor divider is a high impedance node,

so the interference can be minimized by routing the feedback node with a very short trace

and as far as possible from the high current paths.

A single point connection from signal ground to power ground is suggested.

Thanks to the exposed pad of the device, the ground plane helps to reduce the thermal

resistance junction to ambient; so a large ground plane, soldered to the exposed pad,

enhances the thermal performance of the converter allowing high power conversion.

AM11422v1