The Designer's Guide Community
Forum
Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register. Please follow the Forum guidelines.
Sep 26th, 2024, 10:21pm
Pages: 1
Send Topic Print
Power transistor layout for LDO (Read 7226 times)
Multicathode
New Member
*
Offline



Posts: 5

Power transistor layout for LDO
Dec 14th, 2012, 1:21pm
 
Hi Guys,

I designed an LDO for 120mA max load current. The size of the power transistor is 60mm. Does anyone know if this is normal and if its normal then how do I layout a 6 cm transistor? Can anyone suggest me some good references (book , paper etc)

Thanks
Back to top
 
 
View Profile   IP Logged
raja.cedt
Senior Fellow
******
Offline



Posts: 1516
Germany
Re: Power transistor layout for LDO
Reply #1 - Dec 14th, 2012, 2:09pm
 
hello,
looks so huge, why did you chosen such huge one, any special purpose?

Is your architecture is one opamp with pmos pass transistor or any thing else?

Thanks,
Raj.
Back to top
 
 
View Profile WWW raja.sekhar86   IP Logged
Multicathode
New Member
*
Offline



Posts: 5

Re: Power transistor layout for LDO
Reply #2 - Dec 14th, 2012, 2:45pm
 
I calculated the width to be around 40mm in 0.35 um technology with minimum length. I need a dropout voltage of 0.2V. Initially I could not meet the dropout spec so I just keep on increasing the width to meet the dropout spec at full load.

I am using a buffer between the error amp and power pmos to drive the pmos. The buffer also aids in stability.

I am not sure if its the best approach but yes this is what I did.

Thanks
Back to top
 
 
View Profile   IP Logged
raja.cedt
Senior Fellow
******
Offline



Posts: 1516
Germany
Re: Power transistor layout for LDO
Reply #3 - Dec 14th, 2012, 2:57pm
 
i guess pmos input is Quite high, try to increase Vgs rather increasing width, this can be done by redesigning opamp output common mode.

Show me your ckt....

Thanks,
Raj.
Back to top
 
 
View Profile WWW raja.sekhar86   IP Logged
Multicathode
New Member
*
Offline



Posts: 5

Re: Power transistor layout for LDO
Reply #4 - Dec 16th, 2012, 4:45pm
 
Back to top
 
 
View Profile   IP Logged
loose-electron
Senior Fellow
******
Offline

Best Design Tool =
Capable Designers

Posts: 1638
San Diego California
Re: Power transistor layout for LDO
Reply #5 - Dec 18th, 2012, 4:51pm
 
Your power transistor is going to be broken up into multiple parallel devices, general by using "multiple fingers"

(often "NF=xx parameter on the transistor)

Cautions:

Get a rough estimate of the gate resistance (not in transistor model)
and make sure that the Cgs, Cgd, Cgate-elsewhere do not play into an
RC constant along the gate of the long gate stripe that is the W of the transistor.

That may limit the max W that you use in the transistor.

Connect the gate driver circuit to both ends of the gate stripe.

Also, the NF number may be limited by how far apart you can space the NWell contacts.
A large NF and a large W leads to a large NWell under the transistor. Check the design rules for
how large you can make the NWell.

That may require use of "M=" for multiple devices where devices are separated by well contacts.


Balance the resistive metal paths from each part of the transistor
so the IR drops balance and give equal current density
in the transistor.

That's what I can immediately think of.
Back to top
 
 

Jerry Twomey
www.effectiveelectrons.com
Read My Electronic Design Column Here
Contract IC-PCB-System Design - Analog, Mixed Signal, RF & Medical
View Profile WWW   IP Logged
grosser
Community Member
***
Offline



Posts: 57

Re: Power transistor layout for LDO
Reply #6 - Dec 19th, 2012, 3:08am
 
I agree with loose-electron

You can try draw core transistor with a few fingers and then place it in a XY matrix.

Or you can draw something similar to http://ims.unipv.it/Microelettronica/Layout02.pdf page 23 if you accept inaccuracy.

regards
grosser
Back to top
 
 
View Profile   IP Logged
raja.cedt
Senior Fellow
******
Offline



Posts: 1516
Germany
Re: Power transistor layout for LDO
Reply #7 - Dec 19th, 2012, 5:56am
 
hello grosser ,
Is it posb to extract this structure, because it is not an standard pcell, that's why i am asking.

Thanks,
Raj.
Back to top
 
 
View Profile WWW raja.sekhar86   IP Logged
analog_wiz
Junior Member
**
Offline



Posts: 31
Universe
Re: Power transistor layout for LDO
Reply #8 - Dec 21st, 2012, 2:43am
 
split the power transistor into reasonable no of fingers and run EM/IR checks on the output Vregout node which will carry 150mA. Also no of fingers should be calculated keeping in mind the source drain resistances of unit pcell transistors and the EM requirements.Conclusion:run a IR drop sim or run an extracted sim with power /gnd extraction included.
Back to top
 
 
View Profile   IP Logged
Dan Clement
Community Member
***
Offline



Posts: 95
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Re: Power transistor layout for LDO
Reply #9 - Dec 30th, 2012, 12:10pm
 
Why not push the power transistor off chip?  Power Qs are cheap and at the size you are talking about it may begin to make sense.

If you can't do that you are stuck doing a custom layout. There are numerous issues including latch up, ESD, thermal, metal migration, yield, modeling, parasitic thyristors, etc.

If you don't understand all of these issues and mitigate the risks you will get burned.

I have seen some guys use multiple voltage regulators in parallel to make the stability a little easier.  I also saw one person put a switch mode supply in parallel with an LDO.

I have also seen a few papers about using the gate RC as part of the stability.

For all things linear regulator check out Rincon-Mora's work.
Back to top
 
 
View Profile   IP Logged
Pages: 1
Send Topic Print
Copyright 2002-2024 Designer’s Guide Consulting, Inc. Designer’s Guide® is a registered trademark of Designer’s Guide Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. Send comments or questions to editor@designers-guide.org. Consider submitting a paper or model.