Designers are faced with the challenge of achieving higher efficiency and power density within shrinking board space as they develop next-generation server and communications system power supply applications.

To address these challenges, Fairchild Semiconductor has launched its Smart Power Stage (SPS) module family, a next-generation power stage solution that integrates MOSFETs and drivers in an extremely compact form factor. Leveraging Fairchild's proven DrMOS technology, this family enables high efficiency, high power density, and high switching frequency in applications such as synchronous buck DC-DC converters in high-performance computing and communications equipment.

As an integrated solution, this comprehensive switching power stage is designed to optimize driver and MOSFET dynamic performance, system inductance, and power MOSFET RDS(ON). These SPS modules utilize Fairchild's high-performance PowerTrench® MOSFET technology to reduce ringing, eliminating the need for snubber circuits in most buck converter applications.

This SPS family offers designers features such as thermal monitoring, programmable thermal shutdown, Zero Cross Detect (ZCD) circuitry, and catastrophic fault detection. Thermal monitoring (TMON) accurately reports module temperature, enabling designers to eliminate negative temperature coefficient (NTC) circuitry, thereby reducing PCB space, component count, and overall bill of materials (BOM) costs. The Programmable Thermal Shutdown (P_THDM) feature has adjustable thresholds, allowing designers to set the over-temperature protection (OTP) level according to system requirements.

The ZCD circuit automatically detects negative inductor current, allowing the module to switch to diode emulation mode to improve light-load efficiency. Catastrophic fault detection protects the system from damage by shutting off the driver output when a high-side MOSFET short is detected.

Additionally, the driver's shutdown current is less than 3µA, allowing the system to maintain low quiescent power. The Dual Cool™ package allows heat to be dissipated on both sides of the module, from the bottom to the PCB and from the top to the air or through the heatsink when used.

Based on Fairchild's leading-edge DrMOS devices, these SPS module families are ideal for applications such as processor and memory multiphase regulators in servers, workstations, and high-end motherboards, networking and communications ASIC core voltage regulators, and small form factor point-of-load (POL) voltage regulator modules.