Inductor stacking on top of a 16mm x 16mm BGA package

Linear Technology Korea (CEO Hong Sa-kwak) announced the launch of a new 40A step-down µModule® switching regulator (product name: LTM4636) that uses a 3D structure for faster heat dissipation and cooling operation in a small package.

The LTM4636 features a stacked inductor on top of a 16mm x 16mm BGA package. The exposed inductor acts as a heat sink, allowing direct contact with airflow from any direction to cool the device. The LTM4636 delivers 40W (12VIN, 1VOUT, 40A, 200LFM) of output power with only about 40°C rise above ambient. The full 40W is delivered up to an ambient temperature of 83°C, and at an ambient temperature of 110°C, the power is reduced by half to 20W.

The LTM4636 delivers 15A, 30A, and 40A into a 1V load (12VIN) at efficiencies of 92%, 90%, and 88%, respectively. This µModule regulator is scalable; four LTM4636s can be paralleled in current sharing mode to deliver 160W at 88% efficiency (12VIN, 1VOUT, 400LFM) with only a 40°C temperature rise.

The device is 7.07 mm tall, including the inductor stacked on top of the BGA package, which measures 16 mm x 16 mm x 1.91 mm. In addition to dissipating heat from the top, the LTM4636 is designed to evenly dissipate heat from the bottom of the package to the PCB through 144 BGA solder balls and banks allocated to the high-current GND, VIN, and VOUT pins. The LTM4636 µModule regulator combines excellent DC/DC conversion efficiency with improved heat dissipation, enabling system designers to achieve superior thermal performance in a small package.

The LTM4636 operates from an input voltage of 4.7 V to 15 V and regulates the output voltage from 0.6 V to 3.3 V. The total DC output voltage accuracy is ±3% over the –40°C to 125°C temperature range.