• Journal of Semiconductors
  • Vol. 41, Issue 11, 111405 (2020)
Mo Huang1, Yan Lu1, and Rui P. Martins1、2
Author Affiliations
  • 1State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, DECE/FST, University of Macau, Macau, China
  • 2On leave from the Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, 1049-001, Portugal
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    DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/41/11/111405 Cite this Article
    Mo Huang, Yan Lu, Rui P. Martins. A comparative study of digital low dropout regulators[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2020, 41(11): 111405 Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    Granular power management in a power-efficient system on a chip (SoC) requires multiple integrated voltage regulators with a small area, process scalability, and low supply voltage. Conventional on-chip analog low-dropout regulators (ALDOs) can hardly meet these requirements, while digital LDOs (DLDOs) are good alternatives. However, the conventional DLDO, with synchronous control, has inherently slow transient response limited by the power-speed trade-off. Meanwhile, it has a poor power supply rejection (PSR), because the fully turned-on power switches in DLDO are vulnerable to power supply ripples. In this comparative study on DLDOs, first, we compare the pros and cons between ALDO and DLDO in general. Then, we summarize the recent DLDO advanced techniques for fast transient response and PSR enhancement. Finally, we discuss the design trends and possible directions of DLDO.
    $\rm{FOM} = {T_{\rm{R}}}\frac{{{I_{\rm{Q}}}}}{{{I_{\rm{MAX}}}}} = \frac{{{C_{\rm{OUT}}} \cdot \Delta {V_{\rm{OUT}}}}}{{{I_{\rm{MAX}}}}} \cdot \frac{{{I_{\rm{Q}}}}}{{{I_{\rm{MAX}}}}},$(1)

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    $\rm{PSR} = \frac{1}{{1 + \dfrac{{{R_{\rm{LOAD}}}}}{{{r_{\rm{ds}}}}}}},$(2)

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    ${\left( {W/L} \right)_n} = \rm{Const}. \times {q^n} ,\quad {q \gt 1} ,$(3)

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    Mo Huang, Yan Lu, Rui P. Martins. A comparative study of digital low dropout regulators[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2020, 41(11): 111405
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