
TPS51020
SLUS564C JULY 2003 REVISED OCTOBER 2008
11
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APPLICATION INFORMATION
SKIP MODE OPERATION
If the SKIP pin is set HIGH, the SMPS operates in the fixed PWM mode. While a LOW signal is applied, the
controller operates in autoskip mode. In the autoskip mode, the operation changes from constant frequency
PWM mode to an energy-saving skip mode automatically by detecting the edge of discontinuous current mode.
During the skip mode, the hysteretic comparator monitors output voltage to trigger high side on at the next
coming oscillator pulse after the lower level is detected. Several sequential pulses may be seen, especially in
the intermediate load level, before output capacitor is charged up to the higher level and waits for next cycle.
In the skip mode, frequency varies with load current and input voltage.
Skip mode for SMPS_2 is disabled regardless of the SKIP pin status if DDR mode is selected (see Dual Mode
and DDR Mode section). This is because current sink capability is required for VTT, so that rectifying MOSFET
needs to be kept on when the inductor current flows inversely. SMPS_1 is still capable of skip mode operation
while DDR Mode.
CASCADE CONFIGURATION
If the TRIP2 pin is tied through a resistor to the input voltage, the TPS51020 assumes that the conversion voltage
for channel two is the VIN voltage, usually VBATT. Conversely, if TRIP2 is tied through a resistor to ground, the
controller assumes that the conversion voltage for channel two is the output voltage of channel one or some
other stable bus voltage.
DUAL MODE AND DDR MODE
TPS51020 provides one-chip solution for system power supply, such as for 5 V, 3.3 V or 1.8 V, and a dual
switcher DDR power supply. By simply selecting DDR signal and some external configuration change following
the instructions below, TPS51020 gives a complete function set required for the DDR termination supply such
as VDDQ/2 tracking VTT source/sink capability and VTT reference output.
If DDR is set high ( > 2.2 V), the TPS51020 runs in dual mode, that is, each converter produces an independent
output voltage with respect to the internal 0.85-V reference. Bypass REF_X to ground by 0.01-
F. The
VO1_VDDQ or VO2 terminal should be connected to their corresponding switcher output. The 10-V reference
output can be used as FET switch biasing for power control during sleep states (see Figure 5). During this dual
mode, selection of autoskip mode or PWM mode made by SKIP applies to both SMPS_1 and SMPS_2.
If DDR is set low ( < 0.3V), the TPS51020 operates as a dual switcher DDR supply; VDDQ from SMPS_1 and
VTT from SMPS_2 (DDR Mode). In this mode, the reference voltage for SMPS_2 is switched to (VO1_VDDQ)/2
to track exactly half the voltage of SMPS_1, divided by internal resistors. VO1_VDDQ should be connected to
SMPS_1 output terminal to accomplish this. REF_X outputs the (VO1_VDDQ)/2 voltage after a buffer (5-mA
max). SKIP controls only SMPS_1 and SMPS_2 is forced to operate in PWM mode so that current can be sink
from the output. Power source of SMPS_2 can either be the battery voltage (independent configuration), or the
VDDQ (cascade configuration) by user’s preference. When using the independent configuration, TRIP2 needs
to be connected to the VIN node via trip resistor. In case of cascade configuration, tie TRIP2 to GND via trip
resistor (see Figure 7).
CAUTION:Do NOT toggle DDR HIGH while ENBL1 or ENBL2 is high (see Table 2). REF_X
output switches to high voltage (10 V) and be applied to VTTREF directly