Dialog's 98% efficient PMIC for notebooks shrinks space by 50%

Dialog Semiconductor is offering a new 20-amp DA9312 power management integrated circuit (PMIC) which is capable of shrinking comparable notebook power design by 50% and delivering regulated DC at 98% efficiency. DA9312 is suitable for thin notebook computers and tablets powered by dual cell stacked (2S) Li-ion or Li-Polymer batteries. DA9312 is designed to support the trend of moving from 3-cell 2-cell batteries in case of notebooks and single cell to 2-cell batteries in case of tablets. DA9312 uses lesser external components and occupies 80 mm2 space on the printed circuit board. 90W Power rated, DA9312 operate from an input voltage from 5.5 V to 10.5 V, which then feeds three independent power supplies. The main power converter uses capacitors to store charge and requires no external inductor. The device’s two high-frequency buck converters switch at a frequency of 1.5 MHz, so tiny 1 mm high inductors and very small capacitors can be used on the outputs, suggests Dialog. The power converter, which outputs half the input voltage, is rated at up to 10 A and the two buck converters can each deliver up to 5 A at between 2.8 V and 5.35 V. Alternatively, the buck converter outputs can be combined to turn the device into a dual phase regulator capable of supplying up to 10 A on each output. All power supplies within the PMIC have integrated FET power switches to minimis...