SLVSEI2A November 2018 – May 2019 TPS56339
PRODUCTION DATA.
The light load running includes Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM) and Pulse Frequency Modulation Mode (PFM).
As the output current decreases from heavy load condition, the inductor current is also reduced and eventually comes to point that its rippled valley touches zero level, which is the boundary between CCM and DCM. The low-side MOSFET is turned off when the zero inductor current is detected. As the load current further decreases, the converter runs into DCM.
At even lighter current loads, PFM is activated to maintain high efficiency operation. The On-time is kept almost the same as it was in the CCM so that it takes longer time to discharge the output capacitor with smaller load current to the level of the reference voltage. This makes the switching frequency lower, proportional to the load current, and keeps the light load efficiency high. The transition point to the light load operation IOUT(LL) current can be calculated in Equation 8.