JAJSTM8 April 2024 AFE20408
PRODUCTION DATA
The AFE20408 device includes an output-control voltage (PAON pin) capable of driving an external MOSFET switch that turns on and off the drain current to a PA FET. The use of this control signal in conjunction with the DAC clamp option allows control of the sequence in which the PA FET is powered up and powered down.
The PAON pin is disabled on start-up. After the device powers on, the PAON pin can be enabled by setting the PAON bit to 1, in the PWR_EN register (located in the global register page). During operation, the status of the PAON pin can be monitored by reading the PAON_STS bit in the GEN_STATUS register (located in the global register page). By default, the PAON pin is pulled to GND, and is in the OFF state.
The maximum output voltage is determined by the voltage at the VDD pin. When enabled, the PAON can be turned off by any alarm generated by the various monitoring circuits in the device, including thermal, supply, ADC, and reference alarms. This configuration is done by writing to the appropriate bits in the PAON_SRC_0 and PAON_SRC_1 registers (located in the general configuration register page).
The PAON pin operates in push-pull mode by default. The PAON pin can be configured to operate in open-drain mode by setting the PAON_ODE bit in the GEN_CFG_0 register (located in the general configuration register page). In push-pull mode, the PAON pin is internally connected to VDD via a pullup resistor. As a result, the PAON pin outputs 0V (or the voltage at GND) while in the OFF state, and VDD while in the ON state. In the open drain mode, there is no internal pullup resistor to the VDD pin, and the user must install an external pullup resistor to VDD. This is further described in Section 8.2.2.4.
Additionally, the PAON pin can be configured to invert the ON and OFF states (so that the high voltage is off and the low voltage is on) by setting the PAON_POL bit in the GEN_CFG_0 register (located in the general configuration register page).
For FETs requiring a negative bias voltage, such as GaN, making sure that the bias voltage remains within an acceptable range is crucial; otherwise, significant and irreversible damage to the FET can occur. The AFE20408 bipolar DAC operation and clamping mechanism rely on the VDD and VSS voltages for proper operation. For this reason, when either the VDD or VSS voltage falls outside the acceptable range, turning off the drain current to the FET is desirable.