5 Thermal Considerations

In some space-constrained applications, thermal performance of power management devices comes under close scrutiny. Controlling, on-the-fly, the output voltage and operating parameters to influence the heat dissipation is a highly valuable feature. Thermal adjustments can be achieved by adapting the output voltage as well as the load current during operation. Placing the memory controller in a lower power operating state enables significant power savings and subsequently reduces the system temperature .

A further benefit of thermal adjustments is to determine thermal margin in a design. Some I²C devices such as TPS62873-Q1 contain a thermal warning bit, which acts as an upper limit to take preventive measures and keep away from excessive heating or even thermal shutdown. As long as the junction temperature of the device is below the thermal warning threshold, the thermal warning bit is Low in the status register. If the junction temperature exceeds that temperature, the thermal warning bit goes High.

Furthermore, TPS62873-Q1 can operate in stacked mode to spread the power dissipation across multiple spots on the PCB and minimize a single device junction temperature. Refer to Operating TPS6287X-Q1 Devices in a Stacked Configuration to parallel TPS6287x-Q1 to supply the same load.

In a stacked configuration the output current capability is increased. A two TPS62873-Q1 stack is shown in Figure 5-1, this configuration can deliver higher current up to 30 A.

Figure 5-1 Two TPS62873-Q1 Devices in a Stacked Configuration