EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - November 2004 - International Rectifier, IR® (NYSE: IRF), a world leader in power management technology, today introduced the IR3093, a three-phase interleaved pulse width modulation (PWM) control IC that supports several microprocessor families: AMD Athlon™, AMD Opteron™, AMD Athlon64™ and Intel® VR10.X processors. Typical applications include desktop computer motherboards, voltage regulator modules (VRM), video graphics cards and telecom single in-line (SIP) modules.

The IR3093 is suitable for space-constrained systems requiring greater than 60A of load current. In comparison to competitive devices that require external gate driver ICs, the IR3093 integrates MOSFET drivers, reducing part count by 75%. The end result is simplified circuit design, improved system reliability and reduced solution size. Together with IR's DirectFET® technology MOSFETs, circuit designers can realize an efficient, space-saving solution.

"For the Performance Desktop platform which requires 101A thermal design current, the IR3093 meets the challenge of providing processor power in smaller form-factors such as BTX with only a single pair of IRF6623 and IRF6620 DirectFET® MOSFETs per phase," said Ralph Monteiro, Marketing Manager for DC-DC Computing Products.

The term BTX (balanced technology extended) refers to a personal computer form factor specification created to standardize size, performance, features and cost.

Technical Highlights

The IR3093 operates from a single 12V supply and includes a linear regulator to power the gate drivers. The regulator output voltage can be programmed to minimize switching losses and optimize efficiency. A programmable oscillator, with a frequency range of 100kHz to 540kHz, gives the designer additional flexibility to improve system efficiency and transient response.

For system protection and reliability, the IR3093 features programmable soft-start and hiccup over-current protection. Current sensing is achieved with loss-less inductor current sensing which improves accuracy compared to sensing circuits measuring MOSFET on-resistance. Dual under-voltage lockout circuits and over-voltage protection ensure reliability of system voltages. A power-good output signal indicates proper operation.

To meet the stringent power requirements of today's microprocessors, the output voltage can be programmed with either a five- or six-bit voltage identification (VID) code with 0.5% set-point accuracy. An adaptive voltage-positioning feature maintains the output voltage tolerance while minimizing output capacitor requirements. A patent-pending body braking circuit reduces the output capacitance requirement by an additional 25% further reducing system costs.

Following the trend of increasing power requirements in microprocessors, the IR3093 is pin-compatible with the two-phase IR3092, giving designers the flexibility to migrate from a two-phase design to a three-phase solution with a single PCB layout. This feature can save significant development time as designs incorporate more advanced microprocessors.

For more information related to DirectFET MOSFET Packaging Technology visit the DirectFET Home page.

Availability and Pricing The IR3093M PWM IC is available immediately in the MLPQ-48, 7 x 7 package. Pricing is US $3.10 each in 10,000-unit quantities.