A high efficiency adaptive current mode step-up/step-down DC-DC converter with four modes for smooth transition

This paper presents a current mode step-up/step-down DC-DC converter with high efficiency, small output voltage ripple, and fast transient response. The control scheme adaptively configures the converter into the proper operation mode. The efficiency is improved by reducing the switching loss, wherein the converter operates like a buck or boost converter, and conduction loss, wherein the average inductor current is reduced in transition modes. The output voltage ripple is significantly reduced by incorporating two constant time transition modes. A fast line transient response is achieved with small overshoot and undershoot voltage. An adaptive substrate selector (ASS) is introduced to dynamically switch the substrate of PMOS power transistors to the highest on-chip voltage. A lossless self-biased current sensor with high-speed and high-accuracy is also achieved. The proposed converter was designed with a standard 0.5 μm CMOS process, and can regulate an output voltage within the input voltage ranged from 2.5 V to 5.5 V. The maximum load current is 600 mA, and the maximum efficiency is 94%. The output voltage ripple is less than 15 mV in all operation modes.