
Data Sheet ADP7142
Rev. H | Page 17 of 23
CURRENT-LIMIT AND THERMAL OVERLOAD
PROTECTION
The ADP7142 is protected against damage due to excessive
power dissipation by current and thermal overload protection
circuits. The ADP7142 is designed to current limit when the
output load reaches 360 mA (typical). When the output load
exceeds 360 mA, the output voltage is reduced to maintain a
constant current limit.
Thermal overload protection is included, which limits the
junction temperature to a maximum of 150°C (typical). Under
extreme conditions (that is, high ambient temperature and/or
high power dissipation) when the junction temperature starts
to rise above 150°C, the output is turned off, reducing the
output current to zero. When the junction temperature drops
below 135°C, the output is turned on again, and output current
is restored to its operating value.
Consider the case where a hard short from VOUT to ground
occurs. At first, the ADP7142 current limits, so that only 360 mA
is conducted into the short. If self heating of the junction is great
enough to cause its temperature to rise above 150°C, thermal
shutdown activates, turning off the output and reducing the
output current to zero. As the junction temperature cools and
drops below 135°C, the output turns on and conducts 360 mA
into the short, again causing the junction temperature to rise
above 150°C. This thermal oscillation between 135°C and 150°C
causes a current oscillation between 360 mA and 0 mA that
continues as long as the short remains at the output.
Current and thermal limit protections protect the device
against accidental overload conditions. For reliable operation,
device power dissipation must be externally limited so that the
junction temperature does not exceed 125°C.
THERMAL CONSIDERATIONS
In applications with a low input-to-output voltage differential,
the ADP7142 does not dissipate much heat. However, in appli-
cations with high ambient temperature and/or high input voltage,
the heat dissipated in the package may become large enough to
cause the junction temperature of the die to exceed the
maximum junction temperature of 125°C.
When the junction temperature exceeds 150°C, the converter
enters thermal shutdown. It recovers only after the junction
temperature has decreased below 135°C to prevent any permanent
damage. Therefore, thermal analysis for the chosen application
is very important to guarantee reliable performance over all
conditions. The junction temperature of the die is the sum of
the ambient temperature of the environment and the temperature
rise of the package due to the power dissipation, as shown in
Equation 2.
To guarantee reliable operation, the junction temperature of
the ADP7142 must not exceed 125°C. To ensure that the
junction temperature stays below this maximum value, the user
must be aware of the parameters that contribute to junction
temperature changes. These parameters include ambient
temperature, power dissipation in the power device, and
thermal resistances between the junction and ambient air (θJA).
The θJA number is dependent on the package assembly
compounds that are used and the amount of copper used to
solder the package GND pins to the PCB.
Table 6 shows typical θJA values of the 8-lead SOIC, 6-lead LFCSP,
and 5-Lead TSOT packages for various PCB copper sizes. Table 7
shows the typical ΨJB values of the 8-lead SOIC, 6-lead LFCSP,
and 5-lead TSOT.
Table 6. Typical θJA Values
Copper Size (mm2)
θJA (°C/W)
LFCSP SOIC TSOT
251 182.8 N/A2 N/A2
50 N/A2 181.4 152
100 142.6 145.4 146
500 83.9 89.3 131
1000 71.7 77.5 N/A2
6400 57.4 63.2 N/A2
1 Device soldered to minimum size pin traces.
2 N/A means not applicable.
Table 7. Typical ΨJB Values
Model ΨJB (°C/W)
6-Lead LFCSP 24
8-Lead SOIC 38.8
5-Lead TSOT 43
To calculate the junction temperature of the ADP7142, use
Equation 1:
TJ = TA + (PD × θJA)
where:
TA is the ambient temperature.
PD is the power dissipation in the die, given by
PD = [(VIN − VOUT) × ILOAD] + (VIN × IGND) (10)
where:
VIN and VOUT are input and output voltages, respectively.
ILOAD is the load current.
IGND is the ground current.
Power dissipation due to ground current is quite small and can
be ignored. Therefore, the junction temperature equation
simplifies to the following:
TJ = TA + {[(VIN − VOUT) × ILOAD] × θJA} (11)
As shown in Equation 4, for a given ambient temperature, input-
to-output voltage differential, and continuous load current, there
exists a minimum copper size requirement for the PCB to ensure
that the junction temperature does not rise above 125°C. Figure 52
to Figure 60 show junction temperature calculations for different
ambient temperatures, power dissipation, and areas of PCB
copper.