ST-ONE controller is certified to USB-IF for power delivery extended range
The latest addition to the STMicroelectronics’ ST-ONE controller family for USB PD (power delivery) applications, the ST-ONEHP is believed to be the world’s first IC certified by USB-IF according to the USB PD extended power range (USB PD 3.1 EPR) specification.
It has 28V output capability to simplify building chargers and power adapters rated up to 140W. This is the third member of the family and shares the ST-ONE architecture. The converter is a non-complementary, active clamp flyback zero voltage switching (ZVS) topology for efficiency at high power output and switching frequency. Other features include secondary regulation and integrated USB PD communication interface, which save bill of materials costs as well as PCB size and complexity, said ST. Built-in synchronous rectification helps maximise efficiency while reinforced galvanic isolation delivers a compact and safe device, the company said.
An integrated Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller maintains overall control. It is supplied pre-loaded with certified USB PD firmware. There is also 64kbyte of flash storage with room for customising the power conversion firmware.
The ST-ONEHP can be used with ST’s MasterGaN single chip, integrating its third generation GaN power transistors and optimised gate drivers. The SiP (system in package) provides benefits such as “superior thermal performance and switching efficiency compared to conventional silicon transistors”.
MasterGaN also helps maximise performance and allows high switching frequencies that permit smaller passive components. By combining the ST-ONEHP controller and a 9.0 x 9.0mm MasterGaN1 half-bridge device, ST has produced the EVLONE140W reference design which is smaller than a standard 65W laptop charger.
Its volume of 90cm3 equates to industry-leading power density of 25W/in3, according to ST, while the peak efficiency exceeds 94 per cent.
The charger can use a quarter of the plastics and is two per cent more efficient than average chargers, said the company, which estimated that using these products in all chargers produced worldwide would save 3.5 million tons of CO2 emissions.
Samples of the ST-ONEHP are already available for selected customers in a SSOP36 leaded package.
