Power Integrations takes on post regulators with InnoMux IC

At APEC 2024, Power Integrations‘ chairman and CEO, Balu Balakrishnan, “declared war on DC-DC post regulators”, as the company introduced the GaN-based InnoMux-2 switcher IC family. The company said that the new ICs are an example of its value and energy focus because it combines AC-DC and DC-DC stages into a single power converter, resulting in a reduction in power system losses by up to 50%.

The single-stage, independently regulated multi-output offline power-supply ICs consolidate AC-DC and downstream DC-DC conversion stages into a single chip, to eliminate post regulators. Many systems today, for example, white goods, industrial systems, displays, emergency lighting, networking, home and building automation, require multiple voltage rails, usually achieved by cascading power devices. Losses in each conversion stage degrade system performance and generate heat.

“The InnoMux-2 IC overcomes this challenge by providing up to three independently regulated voltage outputs or two voltage output and a constant current output from a single stage, achieving a compact and efficient power sub-system with low component count,” explained Power Integrations’ vice president of product development, Roland Saint-Pierre.

Eliminating the separate DC-DC stages reduces component count and PCB footprint and increases efficiency by up to 10 percentage points compared to traditional two-stage architectures, said the company.

The IC uses 750V PowiGaN transistors, zero-voltage switching (without an active clamp) and synchronous rectification. The packaging is the company’s thermally efficient InSOP 24 and InSOP 28 packages with PCB cooling, ensuring that no heatsink is required.

The ICs deliver up to 90W output with accurate regulation of better than ±3% across the full input line, load, temperature and differential current step conditions. Total power system efficiency (AC to regulated low-voltage DC segment) is above 90% percent. There is no need for pre-load resistors because the controller also manages light load power delivery, thus reducing no-load consumption to less than 30mW. In this way, the system can conserve power for functionality in applications that are subject to EuP standby usage regulations.

Device options include dual- and three-output constant voltage (CV); optionally, one output may be dedicated to constant current (CC) drive, suitable for powering LEDs in displays or for high-speed charging of an internal battery.

There are two versions, the InnoMux2-EP family and the InnoMux2-BL family. According to the datasheets the significant difference between the two is that the BL family needs an external IC to reach its full potential.

The company also offers reference design reports for a 52W TV, a 23W monitor and 62W industrial and appliance designs.