ADP120
APPLICATIONS INFORMATION
CAPACITOR SELECTION
Output Capacitor
The ADP120 is designed for operation with small, space-saving
ceramic capacitors, but functions with most commonly used
capacitors as long as care is taken with regard to the effective
series resistance (ESR) value. The ESR of the output capacitor
affects stability of the LDO control loop. A minimum of 0.70 μF
capacitance with an ESR of 1 Ω or less is recommended to ensure
stability of the ADP120. Transient response to changes in load
current is also affected by output capacitance. Using a larger
value of output capacitance improves the transient response of
the ADP120 to large changes in load current. Figure 28 and
Figure 29 show the transient responses for output capacitance
values of 1 μF and 4.7 μF, respectively.
ILOAD
1mA TO 100mA LOAD STEP,
2.5A/µs
VOUT
VOUT = 1.8V,
CIN = COUT = 1µF
(400ns/DIV)
Figure 28. Output Transient Response, COUT = 1 μF
ILOAD
1mA TO 100mA LOAD STEP,
2.5A/µs
VOUT
VOUT = 1.8V,
CIN = COUT = 4.7µF
(400ns/DIV)
Figure 29. Output Transient Response, COUT = 4.7 μF
Input Bypass Capacitor
Connecting a 1 μF capacitor from VIN to GND reduces the cir-
cuit sensitivity to printed circuit board (PCB) layout, especially
when long input traces or high source impedance are encountered.
If greater than 1 μF of output capacitance is required, increase
the input capacitor to match it.
Input and Output Capacitor Properties
Use any good quality ceramic capacitors with the ADP120, as
long as they meet the minimum capacitance and maximum ESR
requirements. Ceramic capacitors are manufactured with a variety
of dielectrics, each with different behavior over temperature and
applied voltage. Capacitors must have a dielectric adequate to
ensure the minimum capacitance over the necessary tempera-
ture range and dc bias conditions. X5R or X7R dielectrics with
a voltage rating of 6.3 V or 10 V are recommended for best
performance. Y5V and Z5U dielectrics are not recommended
for use with any LDO because of their poor temperature and dc
bias characteristics.
Figure 30 depicts the capacitance vs. voltage bias characteristic
of a 0402 1 μF, 10 V, X5R capacitor. The voltage stability of a capa-
citor is strongly influenced by the capacitor size and voltage rating.
In general, a capacitor in a larger package or higher voltage rating
exhibits better stability. The temperature variation of the X5R
dielectric is about ±15% over the −40°C to +85°C temperature
range and is not a function of package or voltage rating.
1.2
MURATA PART NUMBER:
GRM155R61A105KE15
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0
2
4
6
8
10
VOLTAGE (V)
Figure 30. Capacitance vs. Voltage Characteristic
Use Equation 1 to determine the worst-case capacitance accounting
for capacitor variation over temperature, component tolerance,
and voltage.
CEFF = CBIAS × (1 − TEMPCO) × (1 − TOL)
(1)
where:
CBIAS is the effective capacitance at the operating voltage.
TEMPCO is the worst-case capacitor temperature coefficient.
TOL is the worst-case component tolerance.
In this example, the worst-case temperature coefficient (TEMPCO)
over −40°C to +85°C is assumed to be 15% for an X5R dielec-
tric. The tolerance of the capacitor (TOL) is assumed to be 10%,
and CBIAS is 0.94 μF at 1.8 V, as shown in Figure 30.
Substituting these values in Equation 1 yields
CEFF = 0.94 μF × (1 − 0.15) × (1 − 0.1) = 0.719 μF
Rev. A | Page 12 of 20