DC-DC STEP-DOWN CONVERTER WITH AN ELECTRIC DOUBLE-LAYER CAPACITOR

• US 20030039092A1
• Filed: 08/07/2002
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nohara, Mikiya, Kanouda, Akihiko, Onda, Kenichi, Endo, Morinobu, Saga, Ryouhei, Tokunaga, Norikazu
• Granted Patent: US 6,567,261 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/502
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16265 the item being a discrete passive component
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19104 on the semiconductor or solid-state device, i.e. passive-on-chip
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19105 in a side-by-side arrangement on a common die mounting substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19106 in a mirrored arrangement on two different side of a common die mounting substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections

Abstract

A voltage regulator module includes a power supply circuit for supplying power to an integrated circuit, the power supply circuit including semiconductor switching devices and a drive circuit for driving the semiconductor switching devices; and charge storage means for smoothing an output of the power supply circuit, wherein charge storage unit having a smoothing capacitor includes an electric double-layer capacitor, wherein the electric double-layer capacitor includes a plurality of positive electrode terminals and a plurality of negative electrode terminals, and wherein the plurality of positive electrode terminals and the plurality of negative electrode terminals are disposed on a surface identical to a surface of the electric double-layer capacitor.

Claims

1. A voltage regulator module including:

a power supply circuit for supplying power to an integrated circuit, said power supply circuit including semiconductor switching devices and a drive circuit for driving the semiconductor switching devices; and

charge storage means for smoothing an output of said power supply circuit, wherein

charge storage means having a smoothing capacitor includes an electric double-layer capacitor, wherein

said electric double-layer capacitor includes a plurality of positive electrode terminals and a plurality of negative electrode terminals, and wherein

the plurality of positive electrode terminals and the plurality of negative electrode terminals are disposed on a surface identical to a surface of said electric double-layer capacitor.

2. The voltage regulator module according to claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit includes a CPU (central processing unit) that is activated by a clock frequency of at least 500 MHz, and said integrated circuit has a core voltage of 2 V or less, a rated current consumption of at least 50 A, and a current change rate of at least 150 A/μ

s.

3. The voltage regulator module according to claim 1, wherein the number of the positive electrode terminals is equal to the number of the negative electrode terminals.

4. The voltage regulator module according to claim 1, wherein the number of the positive electrode terminals is more than the number of the negative electrode terminals by at least one, and one of the positive electrode terminals is used to detect a voltage within said charge storage means.

5. The voltage regulator module according to claim 1, wherein an interval (pitch) of the positive electrode terminals and the negative electrode terminals is equal to an interval (pitch) of terminals of said integrated circuit.

6. The voltage regulator module according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of positive electrode terminals and the plurality of negative electrode terminals are arranged alternately.

7. The voltage regulator module according to claim 1, wherein the voltage regulator module is a single-stage DC-DC converter that is supplied with a DC voltage of at least 13 V and that outputs a voltage to be supplied to said integrated circuit.

8. The voltage regulator module according to claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit is mounted on an obverse side of a substrate and said charge storage means is mounted on a reverse side of said substrate.

9. The voltage regulator module according to claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit is mounted on said substrate in a silicon chip state, and said charge storage means is mounted on said substrate.

10. The voltage regulator module according to claim 1, wherein a length of a longer side of said charge storage means is shorter than a length of a longer side of said integrated circuit, and a thickness of said charge storage means exclusive of terminals is 5 mm or less.

11. The voltage regulator module according to claim 1, wherein said charge storage means comprises an electric double-layer capacitor, and said electric double-layer capacitor is formed by mixing fine carbon fiber in active carbon, opposing graphite foils with the active carbon applied to one side thereof to each other, and interposing a separator impregnated with sulfuric acid between the graphite foils.

12. The voltage regulator module according to claim 1, wherein said charge storage means has a capacitance of at least 10 mF and an internal resistance of 1 mΩ

or less.