ZHCS527G January 2007 – April 2025 LM5574
PRODUCTION DATA
A Schottky type re-circulating diode is required for all LM5574 applications. TI does not recommend ultra-fast diodes and ultra-fast diodes can result in damage to the IC due to reverse recovery current transients. The near excellent choice reverse recovery characteristics and low forward voltage drop are particularly important diode characteristics for high input voltage and low output voltage applications common to the LM5574. The reverse recovery characteristic determines how long the current surge lasts each cycle when the buck switch is turned on. The reverse recovery characteristics of Schottky diodes minimize the peak instantaneous power in the buck switch occurring during turn-on each cycle. The resulting switching losses of the buck switch are significantly reduced when using a Schottky diode. The reverse breakdown rating must be selected for the maximum VIN, plus some safety margin.
The forward voltage drop has a significant impact on the conversion efficiency, especially for applications with a low output voltage. Rated current for diodes vary widely from various manufacturers. The worst case is to assume a short-circuit load condition. In this case, the diode carries the output current almost continuously. For the LM5574, this current can be as high as 0.7A. Assuming a worst-case, 1V drop across the diode, the maximum diode power dissipation can be as high as 0.7W. For the reference design, a 100V Schottky in an SMA package was selected.