SNVSCF0A October 2024 – December 2025 LM65680-Q1
ADVANCE INFORMATION
For most applications, choose a buck inductance such that the inductor ripple current, ΔIL, is between 30% to 50% of the maximum DC output current at nominal input voltage. Choose the inductance using Equation 7 based on a peak inductor current given by Equation 8.
Check the inductor data sheet to verify that the saturation current of the inductor is above the peak inductor current of a particular design. Ferrite designs have very low core loss and are often preferred at high switching frequencies, so design goals can then concentrate on copper loss and preventing saturation. Low inductor core loss is evident by reduced no-load input current and higher light-load efficiency. However, ferrite core materials exhibit a hard saturation characteristic where the inductance collapses abruptly upon exceeding the saturation current. This action results in an abrupt increase in inductor ripple current, higher output voltage ripple, not to mention reduced efficiency and compromised reliability. Note that the saturation current of an inductor generally decreases as the core temperature increases. Of course, accurate overcurrent protection is key to avoiding inductor saturation.