Low voltage dc-to-dc power converter integrated circuit and related

Abstract

A dc-to-dc converter circuit for generating an output voltage from a source voltage includes a plurality of first metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) connected in parallel and collectively defining a gate, a source and a drain. A driver circuit preferably includes a bipolar transistor connected to the gate for turning on the first MOSFETs. A second MOSFET is preferably connected to the gate for turning off the plurality of first MOSFETs. The dc-to-dc converter also preferably includes a clamp circuit connected to the plurality of first MOSFETs across the drain and source thereof. Protection, soft-start and status features are also preferably incorporated into the dc-to-dc converter. A voltage divider is connected to a reference voltage for dividing a first reference voltage to thereby generate a second reference voltage less than a desired output voltage. An error amplifier is connected to the voltage divider for generating an error signal based upon a difference between the second reference voltage and an actual output voltage. External control of the output voltage may be achieved by over-driving a node of the voltage divider, such as to facilitate enhanced operation of a microprocessor or memory device having an preferred operating voltage. A digital-to-analog converter supplies the analog error driving signal from the microprocessor or memory device. Method aspects of the invention are also disclosed.