An 84.7% Efficiency 100-MHz Package Bondwire-Based Fully Integrated Buck Converter With Precise DCM Operation and Enhanced Light-Load Efficiency

A 100-MHz PWM fully integrated buck converter utilizing standard package bondwire as power inductor with enhanced light-load efficiency which occupies 2.25 mm
²
in 0.13-μm CMOS is presented. Standard package bondwire instead of on-chip spiral metal or special spiral bondwire is implemented as power inductor to minimize the cost and the conduction loss of an integrated inductor. The accuracy requirement of bondwire inductance is relaxed by an extra discontinuous-conduction-mode (DCM) calibration loop, which solves the precise DCM operation issue of fully integrated converters and eliminates the reverse current-related loss, thus enabling the use of standard package bondwire inductor with various packaging techniques. Optimizations of the power transistors, the input decoupling capacitor (C
_I
), and the controller are also presented to achieve an efficient and robust high-frequency design. With all three major power losses, conduction loss, switching loss, and reverse current related loss, optimized or eliminated, the efficiency is significantly improved. An efficiency of 74.8% is maintained at 10 mA, and a peak efficiency of 84.7% is measured at nominal operating conditions with a voltage conversion of 1.2 to 0.9 V. Converters with various bondwire inductances from 3 to 8.5 nH are measured to verify the reliability and compatibility of different packaging techniques.