Traverse Analog Design to Advanced Power Design in a Compact Solution

Feb. 27, 2023

TDK's Tony Ochoa discusses how the company's integrated μPOL dc-dc power modules can help in the design of advanced digital-logic devices such as CPUs, MCUs, FPGAs, and more.

David Maliniak

Related To: Microwaves & RF

Check out more of our CES 2023 coverage.

At TDK's CES 2023 booth, Tony Ochoa, product marketing manager for the company's μPOL dc-dc power modules, explains how these modules can help designers with powering of CPUs, MCUs, ASICs, FPGAs, DSPs, and other advanced digital-logic devices. Such devices impose board-level power challenges through very high performance, fast load transients, and the need for precise voltage accuracy. Moreover, today's design paradigms include shrinking PCBs, making it even more challenging to design in sufficient power supplies for digital devices.

TDK's μPOL technology encompasses an integrated solution that includes a power semiconductor and inductor in a very compact package. Output voltages from these wide-input-range , non-isolated step-down converters can be configured from 0.6 to 5 V using serial communication (I²C) with no need for any external components, making them very versatile devices.

The converter's stability is ensured internally, thus no need for external compensation. Lots of design efforts have been madeto make this device easy to use. System designers need only add input and output capacitors to have a complete dc-dc converter.

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David Maliniak | Executive Editor, Microwaves & RF

I am Executive Editor of Microwaves & RF, an all-digital publication that broadly covers all aspects of wireless communications. More particularly, we're keeping a close eye on technologies in the consumer-oriented 5G, 6G, IoT, M2M, and V2X markets, in which much of the wireless market's growth will occur in this decade and beyond. I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, developers, and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

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In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy, leaving to rejoin the EOEM B2B publishing world in January 2020. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.