Application Report

SLVA673A – November 2014 – Revised April 2014

Robust Hot Swap Design

Artem Rogachev Power Interface

ABSTRACT
A Hot Swap is usually placed on the input of a plug-in card to manage inrush current and
to protect the main bus and the load during faults. Hot-Swap applications place a lot of
stress on the MOSFET used as a pass element and a major challenge is to ensure that it
is safely operated under all possible conditions. First, this application note discusses key
principals and considerations for Hot Swap design. Then a design procedure is outlined
using the LM5066I as an example. This procedure is implemented for the design
calculators of the following parts: LM25066, LM5066, LM5066I, LM5067, LM5069,
TPS24710, and TPS24720. It is recommended to use these calculators for designing Hot
Swaps and this application note is meant to describe and justify the procedure used for
these tools.

Document History

Version Date Author Notes

1.0 July 22, 2014 Artem Rogachev Initial Draft
1.1 February 27, 2015 Artem Rogachev Fixed Figure 6 caption

Contents
1 Introduction and Related Material ............................................................................................... 2
2 Key Considerations for Hot Swap Design .................................................................................. 3
2.1 Hot Swap Controllers with FET SOA Protection...................................................................... 3
2.2 Understanding MOSFET Stress in Hot Swap Applications...................................................... 4
2.2.1 Hot Swap with only Power Limit .................................................................................. 4
2.2.2 Hot Swap with Power Limit and dv/dt Inrush Control ................................................... 6
2.3 Understanding MOSFET’s Stress Limitations ......................................................................... 7
2.3.1 MOSFET SOA Curve and Thermal Model ................................................................... 7
2.3.2 Checking SOA for Intermediate Time Intervals ............................................................ 8
2.3.3 Checking SOA for Non-Square Power Pulses ............................................................. 9
2.4 Considerations for Parallel MOSFETs .................................................................................. 10
3 Design Examples Using the LM5066I ........................................................................................ 11
3.1 48-V, 10-A PMBus Hot Swap Design .................................................................................... 11
3.1.1 Design Requirements ................................................................................................ 11
3.1.2 Design Procedure ..................................................................................................... 12
3.2 48-V, 20-A PMBus Hot Swap Design .................................................................................... 15
3.2.1 Design Requirements ................................................................................................ 15
3.2.2 Detailed Design Procedure ....................................................................................... 15
4 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................. 19
References.......................................................................................................................................... 19

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Figures
Figure 1. Operation of Power Limit Engine ................................................................................... 3
Figure 2. Start-up with only Power Limit ....................................................................................... 4
Figure 4. Start-up into Short ........................................................................................................... 5
Figure 5. Hot Short .......................................................................................................................... 5
Figure 6. Circuit for Output dv/dt Control ...................................................................................... 6
Figure 7. Start Up With Output dv/dt Control ................................................................................ 6
Figure 8. SOA Curve of PSMN4R8-100BSE ................................................................................... 7
Figure 9. Simplified MOSFET Thermal Model ................................................................................ 8
Figure 10. SOA vs Time for VDS = 60 V (PSMN4R8-100BSE)4 ......................................................... 9
Figure 11. Approximating FET stress for Non-square pulses ........................................................ 9
Figure 12. Transfer Characteristics (PSMN4R8-100BSE)4 ............................................................ 10
Figure 13. LM5066I Application Schematic ................................................................................... 11

Tables
Document History ................................................................................................................................ 1
Table 1. Stress Handling vs Time for PSMN4R8-100BSE (VDS = 60 V)4 ...................................... 8
Table 2. Design Requirements for 10-A Hot Swap..................................................................... 11
Table 3. Design Requirements for 20-A Hot Swap..................................................................... 15

1 Introduction and Related Material

The focus of this application note is to provide guidelines for ensuring safe MOSFET operation in
Hot Swap circuits. Similar topics have been covered in the following application notes from TI:
“Selecting Transistors for Hot-Swap Applications”1 and “Hot Swap Design Using TPS2490/91
and MOSFET Thermal Response”2. Both of these works are a solid starting point for learning
about Hot Swap design and a similar framework is used here. However, as the power levels
continue to rise and designers attempt to squeeze the most out of their MOSFETs there are
additional considerations that are introduced in this work:

• Limitation on how low of a power limit Hot-Swap controllers can support

• Using output dv/dt control methods

• Additional techniques for estimating MOSFETs stress capability for non-constant power and
intermediate time frames

• Many low RDSON MOSFETs do not have constant power safe operating area (SOA) curves
and the thermal transient impedance is not the ideal for estimating stress-handling
capabilities

• Using multiple MOSFETs

TI offers Excel-based calculators for Hot Swap with power limiting that follow the approach
outlined here. Thus, engineers that want to understand the implementation and reasoning
behind these tools will find the information in this application note to be most relevant. Finally,
the complete design examples of the LM5066I demonstrate how these principals should be
applied.

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In addition to MOSFET stress consideration, the TVS selection is another critical area of Hot
Swap design. Refer to the “TVS Clamping in Hot-Swap Circuits”3 article for an in-depth
discussion on this topic.

2 Key Considerations for Hot Swap Design

2.1 Hot Swap Controllers with FET SOA Protection

To ensure that the MOSFET stays within its SOA during start-up and fault recovery, many of TI’s
controllers implement the FET power-limiting feature. The active control loop will regulate the
gate to ensure that the current through the MOSFET and the power dissipation of the MOSFET
is below their respective pre-programmed thresholds. The maximum current allowed through the
MOSFET (ILIM) is determined with Equation 1. ILIM,CL is the programmed current limit, PLIM is the
programmed power limit, and VDS is the drain-to-source voltage across the Hot Swap MOSFET.
𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿
𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿 = 𝑀𝑀𝑀(𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿,𝐶𝐶 , 𝑉𝐷𝐷
) (1)

This results in an IV curve shown in Figure 1. ILIM,PL denotes the maximum allowed MOSFET
current (IDS) when the part is in power limit. As VDS increases, ILIM,PL decreases and ILIM,PL,MIN
denotes the lowest ILIM,PL, which occurs at the largest VDS (VDS,MAX). The controllers enforce this
by regulating the voltage across RSENSE (VSENSE). VSNS,PL denotes VSENSE when power limiting is
active. Similarly to ILIM,PL, VSNS,PL decreases as VDS increases and VSNS,PL,MIN corresponds to the
lowest VSNS,PL, which occurs at VDS,MAX.

Figure 1. Operation of Power Limit Engine

Note that as VSNS,PL,MIN decreases, there is less signal and thus the error due to offsets
increases. To ensure proper operation, most controllers will have a minimum recommended
VSNS,PL,MIN that should be adhered to. The VSNS,PL,MIN can be computed with Equation 2. As higher
power, high efficiency designs are attempted with small FETs there is a push to reduce PLIM
(less stress on FET), reduce VSNS,CL (better efficiency), and increase ILIM,CL (support larger load
current). All of these will reduce VSNS,PL,MIN and the designer must be careful to ensure that it is
not too low.
𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿 ×𝑉𝑆𝑆𝑆,𝐶𝐶
𝑉𝑆𝑆𝑆,𝑃𝑃,𝑀𝑀𝑀 = 𝑉 (2)
𝐷𝐷,𝑀𝑀𝑀 ×𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿,𝐶𝐶

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2.2 Understanding MOSFET Stress in Hot Swap Applications

To ensure a robust Hot Swap, the MOSFET stress should never exceed its ratings. To achieve
this goal, one must first understand the different test conditions and the stress they cause on the
MOSFET. The following are the three key scenarios to consider:

• Start-up

• Hot-short - Output of a Hot Swap is shorted to ground when the Hot Swap is on

• Start-up into short - Powering up a board when the output and ground are shorted

2.2.1 Hot Swap with only Power Limit

For many applications the design relies on power limit and current limit. The timer is used to shut
off the FET if the stress duration exceeds the pre-set duration.
Figure 2 shows a start-up into a purely capacitive load. The Hot Swap will regulate the Hot Swap
MOSTFET’s gate to maintain a power dissipation which is under the power limit and keep the
input current under the current limit. Note that the inrush current increases as VOUT increases,
because the VDS of the MOSFETs will decrease. The start time can be computed with Equation
3. Note that the Hot Swap will be in power limit or current limit during most of the start-up and
hence one should assume that the timer will run during the entire start-up. Therefore, the timer
should be sized larger than TSTART. The stress on the MOSFET is roughly PLIM watts for TSTART
milliseconds.
2
𝐶𝑂𝑂𝑂 𝑉𝐼𝐼 𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿
𝑇𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆 = ×� + 2 � (3)
2 𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿 𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿

Figure 2. Start-up with only Power Limit

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Next, consider start-up into Short. In this case, VOUT starts out shorted to ground and the
controller will again regulate the gate to maintain constant power in the FET. Since VOUT = 0 V,
the VDS of the FET equals VIN, the inrush current equals PLIM/VIN. The Hot Swap will regulate the
gate until the timer expires. Thus, the stress on the MOSFET is roughly PLIM watts for TTIMER
seconds. Note that the TTIMER is larger than TSTART, so this test condition will be more stress than
a regular start-up.

Figure 4. Start-up into Short

Finally, consider the hot-short. In this case, VOUT is shorted to ground and the controller will
quickly pull down the gate and then re-start the gate into regulation to maintain constant power
in the FET. The power level and duration is the same as the previous test. However, the FET will
usually start out being hotter (due to load current) and thus this is considered the most stressful
event.

Figure 5. Hot Short

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To summarize, the following applies for designing Hot Swap with just power limit:

• Timer size is driven by start time.

• Worst-case FET stress is PLIM watts for TTIMER seconds.

2.2.2 Hot Swap with Power Limit and dv/dt Inrush Control
For designs with large load currents and output capacitances, using a power-limit-based start-up
can be impractical. Fundamentally, increasing load currents will reduce the sense resistor, which
will increase the minimum Power Limit. Using a larger output capacitor will result in a longer
start-up time and require a longer timer. Thus, a longer timer and a larger power limit setting are
required, which places more stress on the MOSFET during a hot-short or a start into short.
Eventually, there will be no FETs that can support such a requirement. An alternative is to limit
the inrush current with a dv/dt control circuit shown in Figure 6. Cdv/dt limits the slew rate of the
gate and the output voltage, which in turn limits the inrush current.

Figure 6. Circuit for Output dv/dt Control

Figure 7 shows a typical start-up waveform. Note that the inrush current is constant and the
MOSFET power decreases as the VOUT goes up and VDS decreases. The start into short and hot-
short will have similar waveforms as the power-limit-only circuit.

Figure 7. Start Up With Output dv/dt Control

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When using a dv/dt control circuit along with power limit, the designer can do the following:

• Reduce the inrush current as necessary to ensure that the MOSFET can survive start-up.

• Reduce the timer as necessary to ensure that the MOSFET can survive start into short and
hot-short.

2.3 Understanding MOSFET’s Stress Limitations

To design a robust Hot Swap, it is critical to ensure that the MOSFET is safely operated under
all conditions. This section describes the techniques for checking whether a given MOSFET will
survive various test conditions.

2.3.1 MOSFET SOA Curve and Thermal Model

Figure 8 shows a typical safe operating area (SOA) plot for the PSMN4R8-100BSE FET. For
each time duration, there is an IV curve that corresponds to the current and voltage that the
device can withstand for that given time. When looking at the 10 ms curve, the MOSFET can
handle 80 A at 10 V (800 W) or 4 A at 70 V (280 W). This effect is often observed in MOSFETs
due to current crowding and other secondary effects and is worse for high voltage MOSFETs. To
ensure a robust design, the power handling of a MOSFET should be based on the maximum VDS
that can be applied (typically VIN). It is also important to note that this data is based on
TMB = 25°C, which is also referred to as the case temperature (TC).

Figure 8. SOA Curve of PSMN4R8-100BSE

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For the sake of Hot Swap design, the simplified MOSFET thermal model (Figure 9) is sufficient.
TJ represents the junction temperature, TC is the case temperature, TA is the ambient
temperature, CJ is the thermal capacitance of the junction, CC is the thermal capacitance of the
case, and PFET is the power generated on the die. When the load current is constant and the
FET is fully enhanced, PFET is constant and TJ and TC are purely a function of RθCA and RθJC.
Note that in a real test case, TC may be much hotter than 25°C and the SOA must be derated.

Figure 9. Simplified MOSFET Thermal Model

Often RθCA and RθJC are lumped together and called RθJA which is the junction to ambient thermal
resistance. Typically, RθCA is a function of the layout and RθJC is a function of the package. In
addition, RθJC is typically much lower than RθCA for MOSFETs with a thermal pad, and hence
RθCA and RθJC are very similar and get used interchangeably. In addition, the CC is quite large
and thus TC can be assumed to be constant during transient thermal events such as a hot short.
To properly estimate the FETs stress handling capability, first the steady state case temperature
should be computed using Equation 4. Note that RDSON is a function of the junction temperature
and Equation 4 may need to be solved iteratively with the RDSON and TC being updated in each
iteration.
2
𝑇𝐶 = 𝑇𝐴 + 𝑅𝜃𝜃𝜃 × 𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿,𝑀𝑀𝑀 × 𝑅𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷 (𝑇𝐽 ) (4)

Once TC is known, the SOA can be derated accordingly using Equation 5. Note that this
assumes that the TC stays constant during the thermal transient.
𝑇𝐽,𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 −𝑇𝐶
𝑆𝑆𝑆(𝑇𝐶 ) = 𝑆𝑆𝑆(25°𝐶) × 𝑇 (5)
𝐽,𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 −25°𝐶

2.3.2 Checking SOA for Intermediate Time Intervals

In addition to accounting for TC dependence, the designer should consider the dependence of
power handling vs time. In many cases, the FET will be “stressed” for an arbitrary time like 5 ms,
but SOA data would only be available for 1 ms and 10 ms time intervals. In that case, proper
extrapolation is necessary. Table 1 shows the stress handling capability of the PSMN4R8-
100BSE vs time. SOA vs Time for VDS = 60 V (PSMN4R8-100BSE)

Table 1. Stress Handling vs Time for PSMN4R8-100BSE (VDS = 60 V)4

Time (ms) SOA (W) Energy (J)

100 120 12
10 360 3.6
1 1800 1.8
0.1 6000 0.6

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Figure 10 plots the data in Table 1. Note that the points tend to follow a line on the log – log plot,
which implies that the power function is the best way to estimate the SOA.

10000

MOSFET Power Handling (W)

Power Handling (W)
Trendline
1000

100
0.1 1 Time (ms) 10 100

Figure 10. SOA vs Time for VDS = 60 V (PSMN4R8-100BSE)4

The power function follows the format shown in Equation 6. The a and m coefficients can be
computed by extrapolation if two data points are available. This principal is used in the Excel
design calculators and in the following design examples.
𝑆𝑆𝑆(𝑡) = 𝑎 × 𝑡 𝑚
𝑙𝑙(𝑆𝑆𝑆(𝑡1 )/𝑆𝑆𝑆(𝑡2 ) 𝑆𝑆𝑆(𝑡1 )
𝑚= ; 𝑎= (6)
𝑙𝑙(𝑡1 /𝑡2 ) 𝑡1𝑚

2.3.3 Checking SOA for Non-Square Power Pulses

When dv/dt based start-up is used or there is a load present at start-up, the transient FET stress
may not be a square pulse. In that case, it needs to be converted to a square pulse as shown in
Figure 11 so that it can be compared on the SOA curve.

Figure 11. Approximating FET stress for Non-square pulses

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To be conservative, the “equivalent square pulse” should be computed as follows:
𝑡
𝐸2 = 𝐸1 = ∫0 1 𝑃(𝑡)𝑑𝑑 ; 𝑃2 = 𝑃𝑀𝑀𝑀 (7)
𝑡2 = 𝐸2 /𝑃2
As can be seen from Table 1, the FET can handle more energy if it is spread over a longer time.
Thus this approach is conservative, because the energy is equal but it is applied over a shorter
period.

2.4 Considerations for Parallel MOSFETs

When using parallel MOSFETs, the designer must consider how well they current share. For Hot
Swap design, TI recommends using these assumptions:

• When the FETs are fully enhanced, (VGS > 10V) they will share the current evenly. Thus
when computing the steady state case temperature, one can assume that each FET’s
current equals the load current / # of MOSFETs.

• During start-up, hot-short, and start into short the MOSFETs are in saturation region (VGS
close to VT and large VDS) and a single MOSFET will take all of the current.
The first assumption is based on two facts. First, the RDSON of MOSFET’s will usually not vary
more than ±25%. Second, RDSON has a positive temperature coefficient. Thus if one of the
MOSFETs takes more than half the current, it will heat up and its RDSON will increase, which will
in turn, balance out how much current it draws.
Next consider the FET operation in saturation. The current is a very strong function of VGST,
which equals VGS – VT. Note that the VT will often vary ±1 V. Thus, even if two FETs have the
same VGS, their VGST can be quite different, resulting in a big variation in the current being drawn.
To make things worse, the MOSFETs will draw more current at high temperature when operated
at low VGS as shown in Figure 12. This results in a positive feedback, where a MOSFET that
draws more current will get hotter and then draw even more current.

Figure 12. Transfer Characteristics (PSMN4R8-100BSE)4

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3 Design Examples Using the LM5066I
This section provides a 48 V, 10 A and a 48 V, 20 A design example for the LM5066I. In both
examples, the schematic below applies. The analysis shows that the dv/dt circuit is required for
the 20-A design, but not necessary for the 10-A design.

Figure 13. LM5066I Application Schematic

3.1 48-V, 10-A PMBus Hot Swap Design

3.1.1 Design Requirements

Table 2 summarizes the design parameters that must be known before designing a Hot Swap
circuit.

Table 2. Design Requirements for 10-A Hot Swap

Design Parameter Example Value
Input voltage range 40 V – 60 V
Maximum load current 10 A
Maximum Output Capacitance of the Hot Swap 220 µF
Maximum Ambient Temperature 85°C
MOSFET RθCA (function of layout) 30°C/W
Pass “Hot-Short” on Output? Yes
Pass a “Start into short”? Yes
Is the load off until PG asserted? Yes
Can a hot board be plugged back in? Yes

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When charging the output capacitor through the Hot Swap MOSFET, the FET’s total energy
dissipation equals the total energy stored in the output capacitor (1/2CV2). Thus both the input
voltage and output capacitance will determine the stress experienced by the MOSFET. The
maximum load current will drive the current limit and sense resistor selection. In addition, the
maximum load current, maximum ambient temperature, and the thermal properties of the PCB
(RθCA) will drive the selection of the MOSFET RDSON and the number of MOSFETs used. RθCA is
a strong function of the layout and the amount of copper that is connected to the drain of the
MOSFET.

3.1.2 Design Procedure

3.1.2.1 Select RSNS and CL setting

LM5066I can be used with a VCL of 26 mV or 50 mV. In general, using the 26-mV threshold will
result in a lower RSNS and lower I2R losses. This option is selected for this design by connecting
the CL pin directly to VDD. TI recommends targeting a current limit that is at least 10% above the
maximum load current to account for the tolerance of the LM5066I current limit. Targeting a
current limit of 11 A, the sense resistor can be computed as follows:
𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿 26𝑚𝑚
𝑅𝑆𝑆𝑆,𝐶𝐶𝐶 = = = 2.36𝑚𝑚 (8)
𝑉𝐶𝐶 11𝐴

Note that for many applications, a precise current limit may not be required. In that case, it is
simpler to pick the next smaller available sense resistor. For this application, a 2-mΩ resistor can
be used for a 13-A current limit.

3.1.2.2 Selecting the Hot Swap FET(s)

It is critical to select the correct MOSFET for a Hot Swap design. The device must meet the
following requirements:

• The VDS rating should be sufficient to handle the maximum system voltage along with any
ringing caused by transients. For most 48-V systems, a 100-V FET is a good choice.

• The SOA of the FET should be sufficient to handle all usage cases: start-up, hot-short, start
into short.

• RDSON should be sufficiently low to maintain the junction and case temperature below the
maximum rating of the FET. In fact, it is recommended to keep the steady state FET
temperature below 125°C to allow margin to handle transients.

• Maximum continuous current rating should be above the maximum load current and the
pulsed drain current must be greater than the current threshold of the circuit breaker. Most
MOSFETs that pass the first three requirements will also pass these two.

• A VGS rating of ±20 V is required, because the LM5066I can pull up the gate as high as 16 V
above source.
For this design the PSMN4R8-100BSE was selected for its low RDSON and superior SOA. After
selecting the MOSFET, the maximum steady state case temperature can be computed as
follows:
2
𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 = 𝑇𝐴,𝑀𝑀𝑀 + 𝑅𝜃𝜃𝜃 × 𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿,𝑀𝑀𝑀 × 𝑅𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷 (𝑇𝐽 ) (9)

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Note that the RDSON is a strong function of junction temperature, which for most D2PACK
MOSFETS will be very close to the case temperature. A few iterations of the previous equations
may be necessary to converge on the final RDSON and TC,MAX value. According to the PSMN4R8-
100BSE datasheet, its RDSON doubles at 110°C. Equation 10 uses this RDSON value to compute
the TC,MAX. Note that the computed TC,MAX is close to the junction temperature assumed for
RDSON. Thus no further iterations are necessary.
C
𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 = 85°C + 30° × (10𝐴)2 × (2 × 4.8𝑚𝑚) = 114°C (10)
W

3.1.2.3 Select Power Limit

In general, a lower power limit setting is preferred to reduce the stress on the MOSFET.
However, when the LM5066I is set to a very low power limit setting, it has to regulate the FET
current and hence the voltage across the sense resistor (VSNS) to a very low value. VSNS can be
computed as shown in Equation 11:
𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿 ×𝑅𝑆𝑆𝑆
𝑉𝑆𝑆𝑆 = (11)
𝑉𝐷𝐷

To avoid significant degradation of the power limiting a VSNS of less than 4 mV is not
recommended. Based on this requirement the minimum allowed power limit can be computed as
follows:
𝑉𝑆𝑆𝑆,𝑀𝑀𝑀 ×𝑉𝐼𝐼,𝑀𝑀𝑀 4𝑚𝑚×60𝑉
𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿,𝑀𝑀𝑀 = = = 120𝑊 (12)
𝑅𝑆𝑆𝑆 2𝑚𝑚

In most applications the power limit can be set to PLIM,MIN using Equation 13. Here RSNS and RPWR
are in ohms and PLIM is in watts.

𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿 ×𝑅𝑆𝑆𝑆 −0.043 120×0.002−0.043

𝑅𝑃𝑃𝑃 = = = 28143𝛺 (13)
7×10−6 7×10−6

The closest available resistor should be selected. In this case a 28.2-kΩ resistor was chosen.

3.1.2.4 Set Fault Timer

The fault timer runs when the Hot Swap is in power limit or current limit, which is the case during
start-up. Thus the timer has to be sized large enough to prevent a time-out during start-up. If the
part starts directly into current limit (ILIM × VDS < PLIM) the maximum start time can be computed
with Equation 14:
𝐶𝑂𝑂𝑂 ×𝑉𝐼𝐼,𝑀𝑀𝑀
𝑡𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠,𝑚𝑚𝑚 = (14)
𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿

For most designs (including this example) ILIM × VDS > PLIM so the Hot Swap will start in power
limit and transition into current limit. In that case the maximum start time can be computed as
follows:
2
𝐶𝑂𝑂𝑂 𝑉𝐼𝐼,𝑀𝑀𝑀 𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿 220𝜇𝜇 (60𝑉)2 120𝑊
𝑡𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠,𝑚𝑚𝑚 = ×� + 2 �= ×� + � = 3.38𝑚𝑚 (15)
2 𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿 𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿 2 120𝑊 (13𝐴)2

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Note that the previous start-time is based on typical current limit and power limit values. To
ensure that the timer never times out during start-up it is recommended to set the fault time (tflt)
to be 1.5 × tstart,max or 5.1 ms. This will account for the variation in power limit, timer current, and
timer capacitance. Thus CTIMER can be computed as follows:
𝑡𝑓𝑓𝑓 ×𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 5.1𝑚𝑚×75𝜇𝜇
𝐶𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇 = = = 98.07 𝑛𝑛 (16)
𝑣𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 3.9𝑉

The next largest available CTIMER is chosen as 100 nF. Once the CTIMER is chosen, the actual
programmed fault time can be computed as follows:
𝐶𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇 ×𝑣𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 100𝑛𝑛×3.9𝑉
𝑡𝑓𝑓𝑓 = = = 5.2 𝑚𝑚 (17)
𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 75𝜇𝜇

3.1.2.5 Check MOSFET SOA

Once the power limit and fault timer are chosen, it is critical to check that the FET will stay within
its SOA during all test conditions. During a “Hot-Short” the circuit breaker will trip and the
LM5066I will re-start into power limit until the timer runs out. In the worst case, the MOSFET’s
VDS will equal VIN,MAX, IDS will equal PLIM / VIN,MAX and the stress event will last for tflt. For this
design example the MOSFET will have 60 V, 2 A across it for 5.2 ms.
Based on the SOA of the PSMN4R8-100BSE, it can handle 60 V, 30 A for 1 ms and it can
handle 60 V, 6 A for 10 ms. The SOA for 5.2 ms can be extrapolated by approximating SOA vs
time as a power function as shown in Equation 18:

𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡) = 𝑎 × 𝑡 𝑚
30𝐴
ln(𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡1 )/𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡2 ) ln( )
𝑚= = 6𝐴 = −0.7
ln(𝑡1 /𝑡2 ) 1𝑚𝑚
ln( )
10𝑚𝑚
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡1 ) 30A
𝑎= = = 30𝐴 × (𝑚𝑚)0.7
𝑡1𝑚 (1ms)−0.7
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (5.2𝑚𝑚) = 30𝐴 × (𝑚𝑚)0.7 × (5.2𝑚𝑚)−0.7 = 9.46𝐴 (18)

Note that the SOA of a MOSFET is specified at a case temperature of 25°C, while the case
temperature can be much hotter during a hot-short. The SOA should be de-rated based on
TC,MAX using Equation 19:
𝑇𝐽,𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 −𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 175°C−114°C
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 �5.2𝑚𝑚, 𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 � = 𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (5.2𝑚𝑚, 25°C) × = 9.46𝐴 × = 3.85𝐴 (19)
𝑇𝐽,𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 −25°C 175°C−25°C

Based on this calculation, the MOSFET can handle 3.85 A, 60 V for 5.2 ms at elevated case
temperature, but is only required to handle 2 A during a hot-short. Thus there is good margin
and this will be a robust design. In general, it is recommended that the MOSFET can handle
1.5x more than what is required during a hot-short. This provides margin to cover the variance of
the power limit and fault time.

14 Robust Hot Swap Design

 SLVA673A

3.2 48-V, 20-A PMBus Hot Swap Design

3.2.1 Design Requirements

Table 3. Design Requirements for 20-A Hot Swap

Design Parameter Example Value

Input voltage range 40 V – 60 V
Maximum load current 20 A
Maximum Output Capacitance of the Hot Swap 440 µF
Maximum Ambient Temperature 85°C
MOSFET RθCA (function of layout) 30°C/W
Pass “Hot-Short” on Output? Yes
Pass a “Start into short”? Yes
Is the load off until PG asserted? Yes
Can a hot board be plugged back in? Yes

3.2.2 Detailed Design Procedure

3.2.2.1 Selecting the Sense Resistor and CL Setting

LM5066I can be used with a VCL of 26 mV or 50 mV. In general using the 26-mV threshold will
result in a lower RSNS and lower I2R losses. This option is selected for this design by connecting
the CL pin directly to VDD. It is recommended to target a currently limit that is at least 10% above
the maximum load current to account for the tolerance of the LM5066I current limit. Targeting a
current limit of 22 A, the sense resistor can be computed as follows:
𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿 26𝑚𝑚
𝑅𝑆𝑆𝑆,𝐶𝐶𝐶 = = = 1.18𝑚𝑚 (20)
𝑉𝐶𝐶 22𝐴

For this application, a 1-mΩ resistor can be used for a 26-A current limit.

3.2.2.2 Selecting the Hot Swap FET(s)

For this design the PSMN4R8-100BSE was selected for its low RDSON and superior SOA. After
selecting the MOSFET, the maximum steady state case temperature can be computed as
follows:
2
𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 = 𝑇𝐴,𝑀𝑀𝑀 + 𝑅θCA × 𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿,𝑀𝑀𝑀 × 𝑅DSON (𝑇𝐽 ) (21)

Note that the RDSON is a strong function of junction temperature, which for most D2PACK
MOSFETS will be very close to the case temperature. A few iterations of the previous equations
may be necessary to converge on the final RDSON and TC,MAX value. According to the PSMN4R8-
100BSE datasheet, its RDSON doubles at 110°C. Equation 22 uses this RDSON value to compute
the TC,MAX. Note that the computed TC,MAX is already above the absolute maximum of the FET.
C
𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 = 85°C + 30° × (20𝐴)2 × (2 × 4.8𝑚𝑚) = 200°C (22)
W

Robust Hot Swap Design 15

SLVA673A
This suggests that 2 FETs should be used for the design. During steady-state operation, the
MOSFETs are fully enhanced and will share current evenly. Thus assuming that each FET
carries half of the current, the TC,MAX can be computed with Equation 23. Now TC,MAX is 114°C,
which is quite reasonable.

C 20𝐴 2
𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 = 85°C + 30° ×� � × (2 × 4.8𝑚𝑚) = 114°C (23)
W 2

3.2.2.3 Select Power Limit

In general, a lower power limit setting is preferred to reduce the stress on the MOSFET.
However, when the LM5066I is set to a very low power limit setting, it has to regulate the FET
current and hence the voltage across the sense resistor (VSNS) to a very low value. VSNS can be
computed as in the following:
𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿 ×𝑅𝑆𝑆𝑆
𝑉𝑆𝑆𝑆 = (24)
𝑉𝐷𝐷

To avoid significant degradation of the power limiting, a VSNS below 4 mV is not recommended.
Based on this requirement, the minimum allowed power limit can be computed as follows:
𝑉𝑆𝑆𝑆,𝑀𝑀𝑀 ×𝑉𝐼𝐼,𝑀𝑀𝑀 4𝑚𝑚×60𝑉
𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿,𝑀𝑀𝑀 = = = 240𝑊 (25)
𝑅𝑆𝑆𝑆 1𝑚𝑚

In most applications, the power limit can be set to PLIM,MIN as shown in Equation 26. Here RSNS
and RPWR are in ohms and PLIM is in watts.

𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿 ×𝑅𝑆𝑆𝑆 −0.043 240×0.001−0.043

𝑅𝑃𝑃𝑃 = = = 28143𝛺 (26)
7×10−6 7×10−6

The closest available resistor should be selected. In this case a 28.2-kΩ resistor was chosen.

3.2.2.4 Set Fault Timer

The maximum start time can be computed to 3.37 ms as shown in Equation 27.
2
𝐶𝑂𝑂𝑂 𝑉𝐼𝐼,𝑀𝑀𝑀 𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿 440𝜇𝜇 (60𝑉)2 240𝑊
𝑡𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠,𝑚𝑚𝑚 = ×� + 2 �= ×� + � = 3.37𝑚𝑚 (27)
2 𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿 𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐿 2 240𝑊 (26𝐴)2

Note that the previous start-time is based on typical current limit and power limit values. To
ensure that the timer never times out during start-up it is recommended to set the fault time (tflt)
to be 1.5 × tstart,max or 5.1 ms. This will account for the variation in power limit, timer current, and
timer capacitance. Thus CTIMER can be computed as follows:
𝑡𝑓𝑓𝑓 ×𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 5.1𝑚𝑚×75𝜇𝜇
𝐶𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇 = = = 98.07 𝑛𝑛 (28)
𝑣𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 3.9𝑉

16 Robust Hot Swap Design

 SLVA673A
The next largest available CTIMER is chosen as 100 nF. Once the CTIMER is chosen the actual
programmed fault time can be computed as follows:
𝐶𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇 ×𝑣𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 100𝑛𝑛×3.9𝑉
𝑡𝑓𝑓𝑓 = = = 5.2 𝑚𝑚 (29)
𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 75𝜇𝜇

3.2.2.5 Check MOSFET SOA

Once the power limit and fault timer are chosen, it is critical to check that the FET will stay within
its SOA during all test conditions. During a “Hot-Short” the circuit breaker will trip and the
LM5066I will re-start into power limit until the timer runs out. In the worst case the MOSFET’s
VDS will equal VIN,MAX, IDS will equal PLIM / VIN,MAX and the stress event will last for tflt. For this
design example the MOSFET will have 60 V, 4A across it for 5.2 ms.
When the Hot Swap is in power limit and the FETs are operating in saturation region (VGS close
to threshold voltage) the designer cannot assume that the FETs will share. Even a small VT
mismatch will cause a large difference in the current carried by the 2 MOSFETs. Thus, the SOA
checking should be done assuming that all of the current is flowing through a single FET.
Based on the SOA of the PSMN4R8-100BSE, it can handle 60 V, 30 A for 1 ms and it can
handle 60 V, 6 A for 10 ms. The SOA for 5.2 ms can be extrapolated by approximating SOA vs
time as a power function as shown in Equation 30:

𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡) = 𝑎 × 𝑡 𝑚
30𝐴
ln(𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡1 )/𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡2 ) ln( )
𝑚= = 6𝐴 = −0.7
ln(𝑡1 /𝑡2 ) 1𝑚𝑚
ln( )
10𝑚𝑚
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡1 ) 30A
𝑎= = = 30𝐴 × (𝑚𝑚)0.7
𝑡1𝑚 (1ms)−0.7
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (5.2𝑚𝑚, 25°C) = 30𝐴 × (𝑚𝑚)0.7 × (5.2𝑚𝑚)−0.7 = 9.46𝐴 (30)

Note that the SOA of a MOSFET is specified at a case temperature of 25°C, while the case
temperature can be much hotter during a hot-short. The SOA should be de-rated based on
TC,MAX using Equation 31:
𝑇𝐽,𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 −𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 175°C−114°C
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 �5.2𝑚𝑚, 𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 � = 𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (5.2𝑚𝑚, 25°C) × = 9.46𝐴 × = 3.85𝐴 (31)
𝑇𝐽,𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 −25°C 175°C−25°C

Based on this calculation, the MOSFET can handle 3.85 A, 60 V for 5.2 ms at elevated case
temperature, but it is required to handle 4 A during a hot-short. In addition, there will be
tolerance on the power limit and timer so using these settings would not produce a robust Hot
Swap design.

Robust Hot Swap Design 17

SLVA673A
3.2.2.6 Switching to dv/dt based Start-up
Since the design requirements were not met with a power limit only approach, output dv/dt
control should also be used, the benefits of which were described in Section 2.2.2.

3.2.2.7 Choosing the VOUT Slew Rate

The inrush current should be kept low enough to keep the MOSFET within its SOA during start-
up. Note that the total energy dissipated in the MOSFET during start-up is constant regardless of
the inrush time. Thus, stretching it out over a longer time will always reduce the stress on the
MOSFET as long as the load is off during start-up.
When choosing a target slew rate, one should pick a reasonable number, check the SOA and
reduce the slew rate if necessary. Using 4 V/ms as a starting point, the inrush current can be
computed as follows:
𝑑𝑑𝑂𝑂𝑂 4𝑉
𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼 = 𝐶𝑂𝑂𝑂 × = 440µ𝐹 × = 1.76𝐴 (32)
𝑑𝑑 𝑚𝑚

Assuming a maximum input voltage of 60 V, it will take 15 ms to start-up. Note that the power
dissipation of the FET will start at VIN,MAX × IINR and reduce to zero as the VDS of the MOSFET is
reduced. Note that the SOA curves assume the same power dissipation for a given time. A
conservative approach is to assume an equivalent power profile where PFET = VIN,MAX × IINR for t =
tstart-up /2. In this instance, the SOA can be checked by looking at a 60 V, 1.76 A, 7.5 ms pulse.
Using the same technique as section 3.2.2.5, the MOSFET SOA can be estimated as follows:

𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (7.5𝑚𝑚) = 30𝐴 × (𝑚𝑚)0.7 × (7.5𝑚𝑚)−0.7 = 7.32𝐴 (33)

This value has to also be derated for temperature. For this calculation, it is assumed that TC can
equal TC,MAX when the board is plugged in. This would only occur if a hot board is unplugged and
then plugged back in before it cools off. This is worst case and for many applications, the TA,MAX
can be used for this derating.
𝑇𝐽,𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 −𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 175°C−114°C
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 �7.5𝑚𝑚, 𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 � = 𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (7.5𝑚𝑚, 25°C) × = 7.32𝐴 × = 2.98𝐴 (34)
𝑇𝐽,𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 −25°C 175°C−25°C

This calculation shows that the MOSFET will stay well-within its SOA during a start-up if the slew
rate is 4 V/ms. Note that if the load is off during start-up, the total energy dissipated in the FET is
constant regardless of the slew rate. Thus a lower slew rate will always place less stress on the
FET. To ensure that the slew rate is at most 4 V/ms, the Cdv/dt should be chosen as follows:
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆,𝑀𝑀𝑀 40 µ𝐴
𝑐𝑑𝑑/𝑑𝑑 = = = 10𝑛𝑛 (35)
4 𝑉/𝑚𝑚 4 𝑉/𝑚𝑚

Next, the typical slew rate and start time can be computed to be 2 V/ms as shown in Equation
36, making the typical start time 30 ms.
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆 20 µ𝐴
𝑉𝑂𝑂𝑂,𝑑𝑑/𝑑𝑑 = = = 2 𝑉/𝑚𝑚 (36)
𝑐𝑑𝑑/𝑑𝑑 10 𝑛𝑛

18 Robust Hot Swap Design

 SLVA673A
3.2.2.8 Select Power Limit and Fault Timer
When picking the power limit it needs to meet 2 requirements:

• Power limit is large enough to avoid operating with VSNS < 4 mV

• Power limit is large enough to ensure that the timer does not run during start up. Picking a
power limit such that it is 2x of IINR,MAX × VIN,MAX is good practice.
Thus, the minimum allowed power limit can be computed as follows:
𝑉𝑆𝑆𝑆,𝑀𝑀𝑀 ×𝑉𝐼𝐼,𝑀𝑀𝑀
𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿,𝑀𝑀𝑀 = max � , 2 × 𝑉𝐼𝐼,𝑀𝑀𝑀 × 𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼,𝑀𝑀𝑀 � = max(240𝑊, 211.2𝑊) = 240𝑊 (37)
𝑅𝑆𝑆𝑆

Next, the power limit is set to PLIM,MIN using Equation 38. Here RSNS and RPWR are in ohms and
PLIM is in watts.
𝑃𝐿𝐿𝐿 ×𝑅𝑆𝑆𝑆 −0.043 240×0.001−0.043
𝑅𝑃𝑃𝑃 = = = 28143𝛺 (38)
7×10−6 7×10−6

The closest available resistor should be selected. In this case a 28.2-kΩ resistor was chosen.
Next a fault timer value should be selected. In general, the timer value should be decreased until
there is enough margin between available SOA and the power pulse the FET experiences during
a hot-short. For this design a 100 nF CTIMER was chosen corresponding to a 520 µs. The
available SOA is extrapolated using the method previously described.
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡) = 𝑎 × 𝑡 𝑚
100𝐴
ln(𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡1 )/𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡2 ) ln( 30𝐴 )
𝑚= = = −0.52
ln(𝑡1 /𝑡2 ) 0.1𝑚𝑚
ln( )
1𝑚𝑚
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (𝑡2 ) 30A
𝑎= = = 30𝐴 × (𝑚𝑚)0.52
𝑡2𝑚 (1ms)−0.52
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 (0.52𝑚𝑚, 25°C) = 30𝐴 × (𝑚𝑚)0.52 × (0.52𝑚𝑚)−0.52 = 42.3𝐴 (39)

Next the available SOA is derated for temperature:

175°C−114°C
𝐼𝑆𝑆𝑆 �0.52𝑚𝑚, 𝑇𝐶,𝑀𝑀𝑀 � = 42.3𝐴 × = 17.17𝐴 (40)
175°C−25°C

Note that only 4 A was required, while the FET can support 17.17 A. This confirms that the
design will be robust and have plenty of margin.

4 Conclusion
This application note presented a framework for ensuring that a MOSFET is safely operated in a
Hot-Swap circuit.

References
1. Selecting Transistors for Hot-Swap Applications (SLVA379)
2. Hotswap Design using TPS2490/91 and MOSFET Transient Thermal Response (SLVA158)
3. TVS Clamping in Hot-Swap Circuits, Power Electronics, 9/29/2011
http://powerelectronics.com/circuit-protection-ics/tvs-clamping-hot-swap-circuits
4. PSMN4R8-100BSE Datasheet, NXP Semiconductors, 4/12/2013

Robust Hot Swap Design 19

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